x3f-twitter
Latest
Fallout 3: 'Operation Anchorage' screens, level cap increase revealed
Bethesda Softworks, X3F's reader voted Studio of the Year, released new screens for the upcoming Operation Anchorage DLC for Fallout 3 earlier today (and can be found in the gallery below). Making an appearance in the screen shots are the snowy battlefields of Alaska, a Chinese bunker and a rad looking ninja outfit. Releasing later this month, the Xbox 360/PC exclusive Operation Anchorage DLC is priced at 800 ($10). Bethesda told Eurogamer that the level cap in Fallout 3 will be raised to 30 (from 20) in March with the third DLC package, Broken Steel. Ninjas in Fallout 3? Yes, please. Gallery: Fallout 3: Operation Anchorage
Rigopolous: No Rock Band 3 in 2009
Yesterday, during a keynote speech at Billboard's "Digital Music Live," conference, Harmonix co-founder and CEO Alex Rigopolous (center-right) revealed the developer will not release a sequel to Rock Band 2 in 2009. "We've actually made a choice to break out of the annual release cycle for Rock Band this year," Rigopolous announced at the conference. The Harmonix CEO cited a partial reason for decision was because, "annual cycles place limits on the choices [a developer] can make" and Harmonix would like to think long-term with its music platform. According to Crispy Gamer, when asked about EA's reaction to the promise of not releasing Rock Band 3 this year, Rigopolous confirmed they were understanding of the decision. "They know how important this series is and they're willing to give it the time it needs," he said. Currently, Harmonix is hard at work developing a new title based on The Beatles catalog of music and indicated with that license sewn-up, the developer would like to work on bringing Led Zeppelin into the genre, in the future.[Thanks, Patrick Y.]
Fable 2: Knothole Island DLC available January 13
Lionhead Studios has announced the, delayed for technical reasons, downloadable content for Fable 2 will be available on January 13. Fable 2's Knothole Island (800) will add new quests, items and shops to the Game of the Year award winning world of Albion.For those who do not plan on picking up the extra content, Lionhead has also revealed a new title update will be available on the same day, which we all hope will finally cure the game of its own STDs (or bugs if you want to be PC about it).[via Joystiq]%Gallery-37841%
Video: A Grand Theft Auto IV music montage
X3F fanboy Da Crazy Basta sent us his first Grand Theft Auto IV music montage and, well ... we liked it enough to share. Embedded above is the NSFW musical montage-o-death that's done GTAIV-style and set to a few familiar tunes. Really, we couldn't think of a better way to "waste" over eight minutes of our lives this afternoon. Best part of the GTAIV musical fun? It wasn't created by Soulja Boy.
Gears of War 2 Flashback maps hit XBLM for $5
Hey, remember the Flashback Map Pack for Gears of War 2? You know, the one that you can only get by purchasing a brand new copy of the game at your favorite retailer? Guess what? It's now available on Xbox Live Marketplace for 400 Microsoft Points, also known as $5. That's five maps for a buck a piece, which isn't too shabby. Strangely, the text description of the content still says that it's only available as a free download with new copies of the game, but it's definitely listed for 400 points. If you've been worried about losing the Flashback maps by picking up a used copy of Gears 2, it looks like you can officially rest easy. Play your cards right and you could even save some money.Find a video preview of the Flashback Map Pack after the break.[Thanks to everyone that sent this in.]
Xbox 360 install base surges to 28 million
Late last night, Microsoft sent word that they've reached an Xbox 360 install base milestone, announcing that by 2008's end they have been able to sell 28 million consoles worldwide. That's an increase of around 10 million consoles since last January, don'tcha know. On top of the 28 million install base news, Microsoft proudly informed us that 2008 saw an 84% increase in year-over-year online consumer spending, that the Xbox Live community has ballooned to 17 million members and that over $1 billion has been spent on Xbox Live since its launch in 2005. High fives all around!
Fallout 3 Collector's Edition for $50 at Amazon today
If you've yet to explore the not quite barren wastelands of Fallout 3, today might just be the day to get started. Amazon is currently offering the collector's edition of Fallout 3 for $49.98, just over $30 less than the retail price of $79.99. Lest you've forgotten, the collector's edition comes with a Vault Boy bobblehead, a 100 page art book, a making-of DVD and a sweet metal lunchbox (It also includes the game, which is important). If that sounds just a bit too paltry for your expensive taste, Amazon is also offering its exclusive Survival Edition for $109.98, a $20.01 savings over the regular price. The Survival Edition includes all the extras of the collector's edition, with the addition of a replica Pip-Boy digital clock.Like we said, if you've been waiting to get Fallout 3, nabbing the collector's edition for less than the standard edition is a pretty sweet deal.[Thanks, Alex]Source - Amazon.com -- Fallout 3 Collector's EditionSource - Amazon.com -- Fallout 3 Survival Edition
Interpol and its trail of clues release to the XBLA this Wednesday
This Wednesday, January 7th, TikGames' investigative puzzler Interpol: The Trail of Dr. Chaos will be making its way to the Xbox Live Arcade. Please, hold your thunderous applause and ear deafening whistles of excitement. The 800 Microsoft point Interpol is a puzzler-style game at its core, coming complete with detective work, seek and uncover missions, clue searching and plenty of mini games. It does boast four player co-op, but we aren't sure if you'll be able to find three other folks to play with. Only kidding (no we aren't).%Gallery-40601%
Euro 360 sales at 8 million thanks to record holiday
Puffing out their chest with pride, today Microsoft revealed that - to date - they've sold 8 million Xbox 360 consoles in the European market thanks to record setting holiday sales. Sales that were nearly double that of the same holiday period last year."2008 saw us grow faster than any of our competitors and we over-achieved in sales during the crucial Christmas selling period," explained European Xbox VP Chris Lewis. "With eight million consoles sold since we launched, and consistently out-selling PlayStation 3 in EMEA, we're poised to build on this success in 2009." Oh yes, the gloves are off ...
List of the most played Live games of 2008
Just in case you weren't keeping (weekly) track of the most played games of 2008, our pal Major Nelson thought he'd do the community a service by listing the Top 20 Live Games of 2008, based on Live connectivity over the course of the past 52 weeks. We copied 2008's top five 360 games below, because we can, but you can view a listing of 2008's twenty most played games after the jump. For those who are interested in XBLA and original Xbox 2008 stats, Major posted those as well. Congrats to Halo 3, Castle Crashers and Halo 2 for being so darn popular. 1. Halo 3 2. Call of Duty 4 3. GTAIV 4. Gears of War 2 5. Gears of War
Halo 3 push to talk all but a distant memory
In this week's more traditional edition of the Bungie Weekly Update, the Bungie guys (and a few gals) inform us that Halo 3's once controversial and still annoying push to talk communication is being all but removed. With the next wave of Halo 3 matchmaking updates (set for release mid January) push to talk will only be used in matchmaking parties over six players. That means that open chat, once restricted to parties of four or less, will now be used for all gametypes with six or less players per team. It's a smart and well appreciated enhancement, but sort of useless now that we have New Xbox Experience parties to chat in. The mid January Halo 3 matchmaking update will bring other changes, including hopper edits, gametype switching and some restructuring. Head over to Bungie.net for all the juicy deets.
X3F's top stories of 2008
Now that 2008 has come to a close with both team X3F and the X3F community deciding the best games of 2008, we're feeling a little '08 nostalgic for some reason. Maybe we have an attachment disorder or are just in awe of how amazing 2008 was, but whatever the case, we wanted to revisit last year. So, we dug through the official X3F statistical library and uncovered the top fifteen most trafficked stories of 2008. All of which can be viewed in their news glory after the break. According to the traffic reports, Rock Band, Call of Duty, Gears of War, Xbox hardware revisions and NXE Avatars were all the rage in '08. Interesting stuff. Oh how we miss you already 2008. You were good to all of us, even the bad fanboys. But now, we say goodbye and welcome 2009 into our hearts as we look forward to what gaming news is yet to come.
Nielsen: 360 the second most played console of '08
The Nielson Company (the same folks who give us television ratings) just released their scientific digits for 2008's most played video game consoles. Based on console usage, calculated using a select few Nielson households and expressed in a percentage of total console usage minutes. After the data was tabulated, Nielson has awarded the Playstation 2 the most played console of 2008. But seeing that this is an Xbox centric website, the bigger news is that the Xbox 360 took home the number two spot as the second most played console of '08. Congrats! Now about that Playstation 3 and its 5th place finish behind the original Xbox. Hmm ... Playstation 2 - 31.2% Xbox 360 - 17.2% Wii - 13.4% Xbox - 9.7% Playstation 3 - 7.3% Gamecube - 4.6% "Other" - 16.2% [Via Joystiq]
Square Enix to bring Yosumin Live to the XBLA
According to not so English and very foreign website rumblepack and more or less confirmed by the Destructoid crew, Square Enix's colorful puzzle game Yosumin Live will be coming to the Xbox Live Arcade in the not to distant future. There's off-screen screengrabs as well as press assets to prove it, which can be viewed after the jump. Oh, and if you are Yosumin clueless, just think of it as puzzle game where you match up various symbols (that have adorable faces on 'em) in the shape of a rectangle. Easy peazy.Source Source
Rumor: Skate 2 demo releasing January 8th
According to a new Xbox.com listing for an upcoming Skate 2 Download & Win giveaway, a fresh Skate 2 game demo will be available for download off the Xbox Live Marketplace come Thursday, January 8th. Maybe earlier. The Download & Win page explains that, in order to enter the giveaway, gamers must first register then "download the free Skate 2 demo between January 8 - 15." A statement that (thanks to our unnaturally high intellectual thought process) makes us believe that a Skate 2 demo will be downloadable via the XBLM on January 8th. Oh, and if the demo does release on the 8th, be sure to enter the Download & Win to score some nifty skate prizes.
Taking aim at multiple glitches in Gears of War 2
Here is the scenario: You're Epic Games and you release a game hailed by most as yet another gem in your impressive portfolio. Gamers are excited, "Gears of War 2!" they shout as they line up to get their hands on it as soon as possible. They buy it in droves to the tune of nearly 3 million units. Weeks ... nay ... days pass and online aficionados realize the game doesn't work properly. Matchmaking seems slow, sometimes asking your customers to wait 10 or 20 or 30 minutes for a match. Suddenly your blockbuster game is falling from the top of Xbox Live charts like a one-legged stripper from a dancer's pole. Now, as gamers decide which title to call the best of the year, someone has compiled most of the egregious bugs your game has throughout its online modes into one tidy little video package. Well, at least the customers have new maps for $10, amirite?Seriously, can a brother get a title update to make the Live play as fantastic as the single-player, please? 'Cept Horde. That's still rad and flawless.[via Destructoid]
FanSwag: Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix
Update: This FanSwag is now closed.Here it is, the final FanSwag of 2008. We've given away a ton of quality goods and this week is no different. This week we're giving away one copy of Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix for the Xbox Live Arcade. Capcom's latest HD reboot is on the line in our last FanSwag of the year and you can win it. All it takes is one measy comment and you can be the lucky one to nab one of our own picks for XBLA Game of the Year! Here's how you can win: To win leave a comment and tell us who your Street Fighter II Turbo character of choice is. You may leave one comment. Posters of multiple comments will be disqualified. We'll accept entries until 5:00PM eastern January 2nd. You must be at least 18 years old to enter. This giveaway is open only to residents of the U.S. or Canada (excluding Quebec). On January 2nd, we'll pick one (1) winner via a random drawing. One (1) winner will receive a redemption code for Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix, worth $15. Complete giveaway rules can be found here.
X3F TV -- XBLA in Brief: Merv Griffin's Crosswords
The last XBLA game we will receive in 2008 is Merv Griffin's Crosswords. We're not exactly sure what to make of that, honestly. Hopefully, you can figure out what to make of it by watching our latest installment of XBLA in Brief. Whatever you think of this week's offering, just remember that an entirely new year of Xbox Live Arcade goodness begins tomorrow. Here's hoping 2009 is even better.Download the trial version of Merv Griffrin's Crosswords from Marketplace.[iTunes] Subscribe to X3F TV directly in iTunes.[Zune] Subscribe to the X3F TV directly (Zune Marketplace link coming soon).[RSS] Add the X3F TV feed to your RSS aggregator and have the show delivered automatically.[M4V] Download the M4V directly.
GameDaily HUD Season Finale talks highs & lows of 2008
GameDaily's regular weekly op-ed feature, The HUD, usually ask a panel of ten games journalists their view on the latest news of the gaming world. This week GameDaily stepped it up with a huge season finale that included 35 panelists. From biggest surprises to disappointments, this week's GameDaily HUD includes more opinions and controversial statements than your average message board.Regular panelists include Newsweek's N'Gai Croal, Joystiq's Chris Grant, AOL GameDaily's Libe Goad and others with special guests Garnett Lee from 1UP, Ross Miller of Joystiq fame, Brad Shoemaker from GiantBomb, HUD-master herself Robin Yang from AOL GameDaily, WhatTheyPlay's John Davison and much, much more. It's a huge panel of games writers from all levels of skill and thought. The lowest level being me ... and probably Ross.Jump in for this week's questions so you can give your answers in the comments below.
FanPoll'08: Reader's Choice Award Winners
In less than a week over 100,000 votes have been tallied across all 15 categories to vote for your favorites and most hated titles of 2008. Some surprises are in store and tears may be shed but in the end we will look back fondly at 2008. It was the year that reignited our fear of the zombie apocalypse, Cliff Bleszinski became a man, X3F TV exploded and everyone disagreed about Mirror's Edge. Oh, 2008 you will be missed and 2009 you sure have your work cut out for you! Jump in to check out all of the results forThe 2008 reader votes for Game of the Year!
