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Sony touts 52 million PSN downloads
Boy, you guys must really hate going to your local game retailer. Sony today announced that it's PSN Online Store has racked up an impressive 52 million downloads since launching with the PS3 back in November '06 (and expanding to the PSP in November '07).For context, Microsoft's Xbox Live Marketplace reached to 50 million download milestone back in August '06, roughly five months faster than Sony's network (when staggered launch dates are taken into account). Sony's current mark of 2.9 million registered PSN users also pales in comparison to the 7 million Xbox Live users as of last September, though Microsoft's head start likely played a part in that lead.Still, Sony's online service is going in the right direction, growing from 6.6 million downloads in Dec. '07 to 7.9 million in Jan. '08. And with the PS3 starting to outsell the Xbox 360 in the American marketplace, could the much-predicted Sony turnaround finally be coming to pass?
Pac-Man CE nominated for 2008 GDCAs
Please, step back in time with us. Let's say it's February 2007, one year ago. A bedraggled, foul smelling man, wearing a sign that reads "The End is Nigh," approaches you and grabs you violently by the collar. He leans in close, his sour whisky breath burning your nostrils, and whispers, "One year from now, Pac-Man will be nominated for a Game Developers Choice Award!" The breath is so strong that you shut your eyes tight. Upon reopening them, the man is gone. You question your sanity, wondering if he was even real. A Pac-Man game nominated in 2008? Preposterous!Rest assured, he was real, and he was right. Namco Bandai Games have announced that Pac-Man Championship Edition, released in June 2007, has been nominated for Best Downloadable Game in the eighth annual Game Developers Choice Awards, which are set to take place during the Game Developers Conference later this month. Best Downloadable Game of 2009? Dig Dug. You heard it here first.
Oops: Euro Katamari demo for Xbox Live Silver members only
Microsoft Europe's Xbox community manager Graeme Boyd dropped a "wee" note on his blog this morning to let everyone know that only Xbox Live Silver members can download the Beautiful Katamari demo (released in Europe, Australia and New Zealand just yesterday). Yep, you paying folk will have to wait. Boyd assures us that the situation will soon be resolved (maybe it already is), meaning, Gold members will get the exclusive access they've been promised, and Silver members will be back on the outside looking in. But, for the moment, all you freeloaders should revel in this brief episode of trading places.
Xbox Live class-action lawsuit lawyer speaks
MTV recently spoke with the lawyer behind the Xbox Live outage class-action lawsuit who is seeking $5 million in damages. Attorney Jason Gibson, a consumer-fraud attorney, comes off very well in the piece and diffuses criticisms that his clients are just cashing in by saying, "When you have one person who is mad and they can't get a response, and they can't get their complaints addressed by a company like Microsoft, the only way to get their attention is in numbers." Gibson says his clients (who are college-educated and in their late 20s and 30s) are not expecting a "windfall or anything like that," they just want to be reimbursed for services not delivered.Gibson says that others are joining in on the suit and that Microsoft put the cart before the horse this holiday with Xbox Live. He claims that the manufacturer took money for Xbox Live subscriptions without being able to provide the service promised, and that the service should have been ready to handle an influx of consumers. As much as we're happy that Microsoft is giving us a free game for all the drama, the infrastructure should certainly have been there to provide service by this point in Xbox Live's life.
Xbox Live Diamond card to have annual fee
If you can't live without your Peninsula Beauty Supply or illy Caffe discounts, prepare to pay the piper because the Xbox Live Diamond card is moving from free to a $6.95 annual fee. The charge occurs as the ownership and administration of the Diamond Card program moves over fully to Passport Unlimited (which makes it sound like Microsoft is walking away from the table).Beginning March 1, 2008, the hit or miss discounts offered by the program will require you to input a credit card; those who are already members will stay on free until their memberships expire this year (renewals will naturally require the fee). To those who actually have these cards, do you ever use them?[Via GamerTagRadio]
MS memo: Xbox 360 to have 'biggest year in video game history,' XBL surpasses 10m users
Mercury News writer and Microsoft guru Dean Takahashi has published a memo penned by Microsoft games chief Don Mattrick, who expects that "Xbox 360 is on track to register the biggest year in video game history."According to Mattrick North American hardware, software and accessory sales for Xbox 360 exceeded $3.5 billion, reportedly $1 billion more than Wii and $2 billion more than PlayStation 3. "When December data is added," he said, "we expect Xbox 360 in 2007 to have generated more calendar year revenue than any other gaming platform ever, including PS2 at its peak."Mattrick's biggest claim comes in implicitly hailing the Xbox 360 as this generation's console winner. "History has shown that the eventual winner of each console generation was the console that generated the most 3rd party revenue, and according to the most recent NPD data, Xbox 360 generated more 3rd party revenue in 2007 than Nintendo and Sony combined."Unsurprisingly not mentioned in the memo is the Xbox 360's performance in Japan. The memo also revealed some new Xbox Live statistics, including mention that the service has surpassed 10 million Xbox Live users, "over six months before our stated goal of July 2008 announced at E3 last year." We've compiled those after the break.
Top 25 pop-u-lar Xbox gamertags
Microsoft's Trixie (Christa Phillips) released a list of the top 25 Xbox Live gamertags in 2007 over the weekend. The list is compiled "anytime the gamercard or profile is called up," with more "hits" resulting in a higher placement. Topping the list is obviously none other than Major Nelson, known in real life as the vowel-deficient Larry Hryb, Xbox Live's director of programming, the guru and go-to man for Xbox related issues and announcements -- especially when things go horribly wrong with the service.We're not exactly sure who a lot of the people on the list are (which can also be found after the break with an appropriate video clip), but Ms. Trixie comes in at number three behind other Microsoft personality Eric "e" Neustadter. Xbox Live "cheater" Gilbert Arenas bounced in at number six, while Call of Duty 4 and Halo 3 developers made eight and nine respectively. Also, former X3F writer David "Knuckles Dawson" Dreger made number 19. Now, let's see if you all can fill in the rest of the names behind the gamertags.
Top Xbox Live, Xbox Live Arcade titles of 2007
Major Nelson just published a list of the top Xbox Live games, in each of three major categories, for 2007: Xbox 360 Titles, Xbox titles, and Xbox Live Arcade titles (that category is measured in sales). Unsurprisingly, Halo 3 is the most popular Xbox 360 title on Live, while Halo 2 is the most popular Xbox title on Live. There are some interesting titles scattered amongst the remaining eighteen titles in those categories, but we're really interested in the Xbox Live Arcade titles. The top-selling XBLA game in 2007 was Konami's 1989 arcade classic Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, followed by Worms in second place and Castlevania: Symphony of the Night in 3rd. To be honest, we're surprised to see this many original XBLA titles on the list, including UNO and Geometry Wars Evolved (still here after all these years). Hit up the full lists after the break.
Burnout demo boosted with 8-player support, new challenges
Still not convinced Burnout Paradise was "THE best demo released" last year? Criterion has rubbed some grease on frontman Alex Ward's heaping helping of self-praise by doubling the maximum number of online players (from 4 to 8) and adding 13 new Freeburn Challenges. So does this mean that Burnout is now the best demo of 2008? Quick! Somebody give these guys an award!(Note: The multiplayer boost will take effect on servers between today and Jan. 14th. The demo is available on PSN and Xbox Live.)
Microsoft offering free XBLA game due to Live issues
Microsoft wants to say "sowwy" for the intermittent Xbox Live issues plaguing the service over the holiday, and they'd like to apologize with a free Xbox Live Arcade game. Major Nelson posts a letter from Marc Whitten, general manager of Xbox Live, which has a lot of customer service filler in it until the line about a free XBLA game for "all our Xbox Live members around the world" -- India is going to be psyched!The letter says specific details are forthcoming, so now we're left wondering if there'll be a couple options or if it's just gonna be free Frogger for everyone. If that's the case, then someone is gettin' thrown under a car! Get it? Sigh.[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Rumor: Microsoft 'doing something' for inconvenienced XBL members
Your friend and ours, Xbox Live, has been going through some tough times lately. In the past week, the service that many of us pay roughly $50 a year for has been up and down more frequently than a bipolar groundhog. If you want to tap right into a live feed of the Xbox Live operation, Apollo 13 style, sign up for Major Nelson's Twitter feed, which has devolved into a play by play of the network's status (last update: "Things were a bit wonky, but they appear to be getting better.").But, since many of us are paying for the privilege, there's a growing sense that we deserve some sort of compensation. While we at Joystiq won't be satisfied until Bill Gates himself writes us each a check for $1, TheBitbag.com claims that an Xbox insider told them: "we will definitely be doing something for our Gold members that weren't able to get online over the last week." Though we can't be certain precisely what that is, our inside sources are telling us "footrubs." %Poll-7740%[Via Xbox Scene]
'First' Orange Box demo hits 360 tomorrow, Episode Two dedicated
360 owners are in for a very special Thanksgiving indeed. As if the Halo theme hitting Guitar Hero III for free wasn't enough to be thankful for, Valve – purveyors of fine gaming software – have just announced that the "first demo for The Orange Box," dedicated to Half-Life 2: Episode Two, will be available on Xbox Live Marketplace starting tomorrow. Yeah, we were drawn to that particular language as well, since it infers there could be a second and, Gordon help us, even a third sample platter of zesty Orange Box goodness. Regardless, you shouldn't need holiday deal lists to tell you that Orange Box is a steal but, in the off chance you need more coaxing, this demo oughta do nicely.
MS confirms downloadable Xbox games, free Carcassonne for Live anniv.
To mark the fifth anniversary of the Xbox Live service, Microsoft will be offering Carcassonne (Hexic 2 in Korea) free to all subscribers for 48 hours starting at 12:01 a.m. EST on Nov. 15th (and presumably nothing to the peeps who already plunked down for the virtual board game), along with 500 Microsoft Points to the ten folks who've been on board since 2002 -- see kids, early adoption does pay off! In addition, Microsoft has confirmed earlier reports that 'Xbox Originals' will be made available for download starting Dec. 4th as part of the Fall Update (the update's additional features have yet to be revealed). Each game can be purchased and downloaded for 1200 points ($15). In its press release, Microsoft explicitly named Halo, Psychonauts, Crimson Skies and Fable as titles for the Xbox Originals initiative, but did not confirm exactly which games will serve as the jumpoff: "This new service will launch with an array of blockbuster titles spanning the most popular genres from action-adventure to classic role-playing games." Third-party reports claim the preliminary lineup will include Halo, Fable, Indigo Prophecy, Crimson Skies, Crash Bandicoot: The Wrath Of Cortex and Burnout 3.[Via press release]
ESPN brings shows, games to Xbox Live Marketplace
Tired of getting college football and basketball games live, as they happen, for free as part of your cable package? Well, now you can pay extra for days-old copies of those games thanks to ESPN and the Xbox Live Marketplace.We know, some people don't have cable or a VCR or access to a sports bar or anything better to do with $3 (for standard definition) or $4.50 (for high definition), but really, unless a game is a true instant classic, we can't see paying to download a copy of a game two days after it happened. Original programs like The Contender and Madden Nation might get our $2, but if we want to see the World Series of Poker we'll just tune in to ESPN and hope that they're showing one of their ten daily reruns of the tournaments.
COD4 dev becomes most popular gamertag
Move over Major Nelson, thy reign has come to an end. According to Xbox.com, the most popular gamertag honor has been transferred to fourzerotwo, a lowly developer working on a little-known-game entitled Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. How did this underdog best the Voice of Microsoft's console? We expect a full-on popularity assault by The Major (real name Larry Hyrb). This fight isn't over, you can bet your gamerscore on it.
Austin Powers available free on Xbox Live
Beginning yesterday, Xbox Live users could download a free copy of Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery, which should come as a welcome relief to those of you just coming out of a cryogenic sleep, those who've been without TBS for the past decade or those who just like to get free stuff. The download is apparently sponsored by McDonald's and their "BurgerCon" area of Xbox Live. However, there's no forced McDonald's advertising on the download, which you can find on Marketplace, just a trailer for Rush Hour 3. Oh, and Dr. Evil's head has been digitally replaced by a Southern Style Chicken Sandwich. You'll be able to get the free download until June 28 and once more from July 13-19. In another innovative marketing ploy, New Line is offering $20 and a "World's Greatest Foot Massage" coupon to Xbox Live members who download and watch Codename: The Cleaner as part of their new "We're So Terribly Sorry" campaign.[Via GameSpot]
Finally! Shadowrun strategy videos added to Xbox Live
Well, no, there's still no fix to the extremely long waits some Shadowrun players are experiencing before getting into a game, but at least when they finally get into one now they can really make it count with four new strategy videos released on to Xbox Live Marketplace for 100 points ($1.25) a piece.The videos are broken up by maps and include, according to the blade description, "sniping points, teleport lines and routes to the artifact directly from designer Derek Carroll." We're sure they've got only the l33test of tips, but we're a little stunned that they've omitted the most important strategy for a good Shadowrun experience: Waiting for a price drop.
Vampire Rain demo sucks Japanese Xbox Live dry
If Sam Fisher ever had to fight vampires, he would probably be really confused. Perhaps he would even cry a little bit. But he would also unwittingly be starring in the Vampire Rain demo, which just hit the Xbox Live Marketplace for those with Japanese accounts. Oh, also, he had much lower production values and was named Lloyd.If only you had a Japanese friend who didn't mind you using his account, you could see worlds collide as not-Sam-Fisher battles hides from the children of the night. Actually, it's probably best that you don't have a friend like that, because the fan fiction storyline you're coming up with in your head right now is probably better than the demo. But hey, don't take our word for it ... go, you know, make some Japanese friends.
Live Top Ten: Betacular
This week's Live Top Ten shows a trend that will continue on through to the 10th. The Halo 3 Beta is being played a lot, by way of our actions Crackdown. Not enough to knock Gears of War of its top spot, but certainly enough to give the retail game second, and the beta in accesses in third. Of course, there is more on the list worth noting other than those three worth mentioning, such as the DiRT demo, or the free XBLA title, Aegis Wing. Full list can be found after the break, or you can just go back to playing the beta. We'll encourage you in your habit.
Hour of Victory coming June 22, demo next week
Gather your brothers in arms into a company of heroes and get ready to answer the call of duty to earn a medal of honor, Hour of Victory is coming June 22. If you're unconvinced that you want to make the 60-year-long journey back to WWII yet again, you'll get a chance to sample Midway's Unreal Engine 3-based FPS next Wednesday with an Xbox Live demo.In case you've forgotten (and who could blame you?) HoV's gimmick is that players switch between three different types of soldiers like the Army Ranger and British Commando to accomplish their goals. You'll be able to play all three types in the demo and, one would assume, get a good sense of what the game is all about. Hopefully you'll be able to tell if your hour of victory will be when you drive to the store to buy the game or stay home to get some extra sleep.
