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Mass Effect X06 combat and dialogue video
The Mass Effect X06 that was promised yesterday has been released and we have YouTubified it just for you (it's available on Marketplace now as well). The video showcases some of Mass Effect's dynamic dialogue system, but it's mostly about the squad combat. You are allowed real time control over any member of your party and have access to numerous weapon upgrades and magic (called Biotics in the Mass Effect universe). Players can also pause the action at any time -- much like KOTOR -- to give squad mates orders. This option allows you to tactically plan what would otherwise be a difficult battle. KOTOR was based on a d20 rule set, but if any such calculations are present in Mass Effect, they are well hidden. All in all it looks like a blast, and we can't wait to get our hands on more info.
Mass Effect X06 demo video tomorrow
Community Coordinator for Mass Effect's community site, Chris Priestly, has announced that a new video of Mass Effect will be available this Friday. According to 360Monster, the video will be available on both Xbox Live Marketplace and the official Mass Effect website. Things have been very quiet on the Mass Effect front -- apart from one trailer last month -- so anything new is fantastic. Keep your eyes peeled Friday afternoon for the video. We'll be sure to post the video as soon as we find it.[Via 360Monster]
Lost Planet as epic entertainment
A Lost Planet theatrical trailer popped up on Xbox Live Marketplace today (as did a trailer for Battlestations: Midway). We'd love to show you the trailer, as that is our style. Unfortunately, it is currently nowhere to be found on any of the internets, so you'll just have to take our word for it that it's pretty neat. Presented in CG, it adopts the growing trend of making videogame commercials in the same style as movie trailers. In other words, it's made as though grown ups might actually be interested in it (imagine that). Lots of snow, lots of epic battle scenes, and a throaty narrator, the trailer has all the trappings of your typical blockbuster. We especially like the ending slogan that comes ripping towards the screen one word at a time -- you know, "JANUARY 12TH ... BLOOD ... RUNS ... COLD." Of course, the question remains whether or not the game itself will be so compelling (though signs point to "yes").And, just because we wouldn't want you to feel left out, we've embedded a five minute gameplay trailer that we found at GameTrailers. Check it out after the break.
Double Agent single player sneaks to XBLM
For those of you who missed Splinter Cell: Double Agent -- or simply haven't had the time -- a single player demo is now available* on Xbox Live Marketplace (it looks like a College Hoops 2K7 demo is up as well).. I am loth to admit that I am one of those who have not played Double Agent at all. I think I had Enchanted Arms on my rental queue at the time (oh, if I had only known!). Still, if you haven't had a chance to play, or if you're just the kind of person who needs a demo to make purchasing decisions, now is your chance. The demo clocks in at about half a gig, so find something else to play while you're downloading. Here's a suggestion: just watch the Halo 3 ad over and over again until the download completes.*As usual, we are informed that this content will be available for Silver members in about a week.
Small Arms pictures and theme on XBLM
We missed this earlier today (thanks to my recent move, I haven't had internet for three days!) but there is some new Small Arms content available on Xbox Live Marketplace. The theme (150 points) features Fox Claw, Marky Kat (fear the shotgun), Tyrone, and Lord Peet. The gamer pics (100 points) feature the same characters and also ... um ... a ham. Yes, a ham. We may be stepping over the line here, but that just might be the best gamer picture ever. It's also perfect -- and a little diabolical -- that we have just enough points left over for these after purchasing Small Arms. Go grab 'em if you're so inclined (you know you want the ham).And since we're talking Small Arms, how is everyone liking it (or not)?
Wal-Mart joins the digital movie download fray
Looks like all those rumors and conspiracy theories regarding a Wal-Mart download store actually counted for something this time around. Just in time for the holidays, Wal-Mart has announced its very own video download service, which will kick off in "beta" mode next week with an exclusive Superman Returns bundle. Buyers of the DVD will have an option to also obtain a portable, PC, or dual license for a movie download, priced at $1.97, $2.97, and $3.97 respectively. Users will be directed by a sticker on the DVD case to walmart.com/superman where they can enter a promo code and start the download -- which can be watched while the movie is downloading if they can't bring themselves to pop in the actual DVD. This is quite a different tact than other movie download services, such as iTunes, Amazon Unbox and Xbox Live, and it seems primarily designed to protect video sales cannibalization while leaving out much of the convenience of a traditional movie download service. Wal-Mart says it has more bundles planned for the beta launch, along with what is presumably a more traditional download service with more traditional pricing, though deets are slim at this point. What we do know is that the war for your holiday download dollar will be a bloody one this year.
Dark Sector faces the ch, ch, changes
Dark Sector has undergone some significant changes over the years. Way back in 2004, Dark Sector was revealed as the "first" next gen game. It was going to blow our minds whenever the mysterious "Xbox 2" finally showed up. A trailer for the game was released, featuring a man in a cybernetic ninja suit performing sneaking around on a space station. Later trailers revealed that the game was about man reaching the outer edges of our solar system, or "the dark sector." A new trailer is now available on Marketplace, and it's, shall we say, different. It looks like the developers have dropped the space theme altogether, opting instead for Eastern Europe. We know, we know ... space, Eastern Europe, what's the difference, right? Makes perfect sense. Oh, and apparently Dark Sector has something to do with the Cold War now. Oh, oh, and our hero no longer has a cybernetic ninja suit, but is instead infected by something that grants him special powers. He does have a new badass blade thing, though, and that counts for something.For posterity's sake, we have embedded both the old and new trailers after the break. Watch them both and see how much a game can change in two years.
Lost Planet multiplayer demo is out
As it was prophesied, the Lost Planet multiplayer demo is now available. We'd love to tell you how great it is, but so far we have been unable to get into a match. Judging from yesterday's video, we're betting it's pretty damned good. Do you agree? Go grab the demo and let us know how it is.
Oblivion: Knights of the Nine now available
Boy, when it rains it pours. Microsoft is making damned sure that 360 owners stay glued to the couch this Thanksgiving. After all, MS wouldn't want you going outside to score a Wii or PS3 on Black Friday now would they? First, Small Arms is released. Then Video Marketplace goes live. Tomorrow we have the Lost Planet multiplayer demo, and now, now we get new content for Obliovion. Entitled Knights of the Nine, the new content is the not so exclusive expansion that will be packaged with the PS3 version. The content is supposed to be epic in scope, giving players access to new items, new enemies to fight, and a new faction to join (guess what their name is ...). Unfortunately, we still have memories of Morrowind destroying our old Xbox's poor little disc drive, so we've been shy about Oblivion. Have any of our Oblivionites out there dropped 800 points for this yet?
Xbox Live Video Marketplace is live, $6 HD rentals [update 1]
Happy birthday Xbox 360! For your first birthday, daddy got you something really cool ... downloadable movies and television shows! While the PS3 Blu-ray marketing machine is busy selling folks high-def movies on little discs, Microsoft decided to forgo the discs and just sling the bits straight into your 'box. They already spilled the beans on this one a couple weeks ago, and we even picked Microsoft's Scott Henson's brain on it, but there was still one thing they wouldn't dish on: the price. Prices are broken down into six categories: new release movie rentals, classic rentals, and television purchases, with high-def and standard-def offerings in each. New releases 720p HD movies -- 480 MS Points ($6) 480p SD movies -- 320 MS Points ($4) "Classic" feature film 720p HD movies -- 360 MS Points ($4.50) 480p SD movies -- 240 MS Points ($3) Television purchase 720p HD television -- 240 MS Points ($3) 480p SD television -- 160 MS Points ($2) So far they've got 48 movies and 50 TV shows broken down between 2 movie studios and 12 television networks. We're surprised Universal, who're supporting the HD-DVD and Zune platforms in a big way, didn't climb on board for the initial launch but we're certain there's a warehouse full of lawyers working to get more content partnerships established. Pics of the service after the break.[Update: Video of the service added after the break]
March Madness demo (in November?)
We missed this earlier today because we were busy checking out the Rainbow Six: Vegas demo, but it looks like a demo for NCAA March Madness 07 is now available on Marketplace. That's right, the wind is bitterly cold, the sky is gray, and the leaves are falling, so it could only mean one thing: March Madness! Seriously, last time we checked it was November, so it's just a wee bit early, donchathink? At least this demo, unlike the Vegas demo, is available to all Xbox Live members and not just Gold members -- assuming you're in the US or Canada anyway. Go grab the demo and tell us what you think. Is it a worthy basketball title, or should it be put back on the bench?
NCAA March Madness demo coming to marketplace
Love basketball? Love college basketball? Love NCAA college basketball? If you answered yes then you'll be gitty with anticipation when the NCAA March Madness demo hits the Xbox Live Marketplace November 20th. The demo is going to pit number one Florida against number two Kansas in typical basketball style. NCAA March Madness is expected to be available in retail stores January 2007. Put down the pre-season brackets and go download the demo November 20th ... March Madness FTW![Thanks, Matt T.]
Superman demo doesn't suck, hell freezes
I just downloaded the Superman Returns demo and gave it a quick play through. In short, it's actually pretty good (I invite my fellow 360 Fanboy bloggers to disagree). It seems like for all the crap EA puts on the market, there's always one or two good games, too. It's the law of averages really. After all, if you put out 500* games a year, at least a few of them have to be good, right? Superman, however, is special, and not just because he's Superman either. No, the Son of Krypton has a sordid past in the videogame world. It's arguable that there has only ever been one Superman game that was actually fun, and that was the arcade game -- in fairness, I've never played the NES Superman and I somewhat enjoyed The Death and Return of Superman on Genesis/SNES. Read on for impressions (especially Live Silver members, who, we have just learned, cannot currently download the demo).
The right price for XBL TV and movie content
November 22nd is coming up and is the magic date in which we'll be able to download movies and TV shows via Xbox Live. We've already touched on what is going to be offered, HD and SD content, along with movie rental and TV ownership. The only problem I foresee with this service is not how much content will be available, but how much the content will cost. If movies cost less than what I could rent them for at the local video store, XBL purchases could be a possible option. Same thing with TV shows. If they are relatively cheap based on what the cost per episode is if I bought the whole season on DVD, then I'd be inclined to make XBL purchases. My magic numbers are $2 SD movie rental, $3 HD movie rental, and $3 SD/HD TV show purchase. What are your magic numbers?
Superman demo tomorrow?
We revealed two weeks ago that a Superman Returns demo was on the way, and now Xbox Solution reports that it should show up tomorrow. We haven't seen anything official regarding the demo (and Xbox Solution curiously neglects to cite the source of their info), so chalk this one up to a rumor for now. If any of you have seen this info reported elsewhere, let us know. Frankly, we hope it does come out tomorrow, because we're actually pretty anxious to give Supes a try. Anyone else out there (cautiously) optimistic about this title?
Lost Planet webisodes 1 & 2 now on XBLM [update 1]
The Lost Planet viral marketing continues with the introduction of webisode 2. This webisode features a little more character interaction, but the meat of the trailer is clips of the actual gameplay, including the mech that transforms into a snowmobile. We really must commend Capcom on its marketing skillz, because they seem to be working. Starting way back in May with the demo, every little snippet gets us more interested in the game -- let's not forget the Turkey Day multiplayer demo either. Check out webisode 2 after the break.
Low def trailers for High Def content on XBLM
Most of you know by now that movies and TV shows are coming to Xbox Live Marketplace on November 22nd (just one day shy of the Lost Planet multiplayer demo!). To promote this momentous occasion, a few trailers have been put up on Marketplace, featuring previews of what you'll be able to download. Yesterday, it was a Paramount Pictures preview, and today it's MTV. Naturally, these videos are there to promote all the high definition content you'll be able to buy starting on Thanksgiving eve. Why then are these videos so damned ugly? The Paramount download wasn't great but it was passable. Now, the MTV video ... well, we've seen higher resolutions on YouTube. Seriously, it's a pixelated mess, like watching something on SEGA CD. What's funny is that we actually grabbed the "HD" version of the video. Let's hope this is a mistake and not an indication of what we can expect from the video Marketplace.Anyone grab the UFC trailers? Are they any better?
Coming Soon: TV and Movies on your 360
You've been dreaming about it, you've pondered the idea, and come November 22, 2006 it'll be here. Soon you'll have the ability to download HD/SD movies and television shows from the Xbox marketplace for a small fee. Microsoft has partnered with CBS, MTV, TBS, UFC, NASCAR and Warner Bros. to make content available via download off of the XBLM, over 1000 hours of content by the end of the year! Just check out the list below of some of the content you'll have access to this year ... start drooling fellow fanboys! - "Robot Chicken" and "Aqua Teen Hunger Force" from Adult Swim - "CSI," "Survivor" and "Star Trek" from CBS - Emmy and Peabody award-winning "South Park" and "Chappelle's Show" from COMEDY CENTRAL - "The Real World" and "Pimp My Ride" from MTV - "Avatar: The Last Airbender" and "SpongeBob SquarePants" from Nickelodeon - "Skyland" and "The Nicktoons Network Animation Festival" from Nicktoons Network - "M:i:III," Nacho Libre" and "Jackass: The Movie" from Paramount Pictures - "Carpocalypse" and "Raising the Roofs" from Spike TV - "Race Rewind" provided by NASCAR.COM -Select episodes of the original season of "The Ultimate Fighter" reality series and the "UFC: All Access" shows from the UFC - "Breaking Bonaduce" and "Hogan Knows Best" from VH1 - "The Matrix," "Superman Returns" and "Batman Forever" from Warner Bros. Home Entertainment [Thanks, everyone who sent this in.]
Microsoft's Xbox Live Video: HDTV and HD movie downloads for your 360
This may sound a bit familiar to those paying close attention, but on November 22nd -- the year anniversary for the Xbox 360 -- Microsoft is announcing something fairly momentus, not for the gaming community, but for the CE industry. The Xbox 360, along with Akimbo, will be among the first mass-market devices able to download high def television programs -- and the first we know of in the states able to download HD movies. The service is called Xbox Live Video, and the fall update enables customers to spend their Microsoft points on standard and HD television from CBS, MTV, Comedy Central, VH1, Turner, and UFC, as well as HD movies from Warner Bros., Paramount, and so on. We're still a little in shock, ourselves, that Microsoft was able to in one fell swoop hit TiVo, Apple, Netflix, and a handful of others, but looking at Live over the last year, the move isn't that massively surprising. Of course, not even the vision of on-demand HD movies and TV downloads in six million homes at the flick of a switch could be without its variety of niggling concerns; being that we all know the devil's in the details, click on to get the particulars of the service.
Family Guy themes and pictures on XBLM
A bunch of Family Guy content hit Marketplace just now. No, not content for the mediocre game, content about the good show. The content itself, though, is not so good; luckily, it's free. The theme inexplicably uses an orange background, washing out the beloved Family Guy characters in the background. Why Fox chose not to color the characters is a mystery, too. Now, Family Guy gamer pictures, that's something everybody can get behind, right? The pictures aren't bad, but it's obvious they were rushed. That, or nobody at Fox really gave a crap what they looked like. The pictures look like assets that were re-sized and not optimized in any way, making them pixelated and jagged. The one of Brian (the dog) is alright, and maybe one of the Stewie pics. Unfortunately, not even the trailer is very satisfying, as it's for the DVDs in general and not the upcoming volume 4. Maybe we're just picky, but Fox could have done better with this.Do you agree? Disagree? Not care either way?
