Showing posts with label Microsoft. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Microsoft. Show all posts

Wednesday, September 10

Rumor confirmed: Ensemble Studios Closing

Following reports of Ensemble shutting down, Microsoft has confirmed that the studio will be closing.

Microsoft released this statement about the closure, "This decision does not reflect at all on Ensemble's talent or the quality of Halo Wars -- in fact, many people who have had a chance to test drive Halo Wars agree that it is on track to being a fantastic game."

Though the studio may be closing, Ensemble's "leadership team" will form a new development team and has agreed to support Halo Wars post launch and several other MGS titles.



-Ryizzel




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Wednesday, September 3

Dedicated Or Peer?

Torrance Davis over at the Bitbag recently wrote a fairly interesting article about the way servers are hosted in online games, dedicated servers and peer-to-peer servers.

He went into some research and contacted both Sony and Microsoft about how most games are run, and found out that it all depends on the developers if a server is going to be dedicated. The costs are just too high for some companies, while big business freaks like EA have no problem covering the bill.

He does make a few brief, but good points. Don't judge a game based on how it's server happens to be run, judge a game based on how it plays. That's what I've always said, and Torrence said it just as well as I could have.

Go read about the servers now. Game on.


-Undrallio




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September 5th, What's So Special?


The long rumored price-cut of Microsoft's Xbox 360 is what so gosh darned special about the 5th of September!

Everyone knew it was coming, and once the cut in Japan hit we all were just waiting for the officials to do their official stuff and put out that wonderful official announcement. Hit the jump to check out the prices and whatnot.

That's right, it's official (did ya get that yet?); but how big of a price drop is taking place? Good question, check out the stats:

Xbox 360 Arcade $199
Xbox 360 $299
Xbox 360 Elite $399

If you've been procrastinating a 360 due to price, or you really want some certain 360 exclusives *cough* Too Human, Mass Effect, Halo 3, etc *cough* those are some pretty sweet prices to pay for that.



-Undrallio




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Tuesday, September 2

Xbox Live Arcade Gaming Trio Coming Wednesday

Get your Microsoft points cards in hand for this upcoming Wednesday, there will be a total of 3 Xbox Live Arcade games being released Wednesday, September 3, 2008 at 9 a.m. GMT (2:00 a.m. PDT).

Those games are: Shred Nebula, Pirates Vs. Ninjas Dodgeball, and last but not least Gin Rummy. Read all about them and how much they'll go for after the break.

No one knows what lies in the center of the galaxy. Pilot the experimental R.I.P. Rocket through the galaxy in search of the Lost Expeditions … no ship has ever returned from the vastness of interstellar space! Will you be the first to discover the secrets of the gravitational region known as The Shred and make it home alive?

Shred Nebula will be available for 800 Microsoft Points worldwide and is rated E for Everyone by the ESRB.

Developed by Blazing Lizard, and published by Gamecock Media Group, Pirates vs. Ninjas Dodgeball transforms the innocent childhood game of dodgeball into a vindictive, heart-thumping battle between outlandish groups of characters including ninjas, pirates, zombies, and robots! Use a red rubber ball to tag opponents out of the game, and utilize a variety of weapons, including ninja and pirate swords, to harm enemies along the way. Pirates vs. Ninjas Dodgeball features different arenas with unique gameplay challenges, from sandy beaches and snow capped forests to a spooky graveyard.

Pirates vs Ninjas Dodgeball will be available for 800 Microsoft Points worldwide and is rated E 10+ for Everyone over the age of 10 by the ESRB.

Enjoy challenging variations of the classic card game Gin Rummy! Strategically select the right cards to complete sets of combinations, minimizing the risk of getting caught with a poor hand. 'Knock' out your opponent with high scores and bonus points, and video chat with players from around the world for endless hours of casual card game fun.

Gin Rummy will be available for 400 Microsoft Points worldwide and is rated E Everyone over the age of 3 by the ESRB.




-Undrallio




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Wednesday, May 14

Microsoft Denies Rumored List of Updates

A list of updates rumored to be implemented on the 360's next software update has been floating around the web.

Don't think you'll be seeing "Support for titles to store installation data on Storage Device for faster loading," anytime soon though. Microsoft has confirmed that the list is fake.


"We don't comment on rumors or speculation, but what we can tell you is we've never seen this list before."


The list(posted after the break), which apparently came from an inside source contained frequently requested features and even included "Calibration options for motion sensor devices." Which seems to refer to the rumored Xbox 360 motion sensor remote.


* Option to delay sign-in to Xbox LIVE upon booting console (to allow user to set Online Status).
* Option to promote Child Account from Family Settings.
* Disallow Child Accounts (over 18) to override Family Settings by launching Privacy Settings through a title.
* Option in Family Settings for Child Accounts to enable child-oriented/non-mature advertisements.
* Introduce a group chat (4) for Private Chat and conferences through Video Chat.
* Support to indicate media being watched to gamercard status (video content from Marketplace only).
* Extend height for Bio field in Personal Profile, easier navigation through text.
* More fields present in Personal Profile -- recent achievements, interests, games, movies, links, custom section.
* Compact Personal Profile for new fields (navigating to field will open it up).
* Mandatory option to delete duplicate titles from gamercard (excludes Games for Windows - LIVE). User disconnected from Xbox LIVE when booting any title until action complete.
* Option to remove payment information from gamertag.
* New payment methods for international users.
* Download History on Account Management better organized -- games, genre, type, download date, miscellaneous.
* Long descriptions of items on Marketplace can be scrolled using right stick.
* Better organization of free content on Marketplace.
* Option to 'ping' when testing connection.
* Allow re-connection to Xbox LIVE if Ethernet cable is re-inserted whilst powered on.
* New strip colours available to developers, staff gamercards.
* New corner icon available to ambassadors.
* Re-introduce Messages button for Inside Xbox updates only.
* Option to store up to 10 messages permanently on server (excludes invites, status messages).
* Increase character limit for text messages between friends only.
* Option to disable invites from non-friends or all players.
* Option to disable invites from titles not on gamercard (excludes demos).
* Option to have smaller items moved up in Active Downloads.
* Automatically re-connect to Xbox LIVE if disconnected unexpectedly (set intervals).
* Option to download gamer picture (if available) from a gamercard being viewed.
* Display random tips to replace static text on Xbox LIVE and Games blades.
* New button on Marketplace for optional dashboard features -- uses Storage Device memory.
* Option to donate Microsoft Points to anybody with a Windows Live ID.
* Option to purchase Membership for charities (includes benefits).
* Integrate file-sharing for selected titles on Xbox LIVE and Games for Windows - LIVE.
* Disable notifications to friends of user repeatedly signing into service (set period).
* Option to see 'snippet' of text message in notification.
* Windows Live Mail integration - includes support for Xbox LIVE Vision.


Marketplace

* Option to display gamer picture or standard picture as display picture in Windows Live Messenger.
* Support for headset, Xbox LIVE Vision in Windows Live Messenger.
* Support for limited 'winks' that display on dashboard interface. Option to disable 'winks' and 'nudges' added.
* Notifications separate from Windows Live Messenger to Xbox 360 notifications.
* Disable multiple languages from being used in any Xbox LIVE editable fields.


Games

* Option to delete titles from gamercard with 0 gamerscore and 0 achievements (excludes some titles that will be re-added to launch another title).
* Organize My Games at the Games Library section better (includes disc-based titles) -- sort by genre, platform (Games for Windows - LIVE), percentage completion.
* Support to display friends leaderboards for disc-based titles.
* Show dates of an achievement unlocked when comparing.
* Preload Games Library upon dashboard bootup for faster access.
* Game updates now shown as items in Memory, increased amount of updates on Storage Device
* Option to delete game updates, removed 'cheat code' as no longer needed.
* Support for more titles to display banner when accessing guide in-game.
* Option to re-introduce awarded gamer pictures from titles that do not have their own re-introduce feature (requires saved game).
* Disable gamer pictures from being awarded from trials.
* Support for titles to store installation data on Storage Device for faster loading.
* Synchronization to achievements offline/online that were deleted and then re-added from developers.


Media

* Option to hold LT and RT for rewinding/fast-forwarding video content.
* Option to delete individual music tracks from storage device.
* Option to rip music CD at different quality.
* Copy non-protected files (pictures, music, videos) from USB storage devices, CDs and computers to proprietary storage devices.
* Support for menu, top-menu features on video content downloaded from Marketplace.
* Section added for audio delivered through feeds (podcasts). Option to stream, download to Storage Device.
* Support added for video titles/description to gamercard status.


Dashboard/Miscellaneous

* Option to navigate quickly out of several menus back to respective blade home (applies to Games, Media, System).
* New blade trim styles added.
* Introduce expanded Inside Xbox as a portal to news, weather, entertainment, help and community features.
* New sounds for various functions (notifications, blades, navigation).
* Calibration options for display/sound.
* Calibration options for motion sensor devices.
* New effects for Xbox LIVE Vision and dashboard background.
* Disable changing of Theme when on Memory to prevent 'hanging'.
* Preload recent, limited items upon dashboard bootup on Memory.
* Faster loading of Themes section on guide.
* Option to see what items will not work offline due to DRM license changing from
* Option to automatically associate new DRM to items downloaded for free.
* Indicate 'charging' status on guide when Play & Charge kit is connected.
* Option to change text colours on guide to better contrast some backgrounds.
* Language improvements.
* Word censor updated for fields.
* Privacy Settings/Family Settings updated for new features.
* Voice, picture messages can be read at Xbox.com (Gold accounts). [*]






-Ryizzel


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Tuesday, May 6

GTA IV is Now Most Played Game on XBL

Not coming as a surprise to anyone, GTA IV has usurped the the number one spot on the weekly Xbox Live Activity charts from longtime champ, Call of Duty 4. Following CoD4 was everyone's other favorite FPS, Halo 3, Guitar Hero 3 and Gears of War.





-Ryizzel


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Sunday, May 4

GTA IV Sales War

In this world, there are three things you can count on Taxes, Death, and that the most anticipated game of the year will boost the sales of your console.

According to Sony, PS3 sales have soared since Last Tuesday's release of Grand Theft Auto IV. No specific sales figures were released, which is where a problem begins to arise...

Not to be outdone by Sony, Microsoft boasts that "retail partners" are telling them the 360 version of GTA IV is outselling the PS3 version 2:1. Microsoft is also claiming a sudden surge in sales of the 360 due to GTA's launch.

As much as I appreciate Microsoft and Sony throwing vague facts in my face like some deranged fanboy in the comments section of youtube, I think I'll just wait for the NPD to tell me who outsold whom.

Source







-Ryizzel


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Monday, April 28

The Next Portal Should Be Placed.....Well, Not There


Alright, so you never got the Orange Box, shame on you. But you really want to play this silly Portal game that the World has been raving about right? Would you like to be able to have the chance to download it off of the Xbox Live Arcade for Microsoft Points?! You would?!

Too bad.

Valve apparently brought up the idea with Microsoft and got a big fat No(period) for their brainstorming genius.

"We'd love to do that. Right now it's something we'd love to do. I'd love to sell Portal on Xbox live," said Doug Lombardi, marketing director at Valve. "[But] the platform holders aren't doing that right now. There's a size limit and all kinds of other things.

"We've asked them, we said we were open to it. So it's a decision for the platform holder and how they want to make the games available and how much bandwidth they want to [allow]."

However Lombardi is not to be deterred, he was quoted saying "I think it's a trade-off, we'll see it one day. It always happens once it's been proven and I think it's been proven now on Steam, so I'm sure it'll migrate back to the consoles just like everything else does."




-Undrallio


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Thursday, April 24

Grand Theft Auto IV Scandal?


Yesterday a letter allegedly composed by Rockstar and Take-Two began circulating around the internet.

The letter told retailers to ignore the April 29th release date and distribute the game; unfortunately for us however, the letter is a fraud.

In other news, It seems a torrent of GTA IV has been leaked on the web. People have already begun to rack up achievement points on GTA IV, as evidenced by by this huge list of gamertags over at MyGamerCard.net.

There has been no official word on the actions Rockstar and Microsoft plan to take against these pirates. I assume that both companies are looking into the matter.






-Ryizzel


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Tuesday, April 8

Hey, Did You See the Latest Issue of Games For Windows?

If you said yes, then you're a liar. While the most recent one would be the last issue printed, the actual current issue will NOT be coming to print. In fact, Games For Windows will never be coming to print again (Ok...maybe in a few years, but right now, no). GFW has become yet another internet-only based gaming information site.

The reason? The money lies in the internet, a business strategy. Remember however, not all is lost. You can still find the original, great editors online at their site, 1Up.

After running in print for 27 years, which is a long freaking time mind you, they've finally moved on with the digital era. Sadly, I really enjoyed reading their magazine every month, especially editor-in-chief Jeff Green's articles.

You can read GameDaily's interview with Ziff Davis after the break, hit up 1Up's post, or go straight to Jeff Green's blog and read about it.

Following the announcement that GFW would be moving from print to online-exclusive, Next-Gen had a chance to chat with Cox over the phone.

He revealed that news of the closure of the magazine came as much of a surprise to the GFW staff as it did to the gaming public. Cox explained that because of GFW's partnership with Microsoft, Ziff Davis had to keep news of the magazine's canning quiet; the staff didn't know it had already released its last print edition until this morning.

He said that the fact that the editorial staff (Ziff Davis had to let go of two GFW artists) was staying at 1Up in an online capacity lessened the blow, but when a magazine that's been around for 27 years is discontinued, it cuts deep for staff and for fans of the magazine.

"There's a lot of sadness for the demise of a 27-year-old storied publication," Cox said. "On the other hand, people are excited about what these guys can do when we let them loose online."

Cox elaborated upon the factors that contributed Ziff Davis' decision to stop printing GFW.

"The newsstand was a very challenging space for us. It was a tough place to be," he said. "And then you have the marketers who want to advertise in print, but they don't put the budgets behind it that they used to, and they tend to be moving towards online. Wrap those things up, and it's not a pretty picture from a business perspective."

GFW's situation is not unique. Print publications are looking for ways to flourish in a market where the Internet is becoming the prime destination for readers.

"It's a challenge for all of us moving forward, how to keep print relevant," Cox said. With GFW, Ziff Davis saw ad dollars "fly" to online at a rapid pace. With console-centric publications, the move of ad dollars to online is slower, but still occurring.

So what does this mean for Ziff Davis' Electronic Gaming Monthly, another "storied" games publication?

"The prognosis for [Electronic Gaming Monthly] is good, but ultimately, of course, that could change. We're all realists here. We all know that ultimately, online is probably going to be where most people are going to get their information. We're not at that point yet, and there is still a place for EGM until we get there."

Cox said that GFW's editorial staff, which is part of the 1Up Network, has already been thinking in terms of being online and print content creators, which should help the transition.

"I don't think it was as big of a shock as it could have been. I think that everyone had noticed that the ads weren't as great in GFW as they had been, and I think most of the staff knew that the newsstand was a challenge to the magazine."




-Undrallio


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Monday, April 7

PC World Analyzes Sony's Vice President's Claims


Matt Peckham over at PC World wrote up a pretty interesting article titled, "Sony Says Microsoft 'Has Already Leveraged All Their Big Assets'", and the goal of the post was to get all nice and analytical on Sony's Vice President, Scott Steinberg.

You can head over to the original article by clicking here, or you can hit the jump and see all of the "claims" without all of that silly description and overbearing sentence structure.

Claim #1: The Blu-ray format's recent victory has lent the PS3 enormous momentum. True? Probably. Relevance? Very.

Claim #2: The PS3 has "entertainment leverage" as a media hub, e.g. for "music and movies" playback. True? Not really. Relevance? Not very.

Claim #3: Sony has a back-library of PS1 and PS2 games it can release for download. True? Absolutely. Relevance? Prove it.

Claim #4: Sony's 2008 IP lineup is going to result in "a monster year" for the PS3. True: Looking more and more likely. Relevance? Huge.


The end result of the whole article? Looks like yet again it's another Sony Vs. Microsoft standstill.

That's good though, it makes for interesting posts when leaders of the industry let a few derogatory statements slip. Not to mention they have to grind out great content to counter each other.





-Undrallio


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Tuesday, March 11

360 Exclusive, Guilty Gear 2: Overture


Aksys Games announced today that Guilty Gear 2: Overture will be exclusive to the Xbox 360 and should be hitting by Fall '08.

What once was a one-on-one fighting game is now set to be a tactical action game where you have to worry about your team as a whole and utilize them to your best advantage, so as not to get your crap blown in.

Michael Mazanares, the Project Leader of Guilty Gears 2 had this to say, "Guilty Gear 2: Overture retains a lot of elements that the fighting games are known for, so it's cool to see how familiar moves like the Gun Flame make the transition to 3D, Except now though, you're facing off against an entire army instead of just one character. You'll lose badly if you think you're a one-man army, so you definitely have to remember that you have your own army to command."

The following features are what we know for sure so far, looks fairly promising if you ask me.

* Tactical Melee Action: Take part in battle alongside your servants and destroy your enemies
* More than 50 Servants at Your Disposal: Engage in dynamic battles by balancing resources and deploying troops to turn the tide of battle
* Dual Language: Experience the thrilling continuation of the Guilty Gear saga with fully voiced dialogue
* Multiplayer Deathmatch: Team battle or Free-for-all, test your mettle on Xbox Live with up to four players
* Refined Mechanics:Enjoy new items, skills, tweaks, and additional modes not seen in the original import




-Undrallio

source


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Sunday, March 9

Week 2 of the March Game Releases

Already the first week of March has come and gone and lots of gamers are still being absorbed into Army Of Two that came out last week, but now they may have to put it on the shelf for a while now that Super Smash Bros Brawl is out. Other games of note are Condemned 2 and the new Wild ARMs game for those of you whom aren't Brawling addicts.

I've made some changes to how the weekly line-up will be set up. Instead of me summarizing each game, there will only be a list of games for their corresponding and a screen/video for the pick of the week. Sorry guys, it's just far too time consuming to do it the other way.

Nintendo DS

Winning Eleven 2008 - March 11th, 2008 - Soccer Sim
Nanostray 2 - March 11th, 2008 - Shoot Em Up
Insecticide - March 11th, 2008 - Sci-Fi Action/Adventure


B&W Pick of the Week:

Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Ring of Fates - March 11th, 2008








PC

XIII Century: Death or Glory - March 12th, 2008 - Historic RTS
Seven Kingdoms: Conquest - March 11th, 2008 - Historic RTS
Sudden Strike 3: Arms for Victory - March 10th, 2008 - Historic RTS
Lost Empire: Immortals - March 11th, 2008 - Sci-Fi TBS



B&W Pick of the Week:

Sam and Max Episode 204 - March 13th, 2008









Playstation 2

Buzz! The Hollywood Quiz - March 11th, 2008 - Trivia
Buzz! Junior: RoboJam - March 11th, 2008 - Trivia
Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 - March 11th, 2008 - Sports



B&W Pick of the Week:

Ratchet and Clank: Size Matters - March 11th, 2008







Playstation 3


B&W Pick of the Week:

Condemned 2: Bloodshot







Playstation Portable

World Championship Cards - March 11th, 2008 - Cards
Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 - March 11th, 2008 - Sports
FlatOut: Head On - March 11th, 2008 - Arcade Driving Sim


B&W Pick of the Week:

Wild ARMs Crossfire - March 11th, 2008








Nintendo Wii

House of the Dead 2 & 3 Return - March 11th, 2008 - Action Shooter


B&W Pick of the Week:


Super Smash Bros. Brawl - March 9th, 2008








Xbox 360

Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 - March 11th, 2008 - Sports


B&W Pick of the Week:

Condemned 2: Bloodshot




(note, this is a different trailer than the one I chose for Ps3)






-Undrallio


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Thursday, March 6

Microsoft Adopting Blu-Ray?



With Microsoft's HD-DVD format 6 feet under, many are speculating about the possibility of a Blu-Ray drive on the 360.

In a recent article by the Financial Times, Stan Glasgow, President of Sony Electronics, reportedly stated that Microsoft and Sony are in talks about Microsoft adopting Blu-Ray. What could this mean? Maybe Microsoft is finally going to develop an external Blu-Ray drive for the 360, or this could mean proper Blu-Ray support for Microsoft's latest shovelware....erm....operating system, Windows Vista.



Financial Times Article After the break.


Sony is in talks with console rival Microsoft about offering a Blu-ray drive for the Xbox 360, according to a senior executive.

The Japanese electronics maker has until now touted Blu-ray as an advantage its PlayStation 3 holds over Microsoft’s console. Microsoft has backed Toshiba’s HD-DVD format and offered an HD-DVD drive that can be plugged into the 360.

But after Sony’s victory last month in the high-definition DVD format war, Stan Glasgow, Sony Electronics US president, said the two sides were now talking about Microsoft adopting Blu-ray.

A Blu-ray drive in a 360 would make Microsoft more competitive with the PS3, but it would also mean extra revenues for Sony’s electronics division. It would also add further cost to the 360, meaning a premium edition of the console could be necessary.

A Blu-ray drive could be incorporated in its top-of-the-range Elite Xbox, or Microsoft could again offer a drive as a plug-in peripheral.

Mr Glasgow, speaking at a media dinner, added that discussions were also taking place with Apple, which has not offered Blu-ray drives on any of its computers so far and has focused on digital media via downloads and streaming through devices such as its Apple TV.

The Sony president said he did not believe Blu-ray would be overtaken by high-definition content becoming available over the internet. Bandwidth limitations meant it was still available to only a few, he said, and consumers favoured disks they could own.

“Downloading will build over time, but this will be over a period of years,” he said.

Microsoft declined to confirm any talks, saying: ”We have made no such announcement. Games are what are driving consumers to purchase game consoles and we remain focused on providing the largest library of blockbuster games available.”

On Blu-ray pricing, Mr Glasgow expects prices of players to drop to as low as $299 by the end of the year. They currently cost $399 and higher. He feels the price of a player could fall to about $200 by the end of 2009.

The prices of Blu-ray players are not expected to fall as precipitously as they did with regular DVD players. The Blu-ray Association, the group controlling the standard, has yet to license it to Chinese manufacturers, who would be expected to drive down prices.





-Ryizzel


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Sunday, March 2

Week 1 of the March Game Releases

Here we go, the first week of March and all the great (or not so great) games that you'll be spending all your hard earned money on. We've got some good ones this week including God of War: Chains of Olympus for the PSP and Army of Two for Ps3 and 360.

To read up on all of the releases this week simply click on "Read More" and let your heart flutter with the gaming glory, and remember our pick of the week is found at the bottom of each list.


Nintendo DS

Out of all of the systems, the Nintendo DS is tied with the PC for getting the most additions to the family, they've each got 9 new titles to add to their library. Here's the list of DS games and the days they're coming out on, looks like the blunt of them will be rushing in on the 4th.

Let's Ride: Friends Forever - March 3rd, 2008. A nice little horse care-taking sim from THQ. Now you can obsess over that pony that your parents never got you.

Chicken Hunter - March 4th, 2008. The title makes it seem so non-child friendly, but I swear it is. Your mission in this game from Mumbo Jumbo is to stop all the chickens during their crazy antics. Sounds like an Ape Escape mimic to me.

Imagine Figure Skater - March 4th, 2008. One of the "games for girls" that Ubisoft is trying out. In this one you take management of a figure skater and divvy up her time between schooling, training, and leisure time to hopefully become the best figure skater in the world.

Petz Bunny - March 4th, 2008. Yes, it's another adorable animal sim game from Ubisoft from it's Petz series. This time bunny rabbits. Shhhh, I'm wabbit hunting. *note, you do not hunt the rabbits*

Pet Store - March 4th, 2008. First Petz Bunny, now this one also from Ubisoft. One more animal sim this week, just getting flooded with them aren't we? Well, this one isn't species specific as you can "care for a variety of pets" in Pet Store.

Ninja Reflex - March 4th, 2008. Take on a series of martial arts challenges in this reflex-testing game by competing against your sensei or in multiplayer sessions in this one from EA that's also coming out for the Wii.

Anno 1701: Dawn of Discovery - March 4th, 2008. Explore the world in this 18th century sim from Ubisoft. Essentially it's Civilization, without the fun.

Eco Creatures: Save the Forest - March 4th, 2008. Control the cutesy animal filled ecology in this adventure-management game from Majesco Games.


B&W PICK OF THE WEEK FOR NINTENDO DS:


Mysterious Dungeon: Shiren the Wanderer - March 4th, 2008. Coming to us straight from Japan, Sega's re-hashed this game that was originally released on the Super Nintendo. It's a classic turn-based, role-playing game and came with plenty of screen shots throughout it's media lifespan. We picked this one because we are always glad to see a remake of a classic game, especially an RPG one.


PC

The PC game release slate for this week tied with the mighty Nintendo DS at 9 games each, and here's the PC line-up, there's actually a few good ones in there this week.

Galactic Command: Echo Squad - March 3rd, 2008. A space combat sim from GamersGate, pilot your spaceship as you explore levels and blow crap up.

Tom Clancy's Chronicles - March 3rd, 2008. Joining in on the "sell more of the same game by putting them in convenient cost-efficient box sets" Ubisoft presents us with Tom Clancy's Chronicles which includes Splinter Cell, Ghost Recon, and Rainbow Six 3: Raven's Shield.


Field Ops - March 3rd, 2008. This one's definitely interesting. It's a war game from Atari that brags up the player's ability to switch between RTS and FPS play modes any time they want.


Stranger - March 3rd, 2008. Your basic fantasy RTS coming to you from Fireglow, take control of a variety of fantasy characters and fight through the light and dark sides of the realms.

Mysteryville 2 - March 3rd, 2008. Return to Mysteryville in the sequel to the original puzzle game from Activision. Now with more mysteries and clues to find in this hidden object game.

Arctic Stud Poker Run - March 3rd, 2008. When I think Poker, I think hectic races and devious tricks. What, you don't? Well now you will, in this game from Got Game Entertainment you have to race around and screw your enemies up as you attempt to assemble the best poker hand you can.

Imperium Romanum - March 4th, 2008. Take on the role of a Roman emperor and lead your country to wealth in this historic RTS from SouthPeak Interactive.


Legends of Norrath: Inquisitor - March 7th, 2008.
The third installment in the online card battling game based on the Everquest world. Sony thought this one up, have fun losing your social life.



B&W PICK OF THE WEEK FOR PC

Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War: Soulstorm - March 4th, 2008.

The third standalone expansion to Warhammer 40k published by THQ and developed by Iron Lore Entertainment up until a few days ago when they shut down, it was finished up by Relic. This one got our pick simply because standalone expansions to awesome games are cool as hell, and this is one hell of a game, we highly suggest this one.


Xbox 360

Hitting 3rd place in game releases with only 4 games, and only one of them being 360 exclusive.

Though of the 4 that are being released, three of them are good and definitely worth a play-through.

Major League Baseball 2K8 - March 3rd, 2008. Baseball game from 2K Sports. My prediction? MLB '08: The Show will destroy it on all consoles, but since MLB '08: The Show isn't coming for the 360, MLB 2K8 found a safe home on the 360.

Bully: Scholarship Edition - March 4th, 2008.
Rockstar Games brings you the same game that you've played before in Bully, and with added content. If you didn't play Bully before, now might be a good chance to try it out.

Rocketmen: Axis of Evil - March 5th, 2008. In complete cell-shaded joy Capcom brings us the only 360 exclusive coming out this week. It's a Sci-Fi FPS and looks to be a little cartoony and zany, fun for the family. If dealing out death is fun for the family.


B&W PICK OF THE WEEK FOR XBOX 360:

Army of Two - March 4th, 2008. EA is giving us what looks to be one of the best co-op shooters coming for the next-gen (now current gen) systems. This game is pretty much meant to be played with a friend, as all the cool things come from utilizing all the co-op abilities. Stopping up bullet holes with a tampon For the Win.


Nintendo Wii

Unlike Nintendo's DS, the Wii only has 3 games this week. I guess they were focusing too hard on the portable simulation games (holy crap there's a lot of them).

Ninja Reflex - March 4th, 2008. Take on a series of martial arts challenges in this reflex-testing game by competing against your sensei or in multiplayer sessions in this one from EA that's also coming out for the DS.

Major League Baseball 2K8 - March 3rd, 2008.
Pretty much the best MLB game the Wii will see, unless you count WiiSports' baseball game, which is damned fun. What can I say? 2K Sports knows what they're doing. Though MLB 2K8 will be great for all of you baseball enthusiasts out there.

B&W PICK OF THE WEEK FOR NINTENDO WII:


Bully: Scholarship Edition - March 4th, 2008. Like I mentioned before in the 360 section, this version of Bully brings the original back with all new content. So all you big fans of Bully, you'll love it. Also, this version should bring in a bunch of new fans who didn't get to play the original.


Playstation Portable (PSP)

It's a good week for PSP, even if two of the three games are multi-platform baseball games. The third one is what makes up for it all, not surprisingly it's also our pick of the week.

MLB '08: The Show - March 4th, 2008. Sony's bringing you this one personally to all of their current systems (PSP, Ps2, Ps3), and if you're looking for a baseball game this is going to be your best bet. Go for it on any of the Sony consoles. You wont be disappointed.

Major League Baseball 2K8 - March 3rd, 2008. One of the two baseball games being released this week, and really if you're given the choice between this one and MLB '08: The Show they're both great games. Go for The Show if you can though, I have a feeling that one is the better of the two, even if 2K Sports has more experience.

B&W PICK OF THE WEEK FOR PLAYSTATION PORTABLE:


God of War: Chains of Olympus - March 4th, 2008. This one was a no-brainer. Not that we don't like sports games, just we like Kratos and his deliciously demented God murdering more. A hack and slash in it's finest, if the Ps2's God of War one and two show anything, Ready At Dawn know what they're doing when it comes to a great and fulfilling action/adventure game.


Playstation 3
Not much to show here on the Ps3 this week, the two baseball games that are being circulated virtually everywhere else and Army of Two that was also for the 360. Hmm, I wonder what our pick will be?

MLB '08: The Show - March 4th, 2008. Sony's bringing you this one personally to all of their current systems (PSP, Ps2, Ps3), and if you're looking for a baseball game this is going to be your best bet. Go for it on any of the Sony consoles. You wont be disappointed.

Major League Baseball 2K8 - March 3rd, 2008. One of the two baseball games being released this week, and really if you're given the choice between this one and MLB '08: The Show they're both great games. Go for The Show if you can though, I have a feeling that one is the better of the two, even if 2K Sports has more experience.

B&W PICK OF THE WEEK FOR PLAYSTATION 3:


Army of Two - March 4th, 2008. EA is giving us what looks to be one of the best co-op shooters coming for the next-gen (now current gen) systems. This game is pretty much meant to be played with a friend, as all the cool things come from utilizing all the co-op abilities. Stopping up bullet holes with a tampon For the Win. (Yeah I know I just copied the text from the 360 part, but it's essentially the same. Shoosh, I'm tired.)


Playstation 2

Playstation 2, the same two MLB games and one other. Simple, and brilliant. I think the Ps2 has got to be one of my favorite consoles of all time, but that will never make me biased (damn you haters for not letting me say that without getting thrashed). Anyways, here's this week's line-up.

MLB '08: The Show - March 4th, 2008. Sony's bringing you this one personally to all of their current systems (PSP, Ps2, Ps3), and if you're looking for a baseball game this is going to be your best bet. Go for it on any of the Sony consoles. You wont be disappointed.

Major League Baseball 2K8 - March 3rd, 2008. One of the two baseball games being released this week, and really if you're given the choice between this one and MLB '08: The Show they're both great games. Go for The Show if you can though, I have a feeling that one is the better of the two, even if 2K Sports has more experience.

B&W PICK OF THE WEEK FOR PLAYSTATION 2:


Silent Hill: Origins - March 4th, 2008. I love the Silent Hill series, they've always scared the crap out of me. Haha, I remember this one time I was playing Silent Hill 4: The Room with the lights out. Well, I wont tell the story but let me tell you what, if you're already afraid of the dark....don't do what I did. At any rate this is a great way to extend the life of the Ps2, bring in a PSP port and put it on a home console.




At last I've reached the end of the releases for this week. It looks to be a fairly eventful week with a good amount of flow of games coming in. Of course it would be optimized if you had aaallll of the systems, but we know how hard that is. Still, I'm digressing, I complain, but I'm glad that Army of Two is finally out, not to mention Silent Hill: Origins. Haha, and who can forget God of War: Chains of Olympus. Yes sir, I've got even more games on my to-get-list now.

Happy gaming guys.



-Undrallio


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Saturday, February 9

Yahoo-Microsoft Follow Up



It seems Yahoo is going to be turning Microsoft down on the $44.6 billion offer on Monday according to both the Wall Street Journal and New York Times...Though, nothing is final yet and we'll find out on Monday what happens. If Yahoo accepts the offer however, Microsoft will be given a huge economical advantage over many other industries.




-Undrallio


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Sunday, February 3

Yahoo To Gain Blue Screen of Death?




The ever growing Microsoft made an offer to buy Yahoo! for a decent little bit of pocket money. A $44.6 billion offer to be precise...


"We have great respect for Yahoo!, and together we can offer an increasingly exciting set of solutions for consumers, publishers and advertisers while becoming better positioned to compete in the online services market," said Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer.


If this deal goes down, meaning Yahoo! ponders over the offer and accepts it, it will be complete by the second half of '08. Your system has experienced an illegal activity, please hold Ctrl+Alt+Del until you develop a malignant tumor.

Good luck Yahoo!.


-Undrallio


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