Xbox 360News for - October 8, 2008
Featured Stories
  Sony admits PS3 failed in first year (via Blorge) - Jack Tretton, president and CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment America gave an interview to MSNBC on Sunday, and under questioning about whether Sony could and should have done anything different with the PS3 launch, he seemed to finally let a chink of admittance in about how well (or not) the PS3 has done in its first year. | |
 US Sales Charts: Xbox 360 Outsold PS3 at 5:3 ratio (via VG Chartz) -- VG Chartz posted some figures for consoles sales over Black Friday and it looks like Sony may not have beaten the Xbox like they claimed.... DS 458,050 Wii 325,483 360 250,648 PS2 161,513 PSP 160,848 PS3 155,515 GBA 32,268 GC 2,545 | |
 Street Fighter IV First Screenshot Breaking (via Kotaku) - 2D or 3D? That's been The Street Fighter IV question that's been kicked around the internet. First details about the DIMPS developed fighter reveal that the graphics are polygonal, but the gameplay is apparently 2D. Game site 1Up (via EGM) reports that there will be new moves, locals and game play. | |
 Exclusive first ever screenshot and details for Capcom's franchise revival. (via 1up) -- Numbers are supposed to be impressive, right? Well, it's been 10 years, two hardware generations, and about seventeen thousand rumors since the last pure number Street Fighter came around. And today we have the first ever official details on Street Fighter IV. | |
 Japanese Retailers Predict Holiday Sales (via 1up) - This week's Famitsu features initial reports on they holiday sales season in Japan. The publication conducted a survey with Japanese retailers, reporting that over 60% have responded saying the average numbers are lower than in years past. "Compared to last year where new consoles such as PS3 and Wii were released, this year so far has been lackluster," said several retailers. | |
 XBL's Friends of Friends: Why Can't I Be Invisible? (via 1up) -- MS (tries to) explain why users don't have full control. When Microsoft announced Friends of Friends -- the ability to view the friends list of other users -- for Xbox Live's Fall update, a number of users questioned their rights to privacy on the service. | |
 Yahtzee reviews Assassin's Creed (via The Escapist) -- It's Wednesday, which means there's another game review from Yahtzee! This week, the fast-talking British dude reviews Assassin's Creed. | |
 Hands-on with the three new Halo 3 maps (via IGN) -- IGN.com got to spend some time with each of the three new multiplayer Halo 3 maps, and they posted first impressions and screenshots. Remember, the DLC will be available for 800 MS Points on December 11, but if you can wait, they'll be free sometime in the spring. | |
We've Played Halo 3's First DLC (via 1up) - Even in the short period between the events of Halo 2 and Halo 3, inflation can rear its expensive head. For Spartans and Elites to rumble during the days of Halo 2, it cost roughly $2 per new, downloadable map. Microsoft recently announced the Heroic Map Pack for Halo 3, due Dec. | |
 No More Demos On-Time for XBL Silver Members (via 1up) - When people talk about features they'd like to see added to an Xbox Live Gold subscription, dedicated servers, expanded buddy lists or separate bandwidth pipes for popular downloads are first to mind. Instead of adding features to the Gold experience, however, they're "enhancing" Gold subscriptions by continuing a practice started last summer of stripping Silver members of features and making them Gold-only. | |
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 Far Cry 2 for 2008 (via ubi.com) -- From an Ubisoft website, some info on the upcoming release Far Cry 2 , is available. The game description listed sounds very tantalizing. The game will be centered in Africa, and will feature vehicles, destructible environments (in Multiplayer and single player!) | |
 GameSpot may see 'mass resignations' over dismissal (via Kotaku) -- A GameSpot employee says that the editorial staff is said to be 'devastated, gutted, and demoralized' over the firing of Jeff Gerstmann. | |
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 Tom Clancy's EndWar Faction Spotlight - The Riflemen (via gamespot) - Tom Clancy franchise has finally produced a game that is not a first-person tactical shooters. Ubisoft is branching out with EndWar, a real-time strategy game due early next year. Imagine US, Russia, and a united Europe in a near-future global conflict and a lot of money and advanced weaponry. | |
 Kane & Lynch Site Drops Five Star (via Kotaku) -- News from Kotaku that the fake five-stars reviews and ratings have disappeared from the official Kane & Lynch: Dead Men website. So if this an admission of false advertising? | |
 Xbox Live: Society's sewer, or society's mirror? (via Destructoid) - However, does the abuse, chauvanism, homophobia and racism of Xbox Live expose a problem with "gamer culture," or does it rather serve as a magnifying glass for culture at large? While many people choose to use the likes of those found on Xbox Live to mock and chastise the gaming community, how many | |
 Ghostbusters: First Play (via gameplayer) -- Gameplayer had a hands-on playtest of the upcoming Ghostbusters game where the story is being set as the third film. Loads of screenshots are very exhaustive review of the time on the game. Big fan of the films when I was a kid so lucking forward to going back to my childhood on this one! | |
 Top five ways to die in a video game (via MSNBC) -- MSNBC lists their top five ways to die in a video game ... what are yours? | |
 Problem Found With Dashboard Update (via MyGen) - Microsoft has issued a warning of an unfortunate problem that has been found with one of the features of the new dashboard update for the Xbox 360. The update allows you to change the email account (Live ID) associated with your Xbox Live Gamertag, which is an incredibly welcome feature, and one that has been requested since the consoles launch. | |
 European Video Marketplace launches December 11 (via Xboxic) - On December 11, the Video Marketplace will finally be available to gamers and movie enthusiasts in Europe, however, only a few countries will have the pleasure to download content from there. The United Kingdom, Ireland, France and Germany are the only four countries in Europe that will have access to the new content. | |
 Bioshock Update and DLC Released Today (via Planet Xbox) -- The Bioshock title update and new downloadable content that we mentioned is actually being released today via Xbox Live and we have all the details. | |
Kane & Lynch site fibbing about reviews, scores (via Kotaku) -- The Kane & Lynch website has a flash intro that also includes two quotes from 'reviews' from Game Informer and GameSpy, and both are apparently from five-star reviews. Only problem is, neither one gave the game five stars, and the quotes came from early previews, not the final reviews. | |
Microsoft's Xbox 360 Dashboard Fall update goes live (via QJ) - The Dashboard Fall Update for the Xbox 360 goes live today, as promised by Microsoft. Xbox Live Director of Programming Larry Hryb (aka Major Nelson) mentioned that big MS is currently in the process of deploying these updates to Xbox Live.Hyrb cautioned that that there are several things Xbox 360 owners have to keep in mind during this period of transition:You ll be prompted to accept the update when you sign into Xbox Live sometime in the next few hours. | |
Demo: Culdcept SAGA (via Major Nelson) - Content: Culdcept SAGA DemoPrice: FreeAvailability: Canada and United StatesDash Text: In Culdcept SAGA assume the role of a young hero who can control mystical creatures that live within powerful cards. | |
 Rock Band Content Black Sabbath (via Major Nelson) - Content: Black Sabbath Pack 01Price: 440 PointsAvailability: United StatesDash Text: Build your Rock Band library by purchasing this game song track pack, which includes: "N.I.B.," "Sweet Leaf," and "War Pigs," which are covers of songs made famous by Black Sabbath. | |
 Xbox 360 Getting Video Ads? (via Kotaku) -- Kotaku spotted an interesting change in the big list of changes for the fall update... "Added support for Audio Mute/Unmute for video ads." Are ads on the dash going to become annoying?! | |
 GameSpot Issues Comment On Reviewer Scandel (via Achievement Junkie) - Finally breaking their silence on the axeing of Editorial Director Jeff Gerstmann, GameSpot has come out and issued the first official statement on the situation that has set the media world ablaze. Employees of the site, due to legal reasons, are not allowed to discuss any terms of the action, claiming only that "contrary to widespread and unproven reports, his exit was not a result of pressure from an advertiser. | |
 Xbox and Wii to be neck and neck in December says Analyst (via Game Daily) -- Wii and Xbox 360 sales are predicted to be extremely close this month, according to Michael Pachter. He also believes Wii will finally catch up with demand and balance out in April 2008. And also suggests Microsoft claim of 2:1 over PS3 in Turkey eating week, is true. | |
 How to Improve your Xbox 360 WiFi (via HouseholdHacker) -- Householdhacker claims to have found a way of improving the wireless connection of a Xbox 360. All you need is aluminium foil, clear tape, an empty chip bag, a spork, and a two-liter bottle. WTF is a spork?!?!? | |
