Forza Motorsport 3 Goes Gold!

Announces Xbox LIVE Demo on Sept. 24.

The white flag waves as “Forza Motorsport 3” has Gone Gold, entering its final lap before launching on Oct. 22 in Asia, Oct. 23 in Europe and Oct. 27 in North America exclusively on Xbox 360. To mark the occasion, Microsoft and Turn 10 today confirmed that a demo of the highly anticipated title will arrive on Xbox LIVE Marketplace starting Sept. 24.

The new demo lets you get behind the wheel of five of the world’s most amazing cars on the full circuit of the game’s Camino Viejo track. The demo includes five playable cars:


-2007 Porsche #80 Flying Lizard 911 GT3-RSR

-2010 Audi R8 5.2 FSI quattro

-2009 Ferrari California

-2008 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X GSR

-2009 Mini John Cooper Works

You will be able to drive all of the cars in the demo in full cockpit view as well as experience damage, rollover and try out the game’s new rewind feature as you take turns on a beautiful Spanish mountain course inspired by the Montserrat region just outside of Barcelona, Spain. When logged into Xbox LIVE, the demo will also support official leaderboards for lap times, giving you a further taste of what players will experience in “Forza Motorsport 3.”

With today’s Gone Gold announcement and the recent announcements around the fan-designed R8 V10 5.2 FSI quattro and the exclusive Limited Collector’s Edition (which includes 10 exclusive bonus cars, VIP community status, and more), there has never been a better time to pre-order “Forza Motorsport 3.”

Additionally, Turn 10 is proud to unveil the first collection of Forza Motorsport-branded clothing and accessories for your Xbox LIVE avatar. Included in our first batch of gear are the following items. Check out the pictures below. The prices for Avatar gear will vary between 80 to 320 Microsoft Points.


-4 T-shirt prints featuring logos from new tracks in the game

-Forza-branded Racing Shoes

-Forza-branded Baseball Cap

-Forza-branded Fingerless Racing Gloves

-Forza-branded Leather Jacket

-2 Racing Helmet (in white or black)

-Forza-branded Race Driver Fire Suit

The Forza Motorsport 3 demo and all Avatar items will be available on Sept. 24.

See you at the finish line!

Found on: forzamotorsport.net

XBOX 360 used for cardiac research

A researcher at the University of Warwick says the Xbox 360 GPU could save thousands of pounds.


A new study by a University of Warwick researcher has demonstrated that researchers trying to model a range of processes could use the power of the Xbox 360 graphics chip as a much cheaper alternative to other forms of parallel processing hardware.

Dr Simon Scarle, a researcher in the University of Warwick's WMG Digital Laboratory who had previously worked as a software engineer at Microsoft's Rare development studio, wished to model how electrical excitations in the heart moved around damaged cardiac cells in order to investigate or even predict cardiac arrhythmias. These kind of simulations would normally require time on a dedicated parallel processing computer or thousands of pounds of investment in a parallel network of PCs.

However, Dr Scarle's time at Rare made him aware of the parallel processing power of the Xbox 360's Graphical Processing Unit (GPU), which he has now been successfully put into practice.

"This is a highly effective way of carrying out high end parallel computing on "domestic" hardware for cardiac simulations," said Dr Scarle. "Although major reworking of any previous code framework is required, the Xbox 360 is a very easy platform to develop for and this cost can easily be outweighed by the benefits in gained computational power and speed, as well as the relative ease of visualization of the system."

This isn't the first time a video game console has been used for medical research. Anyone with a PS3 can join the Folding@home program, allowing their idle console to help study the causes of diseases such as Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, cystic fibrosis and many cancers.

Found on: virginmedia.com

Microsoft: Cross-platform Titles "just work better" on XBOX LIVE

Chris Lewis of Microsoft has told MCV magazine that cross-platform titles "just work better on Xbox Live."

Lewis, the VP of Interactive Entertainment at Microsoft Europe, was answering a question on where Microsoft is heading in the next 18 months.

"We have a great journey through to Christmas," he answers, "there are key titles that are exclusives but also great cross-platform titles that will just work better on Xbox Live."

"And in terms of content and networking, we have more content partnerships for Xbox Live."

Found on: oxm.co.uk

XBOX LIVE Activity for week of Aug. 31st

Xbox 360 Top LIVE Titles (based on UU’s)


1 Call of Duty: WaW
2 Halo 3
3 Call of Duty 4
4 Gears of War 2
5 Madden NFL 10 (Download the demo)
6 GTA IV
7 Batman: Arkham Asylum (Download the demo)
8 FIFA 09
9 Left 4 Dead
10 Trials HD (Download the demo)


Top Arcade Titles (Full Versions purchased)

1 Trials HD
2 Shadow Complex
3 Defense Grid: The Awakening
4 Battlefield 1943
5 NBA 2K10 Draft Combine
6 Castle Crashers
7 Marvel vs. Capcom 2
8 Turtles in Time Re-Shelled
9 Splosion Man
10 Hasbro Family Game Night **

The above arcade list is based on full versions purchased.
**Combined sales of all Hasbro Family Game Night titles

Original Xbox Top Live Titles (based on UU’s)

1 Halo 2
2 Star Wars: Battlfrnt 2
3 Counter-Strike
4 Fable
5 Splinter Cell Chaos
6 Conker: Live Reloaded
7 Star Wars: Battlefront
8 Doom 3
9 SW: KOTOR
10 SW: Republic Commando


Top Indie Games (Full Versions purchased)

1 I MAED A GAM3 W1TH Z0MB1ES!!!1
2 Avatar Drop
3 Headshot
4 Track Architect
5 Avatar Golf
6 Who Did I Date Last Night
7 Miner Dig Deep
8 The Drinking Game
9 Physics Sandbox
10 ezmuze+ Hamst3r edition


These lists are based on global unique users connected to Xbox Live or in the case of Arcade and Community Games, full versions purchased during the week.

"XBOX LIVE" September Plans

Microsoft has detailed its Xbox LIVE plans for September, revealing which games you'll be able to pick up from the Games on Demand store and which will be offered at a reduced price as part of the Xbox LIVE Deal of the Week promotion.

September will bring four new weeks of value with the Xbox LIVE Deal of the Week. Look out for discounted prices on Lode Runner (available September 14) and Pinball FX (available September 21). Microsoft is ending the month with a 50 per cent discount on the top 10 downloadable songs from Guitar Hero World Tour.

If it's full Xbox 360 games that you're after then you might want to check out the new additions to the Games on Demand store:

September 15: FIFA Street 3 (Electronic Arts): FIFA Street 3 brings you the flair, style and attitude of street football like never before. Play as your heroes in unique street environments and show what you can do with the ball at your feet! Available in the U.S., Europe and Asia.

September 22: Shaun White Snowboarding (Ubisoft): Get ready to experience the ride of your life. Conquer extreme peak conditions, create your own paths in the back country or compete with other riders in the terrain parks. The choice is always yours. Ride in a world where your friends are always around. Do your own runs on mountains populated by other gamers on Xbox LIVE, or join them for a quick session, its guaranteed fun any time, all the time. Available in the U.S., Mexico, Europe and Asia.

September 29: Fable II: Game Episodes (Microsoft Game Studios): For those who have watched from the outside, unsure if they were hero material, a surprise awaits. Fable II: Game Episodes delivers the entire Fable II experience in five consecutive instalments, with all the Achievements, challenges, and excitement of the disk-based game. Best of all, we’re bringing you the first episode completely free! Experience childhood and the trials of being a young adult in the world of Albion. After completing the chapter, you have the choice to then purchase the next instalment and continue your adventure, fully compatible with both Game Add-ons, “Knothole Island” and “See the Future.” Available worldwide except Japan and Korea.

If that's not enough to keep you going this month, then there will also be new items heading to the Avatar Marketplace.

September 10: Have your avatar rock-out in neon and fringe with original styles from the 80’s Modern collection.

September 17: Prove that you’re a digital tastemaker with the latest from Urban Culture.

September 24: Deck your Avatar out in authentic racing apparel from Forza 3.


Found on: videogamer.com

Avatar Thursday goes 80's

While this week’s offerings on the Avatar Marketplace do not carry any specific game brands, placed rather within the Lifestyle section, they do harken back to the Mod scene and unique fashion it spawned.

xbox.com

Mass Effect 2 Xbox 360 Interview - PAX 09: Greg Zeschuk

Valve wants to put Left 4 Dead 2 mods on Xbox 360

One of the main benefits of playing Valve games on the PC is the fact that you get access to a great amount of mods created by a ravenous community of fans. And Valve hopes to at least bring a little of the community's creativity over to home consoles.

"One of the things I'd like to do is to allow these modules that are being released on PC to somehow integrate with Microsoft's system," says Valve's Yasser Mailaka. "We'll have to filter them, we can't allow any copyrighted materials, so it's going to have to go through a process ... And you know, if they are a paid system, perhaps that could go back to the authors. I think that would be a great story."

Turn 10 Thinks About Natal

Forza Motorsport 3 director Dan Greenawalt is excited about Natal, and by the sound of it he's even come up with some ideas on how the 360 motion cam could transform the racing series.

"The thing that excites me the most is Natal. To me it all comes down to that core vision I pitched back in 2002 - turn gamers into car loves and car lovers into gamers," he told Xbox World 360 magazine. "What really excites me as a designer is that car passion.

"What gets me excited about Natal is getting people involved with cars - touching cars, opening doors, smashing cars, taking parts out, that visceral feeling of moving and playing inside a car," he said.

"Is that what Forza 4 is? I have no idea, but I'm excited about it because I can get the controller out of the way and get people even more excited about cars."

Of course Greenawalt isn't the first racing game designer to dream of controller-less driving; a version of Burnout has already been demoed to press running on Natal. Whether or not that setup would be comfortable for a full racer though, it remains to be seen.

Found on: computerandvideogames.com

James Cameron's "Avatar: The Game" Impressions

There were a lot of games out on the show floor during the past few days, but one that caught my eye in particular was the Avatar game that is coming out soon as a tie-in to the movie. Intended to be a prequel to the movie, and based on a third-person shooter mechanic, the game was a bit of a surprise for me. Regardless of how the movie fares, there is a great deal of potential for the game to do well; assuming, that is, that the story tie-in will leave the game with enough freedom to do its own thing and do it well.

The demo I played started off with me assuming control of some fancy, semi-futuristic aircraft with dual rotor blades to keep it aloft and a whole lot of missiles to fire at any outcroppings that got in my way. There weren’t any enemies to fight; I just had to navigate my way to a landing pad while avoiding running into anything, which was fairly easy to do. Vehicle controls, at least didn’t feel loose or awkward; right trigger fired the rockets and the joysticks controlled the aircraft and camera position. The only difficulty I had was that the option to invert the controls wasn’t available in this build of the demo, so I had to readjust my thinking of which direction on the joystick was “up.” Even this early on in the demo, the visuals were absolutely stunning and made full use of the Far Cry 2 graphics engine. The area I was navigating through was a series of tall rock plateaus with vegetation hanging down and water cascading off the sides that quickly transitioned into a jungle-type environment that would be where the remainder of the demo would take place. During the entire time I played, I never noticed the slightest drop in frame rate, which is truly impressive considering what I was in store for in the jungle.

Once I was on the ground, I was placed in control of one of the Marine grunts that has come to Pandora to find minerals. The Ubisoft rep told me that, in the game, players would eventually be able to switch between the grunts and the Na'Vi, those blue cat-like creatures. I didn’t play as a Na'Vi, but for the grunt, the controls felt like a cross between Gears of War and Metroid Prime. Similar to Metroid, there is a button that allows you to scan the florae and fauna in the environment in order to gather additional data that is stored in a database you can access at any time through the menu. There wasn’t an exact number given for how many entries in the scan database there would be, but it was suggested that there was a lot to look at and scan on the planet. You could bring your weapon up to do precision aiming, or fire from the hip, and, interestingly enough, you could jump. Looks like the grunts will be doing some off-roading. The d-pad on the controller changed weapons and I could choose between an assault rifle-type weapon, a pistol, and (my personal favorite) a flamethrower. I immediately selected the flamethrower and started going scorched earth on anything and everything around me. As should be expected, all those plants around me didn’t last long and I left a few black patches of dirt in my wake.

The Ubisoft rep that was standing with me told me that, in this game, if something looks pretty then it’s probably dangerous. She was right. As I approached a group of interesting and beautiful looking plants, a vine suddenly swung out and struck. This called for some fiery retribution and once I had dealt with the floral foe, I was set upon by some panther looking things that would strike, dash away into some nearby tall grass, and then strike again. A few ample applications of napalm later, I was safe once more. In addition to the 60+ weapons that will available, players will also have access to approximately 30 special skills that include healing, stealth capabilities, and speed boosts. At this point, another group of grunts showed up and we proceeded to go through the rest of the demo that included a chance to ride in a dune buggy vehicle, strap myself into a power suit (ala Aliens) that came with a machine gun, and take on a very large and very angry rhino. The appearance of a team of fellow grunts that were roughing it through the jungles with me inevitably raised the question of "so is there co-op?" The rep told me no and didn't have much else to say on it; which is a shame as Avatar has all the makings to be a great game. Without the presence of co-op, though, it’s success or failure will likely ride on whether or not its story is enough to make it an outstanding title, or just another third-person shooter.

Found on: co-optimus.com

Impressions: "Assassin's Creed 2"

While the Splinter Cell Conviction demo at PAX was (mostly) free of anything new, Ubisoft decided to show off a completely new live demo of Assassin's Creed II. The demo was guided by creative director Patrice Désilets, who was a mite nervous giving a demo in front of a frothing throng of rabid fans. After the demo, we can safely say his fears were unfounded.

The demo was set in Florence, and Désilets showed off many new abilities for the game's lead character, Ezio. First, picking pockets is as simple as bumping into pedestrians. We saw Ezio saunter through a crowd, brushing his hands against random citizens and swiping a few Florens from each of them.

Money can be used to purchase various items, like poison, which Désilets bought from a doctor. You can also use money to hire mercenaries to help do your dirty work. Side missions return again, only this time around many of them set restrictions for players. The mission in the demo, for example, required that Ezio assassinate a target without raising an alarm -- sounds like a good use for poison, but not in the way you'd think.

Désilets explained that the development team wanted to make exploration less restrictive than the first game. To facilitate this, Ezio will sometimes encounter hanging baskets on the corners of buildings. Players can use these to swing around the corner, effecting an instant 90 degree turn without losing any momentum. It's very reminiscent of Prince of Persia. Eagle Vision has also been streamlined. Players can now walk while Eagle Vision is enabled, which makes tailing targets much simpler.





Speaking of targets, Désilets eventually caught up with his, except there was one problem: The target had a bodyguard. And that, ladies and gentlemen, is where the poison comes in. Désilets slyly trotted over to the bodyguard and dosed him with poison. Rather than simply keeling over and dying, Gertrude-style, the poor soul quickly went mad. He quickly began to slash everything in sight with his halberd, including Ezio's target. Mission accomplished. Désilets, however, wasn't finished.

Ezio has another new ability: He can throw money from his purse onto the ground. It just so happens that Désilets did this within range of the enraged bodyguard, causing many of the innocents to be slaughtered before he finally succumbed to the poison. At this point, all Hell broke loose, and Ezio soon became embroiled in a battle with half a dozen guards. While Désilets had to struggle a bit to show us a new feature -- the AI did a good job surrounding and cornering him -- he did eventually succeed in using an enemy soldier as a human shield, another new feature.



And, as if all that wasn't enough, Désilets revealed that Assassin's Creed II also plays host to a new style of gameplay. There are several catacombs located throughout the game, offering players a more linear, puzzle-oriented section. He noted that they were inspired by Prince of Persia. Players enter a dungeon-like catacomb and must reach the exit -- in this particular mission, Ezio was tasked with listening in on a secret Templar meeting. The Prince of Persia influence is evident immediately, as once Ezio enters the catacomb, the camera pans through the chamber, revealing the path he must take. Désilets noted that there are three to five hours of catacombs in Assassin's Creed II, further explaining that they can be used to teach the player different ways of playing the game -- something he earlier admitted wasn't done very well in the original.

All in all, it's clear that Ubisoft is aiming to offer as much variety as possible to players in Assassin's Creed II. Given that repetition was the main complaint leveled at the first game, that's a very good thing. Assuming the new features, abilities and missions we saw in the demo can manage to keep the game fresh, fans are in for a real treat.

Found on: joystiq.com

"Halo 3: ODST" Live-Action Trailer

"Mass Effect 2" Screenshots

Two years after Commander Shepard repelled invading Reapers bent on the destruction of organic life, a mysterious new enemy has emerged. On the fringes of known space, something is silently abducting entire human colonies. Now Shepard must work with Cerberus, a ruthless organization devoted to human survival at any cost, to stop the most terrifying threat mankind has ever faced.

To even attempt this perilous mission, Shepard must assemble the galaxy’s most elite team and command the most powerful ship ever built. Even then, they say it would be suicide. Commander Shepard intends to prove them wrong.

"Forza 3" Career Mode: Start Your Engines

IGN got some very interesting news about the "Forza 3" career mode.


Forza Motorsport 3 might end up twice as good as its predecessor. It's certainly twice as big. The Career Mode has been completely redesigned in an effort to make the experience accessible to Forza's hardcore fans but also casual racing game players. As developer Turn 10 admits, the Career Mode in Forza 2 was too broad and too easy to get lost in if you weren't a core gamer. Over the next three days, we're taking you in-depth with Forza 3's spankin' new Career Mode. Why three days? There's just that much going on.

We're kicking things off with the basics. What follows are the nuts and bolts of Forza 3's Career Mode. Tomorrow, we'll dig deeper and look at tuning, the progression of your career and more. For today, let's just stick to what you can expect in your first season.

Your time in Career Mode is guided by a voice over from your British mentor. It's somewhat like how Travis Pastrana talked people through Codemaster's Dirt, only there's a little more hand holding here. Don't worry experienced racers, none of this has to slow you down from powering through the menus to get into a race. But what Turn 10 has done is put the entire Career Mode on a single button. If you don't know what to do first (or ever) just press A. It will always get you into the next recommended race. You don't have to read menus, search for the right race, worry about tuning or even figure out which car to use. You can always press A to launch into the action. Sure, there's plenty to do if you want to scan the menu, which we'll talk about tomorrow, but the entire career can be boiled down to that single button. Press it and go.


Check it out: ign.com

The Face of Bayonetta

Facial animator Masanori Takashima from Platinum Games explained on his blog how the facial expressions of Bayonetta work. Two videos and some very interesting insights await you.

"I think everyone has seen faces or had their faces seen almost everyday, which means that we are all well tuned to “(changes of) expressions.” Expressions break through the walls of words and have the power to share emotions with others. Thus, to make an empathetic, interesting character, these expressions hold an incredibly important meaning."

Read more on: platinumgames.com

Penny Arcade Avatar apparel is now on Xbox Live Marketplace

"Never before has a shirt had some kind of weird, practically unidentifiable organism on it. What is it? We have always taken to calling it the Wombat, but we've never actually seen one. Are they orange? Do they live on shirts? Are they perpetually happy? There are no refunds for this item. For more information"

Source: xbox.com

New "Forza 3" Screenshots: V8 Supercars

Find the whole set here: forzamotorsport.net

"Assassin's Creed 2" Visions of Venice

There's a new trailer in town...

Interview with "Forza 3" game director Dan Greenawalt

Christopher Grant from Joystiq had the chance to talk with Dan Greenwalt from Turn10 about the upcoming sim racer "Forza3":


JQ: Tell us about this new car you guys are showing off in this trailer, the Bugatti Veyron.

Dan: Well, the Bugatti Veyron is kind of one of those Holy Grail cars right now. It's reported to be 1,000-horsepower, though it's actually a little bit less but 1,001 sounds really cool. It's all-wheel drive made by Bugatti with parts from Audi and Volkswagen amongst others. It's got a 16-cylinder engine with four turbos; it's all-wheel drive. It's about the size of a TT, so it's pretty small. And it's the current production car world-speed record holder. So it hit 250 miles per hour. It's a very fast car.

JQ: How did you guys get this car into the game? What process did you follow to build the model, to actually tune it and make it drivable? Did you have to drive it? Did you work with the engineers at Bugatti to duplicate it? How did that work?

Dan: Well, you know, first this car had come on our radar a long time ago and we had contacted Bugatti about it maybe eight years ago -- six years ago, probably. And they really weren't interested in being in video games. But since then they've changed their mind a little bit and become a really strong partner for us.

It's a pretty rare car, it's kind of hard to get your hands on it. But we found one through Bugatti in San Diego, somewhere in southern California. And we had this group named Acme that go in and they laser scan the cars. So the process is they go in and they put tape along the major creases and the major seams of the car and they basically outline all the really nice rounded shapes. And then they use the laser to actually scan those lines directly into a CAD drawing.

It allows them to get incredible level of detail on how they're scanning. And we also take thousands of photos of the car. We didn't drive it ourselves. We did talk to some guys that drove it in our reviewer community and they told us sort of how it drives and what have you.

And then we also spent a lot of time listening to the car and recording other cars on the Dyno, other types of engines, other types of noises in order to recreate the car's sound.

Read more on: joystiq.com

"Forza Motorsport 3" Preview

It’s perhaps not in my best interests to kick off a preview by detailing my ineptitude, but in Forza’s case, I’m willing to make an exception. Barrelling around the gorgeous track of Montserrat in a glistening Aston Martin, I brake late and zip into a corner too fast. With the apex of the curve on an incline, my tires kick up off the smallest integer sending my poor, beautiful car into a pirouette. I spin wildly off the bump, all four wheels leaving the ground before I crash back down onto the grass verge on the other side of the track.

Now, ‘useless driver goes too fast into corner and spins out’ is hardly headline news for a motorsport video game as technical and revered as Forza, but going into that corner, I felt every single little bump, I felt the exact point where the wheels twisted my fate. The maths are that the tyre physics refresh at 360htz, meaning the track updates every 0.8ft, apparently. Frankly, I don’t have a clue what those numbers mean on a technical level, so I’ll happily leave them for the fact sheet. What I do know, as I found out all too well, is how those numbers translate into the drive that Forza provides. Somehow I doubt the tag-line "it’s never been bumpier" will make it on to the back of the box, but the feedback and authenticity of feeling every deviation in the track was what left the greatest impression.

Of course, it’s possible that that’s because spiralling off the track became something of a theme. Luckily, this Forza 3 aims to be the most approachable ‘serious’ racing simulation yet, from the ‘rewind’ feature which allowed me to go back in time during a race at the press of the button to the multitude of assists you can switch on and off before the start of every race. Steve Beiner, Head of Marketing for Microsoft Games Studios insists that while the third entry in the series will make a huge push for the uninitiated, developer Turn 10 have in no way ‘dumbed down’ the racing experience. Turn all the assists on, such as ABS, suggested racing lines and even an auto-brake, and Forza 3 is a laid back Sunday drive. The game cheerily holding your hand while you pilot a gorgeous car of your choosing through a winding mountainside track, spectacular views stretching out below you.

Turn all the assists off, however, and you have a ferocious, precise and technically brilliant racing simulator. This approach to being everything to every man could cause the wheels to come off, but Turn 10 seem to have struck that elusive balance. This ethos stretches to the career mode. If you wish, you can zip through all of the impossibly sleek menus -all clean whites and stylish sweeps- by tapping the A button, the game selecting your next race, the perfect car for it and tuning it up depending on how many in-game credits you’ve accrued. You are on the track and behind the wheel within a few button presses.

The more petrolheaded among us, however, can take their time in the garage. Building up a selection of finely-tuned machines that Jay Leno would be envious of, getting under the bonnet themselves, tweaking engines and wheel-axels just how they like them. The career for them is not a few sweeps of a menu screen, but a daunting grid of 200 events, waiting to be conquered.

Throughout Forza 3’s development, Turn 10 have repeatedly proclaimed it the ‘definitive racing simulation of this generation’. This is presumably code for "we’re going to be better than Gran Turismo 5." We still have to see what Sony’s racing giant has stored in its own garage, but on this evidence Microsoft’s Forza has set the bar. The race is truly on.

Found on: telegraph.co.uk

"Forza 3" includes 1000-hp Bugatti Veyron

"Assassin's Creed 2" Cinematical Trailer

Assassin’s Creed II is the product of over two years of intensive development by the original creative team behind the Assassin’s Creed brand. In a vast open world environment, the game invites players to incarnate Ezio, a privileged young noble in Renaissance Italy who’s been betrayed by the rival ruling families of Italy.

Ezio’s subsequent quest for vengeance plunges players into a captivating and epic story that offers more variety in missions, surprising and engaging new game play elements, diverse weapons and a profound character progression that will appeal to fans of the original Assassin’s Creed as well as entice players new to the brand.

Assassin’s Creed II is scheduled to launch on November 20, 2009 for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft.

For more information about Assassin’s Creed II, please visit:

www.assassinscreed.com

Gears 2 heats up Labor Day with a double XP event

Got plans for this Labor Day weekend? Cancel them, because you’re going to be busy gearing up for battle in a Gears 2 multiplayer double XP event! From September 4 through 8, earn double experience for all games, plus an experience bonus of 500 for the winning team in a Public competitive multiplayer match. Plus, in Horde, matches default to Hardcore difficulty, with every tenth wave populated entirely by Sires. Get ready for action!

XBOX LIVE Activity for week of Aug. 24th

Xbox 360 Top LIVE Titles (based on UU’s)

1 Call of Duty: WaW
2 Halo 3
3 Call of Duty 4
4 Gears of War 2
5 Madden NFL 10
6 GTA IV
7 FIFA 09
8 WET Demo
9 DiRT 2 Demo
10 Batman: Arkham Asylum


Top Arcade Titles (Full Versions purchased)

1 Shadow Complex
2 Trials HD
3 NBA 2K10 Draft Combine
4 Battlefield 1943
5 Castle Crashers

6 Marvel vs. Capcom 2
7 Turtles in Time Re-Shelled
8 Splosion Man
9 Worms 2: Armageddon
10 Magic: The Gathering - Duels of the Planeswalkers

The above arcade list is based on full versions purchased.

Original Xbox Top Live Titles (based on UU’s)

1 Halo 2
2 Star Wars: Battlfrnt 2
3 Counter-Strike
4 Fable
5 Splinter Cell Chaos
6 Conker: Live Reloaded
7 Star Wars: Battlefront
8 Doom 3
9 SW: KOTOR
10 SW: Republic Commando


Top Indie Games (Full Versions purchased)

1 I MAED A GAM3 W1TH Z0MB1ES!!!1
2 Headshot
3 Who Did I Date Last Night
4 Miner Dig Deep
5 The Drinking Game
6 Track Architect
7 Physics Sandbox
8 Zombies 2.0
9 RC-AirSim
10 Streets of Fury


These lists are based on global unique users connected to Xbox Live or in the case of Arcade and Community Games, full versions purchased during the week.

Xbox 360 sales climb 43% in UK

Sales of the Xbox 360 Elite jumped 43 per cent during the bank holiday weekend in the UK. Microsoft dropped the price of the Elite to GBP 199 in the UK on Friday, undercutting its bitter rival Sony's PlayStation 3 by GBP 50 in the region.

"Sales of Xbox 360 are up 43 per cent," a representative for GfK Chart-Track told GamesIndustry.biz. "Essentially, looking at the price, obviously it's the Elite that's done the business with those sales."

The rep added that "it's an early start" for the Xbox 360, which dropped in price just days before Sony's slim PlayStation 3 hits retail shelves this week. "It's quite a big deal for Sony next week," added Chart-Track.

Although a GBP 50 difference looks impressive on store shelves, Microsoft has stopped including a HDMI cable as standard in the package. The company also raised the price of its Arcade unit from GBP 129 to 159, and is phasing out the GBP 179 Premium SKU.

Speaking following the price drop last week, Microsoft's Euro Xbox boss Chris Lewis said that the new price is designed to help the company maintain its lead of Sony in the Christmas period and into 2010.

"We know that when we get to price points that are logical and sweet – and EUR 249 / GBP 199 is certainly one of those – we know that we see exponential growth rates," said Lewis.

"The holiday phase will give us seasonal growth of course, but we have a very bullish plan this year, we have bullish plans every year. Our appetite to continue to win, and to hold our lead and grow our lead over the competition is very central to what we have planned in and budgeted in for the year."

Found on: gamesindustry.biz

V8 Supercars to feature in Forza 3

At an event held in a Lamborghini showroom in Sydney today, V8 Supercars Australia announced a partnership that will see eight V8 Supercars appearing in the upcoming Forza Motorsport 3, exclusively on the Xbox 360 gaming console.

Four VE Holden Commodore and four FG Ford Falcon V8 Supercars are included, with modelling and graphics accurate for the 2009 season. The Holden stable features cars from Toll Racing, Garry Rogers Motorsport, Supercheap Auto Racing and Sprint Gas Racing. Ford fans will be able to drive cars from Team Vodafone, Ford Performance Racing, Stone Brothers Racing and Britek Motorsport.

Drivers from the teams, including Mark Winterbottom and Garth Tander, were present for the announcement. The drivers drove hot laps on a playable build of the game using V8 Supercars on the Iberian International Circuit. No information on the possible inclusion of any Australian race tracks was available, although Australian fans at the ForzaMotorsport forums are keen for tracks such as Bathurst and the 2009 season’s new Sydney 500 track at Sydney Olympic Park to be featured in the game.

The official Australian release date for Forza Motorsport 3 is 22 October, a fortnight after the V8 Supercars’ Bathurst 1000 race weekend. No information on the release of a demo of the game was available.

UPDATE: On its Twitter page, game developer Turn10 Studios has stated that the Bathurst track would not be included in the game's release.

Found on: goodgearguide.com

Capcom expands partnership with Havok Physics

Havok today announced that it continues to expand its business into the Japanese game development community as it signed a significant deal with Capcom Co., Ltd, a leading video game developer and publisher. With this agreement, Capcom has made Havok Physics its development tool of choice. Capcom has licensed Havok Physics for its highly anticipated titles Lost Planet 2 and Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles. Capcom's three recently released worldwide blockbusters Lost Planet, Dead Rising, and Resident Evil 5 were also developed using the physics solution. "Havok is very excited to continue working with Capcom's talented development team to help with its upcoming games. The fact that a powerhouse such as Capcom chose Havok for these new titles demonstrates Havok's clear leadership position as the premier technology solutions provider to developers around the world," said David O'Meara, Managing Director of Havok. "We're proud to be a part of Capcom's development strategy. Havok Physics was easily integrated into Capcom's existing game development pipeline and we believe these triple-A projects will showcase the unparalleled flexibility and robustness of Havok Physics."

"We chose to work with Havok because its software is the fastest and most scalable physics engine available. Havok's support and documentation sets the gold standard in the industry," said Jun Takeuchi, General Manager of Research and Development Strategic Planning Department, Consumer Games Research and Development Division of Capcom Co., Ltd. "After a comparison with other companies' products, we valued the superiority of Havok and adopted its software."

This means more physical correct Zombie killing.

Found on: marketwatch.com

Publishers having trouble releasing MMO's on 360

According to statements from Square Enix and Atari, releasing an MMO on the 360 might not be as easy as one would think. Both companies stated that there are conflicts regarding MMO typical subscription fees and the Policy of XBOX Live. Further evolutions regarding this topic remains to be seen.

Source: examiner.com

"Shadow Complex" sets new record on XBOX Live for first week sales

Officially recorded as the most downloaded single-player title in Xbox Live Arcade history to date, more than 200,000 people purchased “Shadow Complex” in the first week of its release.
“Congratulations to Chair Entertainment and Epic Games for creating an outstanding game,” said Scott Austin, director of digitally distributed games at Microsoft. “As the capstone title of the second annual Summer of Arcade program, “Shadow Complex” has raised the bar for downloadable games. We’re proud to offer such high-quality content on Xbox Live Arcade.”
"We're really flattered by all the great things fans and critics have said about Shadow Complex," said Dr. Michael Capps, president of Epic Games. "Chair's goal was to make a gorgeous game with tons of action, addictive challenges, and a great sense of exploration – and they knocked it out of the park. We’re so proud to have Shadow Complex join the Epic portfolio. If you haven’t already downloaded it on Xbox LIVE, give the demo a try."

Found on; worthplaying.com

"Deal of the Week"

XBL Gold Members can save 33% off Penny Arcade Adventures: Episode 2. Now at 800 MS points, normally 1200 MS points.

Peter Molyneux: A Conversation

IGN spotted the chance to interview Mr.Molyneux at GamesCom. And here we got the result. An in-depth interview about what makes an RPG not only a good one but also the best one.

Found on: IGN.com

Amazon reduces prizes on Xbox360 accessoires

Amazon.com discounted this month accessoires for the Xbox360 by up to 44 percent with a new price initiative for the hardware. The Xbox360 wireless controller held a sale price of $27.99, 44 percent off the $49.99 MSRP.

Additionally, the Xbox360 wireless controller held a sale price of $29.99, 40 percent off the $49.99 MSRP. Finally, the Xbox360 wireless adapter was price cut to $72.97 from $99.99 and the Xbox360 120GB hard drive dropped to $119.97 from $159.99.

Microsoft this week price cut the Xbox 360 Elite to $299.99 and the Pro to $249.99 in the U.S.Amazon is offering a free bonus Xbox Live 12-Month + 1-Month Gold Card Free with purchase of the Elite SKU.

It is concurrently offering a free game with the purchase of the Pro SKU.

New "Mass Effect 2" Screenshots

Key Features:

- The second act of BioWare's epic sci-fi trilogy continues the story of Commander Shepard and humanity's first steps onto the galactic stage

- Success or failure depends heavily on the crew you assemble and their loyalty to you and the mission

- Stunning graphics and a refined dialog system will draw you into the story like never before

- Numerous improvements to the intense, third-person shooter combat

- Deep character customization options let you create your own vision of Commander Shepard


Mass Effect 2 is coming to PC and the Xbox 360 video game system in Early 2010.


Found on: worthplaying.com

"Assassin's Creed 2" Director Interview

"Avatar: The Game" Trailer

Latest "Forza 3" Trailer

Xbox 360 outsells PS3 in Japan

Microsoft's Xbox 360 outsold Sony's Playstation 3 by 4 to1 in the latest Japan retail data.

Media Create reported that the Xbox 360 sold 8,979 units to rank fourth in the overall hardware sales between Aug. 17 and Aug. 23.

By comparison, the PS3 sold 2,052 units to rank No. 6 in the same period.

The Xbox 360 ranked one title in the top 50 software sales, Magna Carta 2 at No. 29.

Microsoft this week price cut the Xbox 360 Elite to $299.99 and the Pro to $249.99 in the U.S.

Sony this month price cut the current 80GB SKU to $299.99, while the 160GB SKU was price cut to $399.99 in the U.S.

Sony announced last week the new PS3 Slim model, a smaller and lighter version of the hardware.

It will be sold nationwide on Sept. 1 in the U.S. at $299.99.

Microsoft: Xbox 360 failures "well behind us"

Microsoft has responded to the recent survey being passed around the Web. Consisting of 5,000 Consumerist readers, the controversial poll suggested that around 54% of the participants experienced at least one Xbox 360 failure - 41.2% said they had at least two go kaput.

According to Xbox Live and Xbox 360 director of product management Aaron Greenberg, while issues inundated the early 360 production lines, things have since improved. "I can tell you the consoles we're making today have lower-heat chips and better cooling, and we're seeing fantastic quality in those consoles today," Greenberg said.

He said that the early problems were acknowledged, and Microsoft responded by introducing an extended three-year warranty for anyone who is faced with the infamous Red Ring of Death or E74 error. Greenberg continued by adding that with the strides taken by Microsoft, he feels like most of the problems are well behind them.

What have your experiences been with the newer Xbox 360 models?

Found on: techspot.com

Fable 2 "Game of the Year" edition revealed!

Lionhead studios revealed the box-art for the upcoming “Game of the Year” edition for their award winning Microsoft-exclusive role-playing-game, Fable 2 today. And no doubt will truly be the must-have SKU this holiday season if you’ve yet to venture to the rolling hills of Albion.

The GOTY bundle will include all the glorious content of Fable II in addition to both downloadable packs, “Knothole Island,” and “See The Future.” A suggested retail price of £40 has been nailed down for the UK when the game debuts this Spring, but no definitive mention of pricing was made for North American consumers.

Found on: blastmagazine.com

Assassin's Creed's 2 tools of the trade

The anticipated sequel to Assassin’s Creed looks to diversify the gameplay a bit with some more tools at Ezio’s disposal. Sure, we’ve seen the flying contraption that he uses to glide around the enormous city of Venice, but what kinds of tools does Ezio have, when he needs to cause a distraction, or assassinate his target? Ubisoft Montreal has revealed a few of these vintage tools Ezio will be using.

Coins

At first thought, it doesn’t really seem sufficient enough to dish out some pain with a coin, unless you throw one at an unsuspecting guard’s head really hard, but this one is used for distractions. You just simply throw a smattering of coins into a crowd and watch some desperate villagers try to snag each and every last one. It’s not violent, but it causes just enough disruption to sneak by undetected.

Poison

Poison is tried and true. If the stab wound doesn’t kill your foe, the poison that will course through his veins surely will. Ezio can dip his trusty wrist blades in this deadly liquid, but there’s a slight twist. Once the poison starts taking effect, your enemy will actually start to go insane for a short amount of time. If a guard is poisoned, expect him to whip out whatever weapon he’s carrying and go on a violent frenzy to anyone he sees.

Smoke Bombs

What assassin doesn’t carry a smoke bomb? In true ninja-like fashion, once a smoke bomb is used, a thick cloud of smoke will envelop the area, lasting just long enough to make a quick getaway. It’s also handy while being chased, since guards immediately come to a halt.

Only these three tools have been revealed so far for Assassin's Creed 2. It makes me wonder what else Ubisoft Montreal has up their hidden-bladed sleeves.

Found on: examiner.com

Twitter and Facebook on 360 will require Gold account

While the big news to come out of Microsoft is the Xbox 360 price drop, the company also revealed some information about the upcoming integration of Twitter and Facebook on Xbox Live. According to MS, both features will only be available to those with a Gold subscription.

Buried deep in the press release about the 360 price drop was this little nugget of info: "Xbox Live Gold Membership will be required for Twitter and Facebook when they are available, and is required for Netflix. Games, media content and Netflix membership are sold separately; a hard drive is required for storage." The same will be true for both Last.FM and Live Party when those services are released.

It's a bit of a curious decision to require users to pay a subscription fee to access features that are normally free, but it does add yet another feature that could entice users to go for the Gold, so to speak. As for when we can expect to poke our friends via an Xbox, the update still has the vague release window of "this fall"

Found on: arstechnica.com

Xbox 360 Elite drops to $299, loses HD cables

After weeks of rumors, Microsoft's finally confirmed it--the Xbox 360 Elite is dropping to $299. But that's not all that's getting dropped...



Xbox 360 today invites you to experience more fun, more entertainment and more ways to connect with friends and family at an even better value. Beginning August 28, the price of an Xbox 360 Elite console will drop by $100, now priced at just $299.99 estimated retail price in the United States.

On top of that, the Xbox 360 Pro console will now be priced at $249.99, reflecting a price reduction of $50, while supplies last. Starting at just $199.99 for the Xbox 360 Arcade console,Xbox 360 puts all your entertainment in one place so you can play games, watch movies and TV shows, listen to music, and, coming this fall, keep up with your Twitter and Facebook social circles, all from your Xbox 360. And, as announced earlier this year, the Xbox 360 you buy today will work with code-named "Project Natal" and controller-free gaming in the future.

"With the holiday season right around the corner, it's already time to start looking for entertainment and gifts that everyone will enjoy," said Shane Kim, corporate vice president of strategy and business development for the Interactive Entertainment Business at Microsoft Corp. "If you're looking for deep experiences that don't require deep pockets, now is the time to purchase an Xbox 360. We've got the best games, a vast library of TV shows and movies, new music experiences, more ways to connect friends and family, and so much more on the horizon including 'Project Natal'?no controller required."

Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles coming this November

Capcom announced that the follow up to their Wii exclusive, Umbrella Chronicles, will hit store shelves this November 17th for $49.99.

The Darkside Chronicles features the same rail-shooter style gameplay as the previous Chronicles title.

Additionally, if you preorder the game from GameStop, you will receive a free Resident Evil t-shirt.

Features:

• Two-Player Co-op Shooting: Invite friends and family to experience the horror alongside you in 2-player co-op mode.

• Revisit Classic RE Levels: Experience environments and areas from classic Resident Evil titles such as Raccoon City from Resident Evil 2 and the hidden Umbrella laboratory from Resident Evil: Code Veronica, as well as scenarios that will be all new to Darkside Chronicles.

• Fan Favorite Characters Return: Play as Leon S. Kennedy, protagonist of Resident Evil 2 and Resident Evil 4, his partner Claire Redfield, who appeared in Resident Evil 2 and Resident Evil: Code Veronica, and others still to be announced.

• Customizable Weapons: Players can upgrade and customize their weapons for each battle scenario. Each playable character can be specialized for a specific combat style.

• Dynamic Difficulty: In addition to the initial settings of Easy, Normal and Hard, the game’s difficulty level will adjust automatically based on the player’s skill level so that both old and new fans can have a fun and challenging experience.

• Collectibles Galore: For true Resident Evil devotees, archive items such as characters, enemies, old documents and movies can be found throughout the game.


Found on: examiner.com