"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

Capcom Teasing Big Software News For Tokyo Game Show

Going strictly by attendance numbers, the Tokyo Game Show is almost always the most popular industry show on earth every year. We believe we're in store for even bigger announcements and revealings, and there should also be plenty of new software announcements, too. The first teasing has come from Capcom's camp, as according to a recent Twitter update, they're "hard at work on Tokyo Game Show plans." They do plan to release fresh news for Lost Planet 2, Tatsunoko vs. Capcom and Dead Rising 2, and we're hoping that release dates for each will be announced. For our part, we're still hoping to see an unveiling for Devil May Cry 5; we absolutely refuse to believe they're not working on a new installment in that franchise, and we want it. We're also interested to learn more about Dead Rising 2, which is coming to the PS3 and should be a bunch of bloody fun; a guilty pleasure that could be well worth the price of admission. Capcom also mentions some "new games for Japan." What might those be...?

The Tokyo Game Show runs from September 24 - 27


Found on: psxextreme.com

Gears of War 2: Game of the Year Edition Details

For players who have yet to experience the blockbuster action of “Gears of War 2,” Microsoft Game Studios is making it easy to jump into all the excitement with the launch of “Gears of War 2: Game of the Year Edition” on September 1 in the United States.

This offering ships with Game of the Year “Gears of War 2” plus the comprehensive “Gears of War 2: All Fronts Collection” Game Add-on, which includes all 19 extra multiplayer maps, the “Road to Ruin” campaign chapter and every Achievement to date worth a total of 1750 Gamerscore. “Gears of War 2: Game of the Year Edition” will be offered at the estimated retail price of $39.99 (U.S.).

“Gears of War 2” is available exclusively on Xbox 360 and is rated “M” for Mature by the ESRB.

Found on: teamxbox.com

Mass Effect: Pinnacle Station Review (Xbox 360)

The rumored second DLC add-on for Mass Effect was released Tuesday morning for the public. Available at only 400 Microsoft Points, players can compete in an arena-style simulator and rise up on the scoreboard.

To get straight to the point, there really isn’t a story here. Shepard arrives at Pinnacle Station only to be challenged by Vidinos, the cocky leader of the scoreboard. Vidinos challenges Shepard to beat his scores and in return he’ll give up one of his weapons.

There are four simulations available with two different levels, Hunt; killing enemies gives more time, Survival; must fight as long as possible, Time Trial; kill the enemies as fast as possible, and Capture; three points must be taken. After certain requirements have been met, more simulation levels will become available. When fighting in the simulation, Admiral Ahern will act as sort of a commentator. His comments are repeated frequently enough that they become annoying quickly.

These modes are fun for a little while, but they quickly become dull after repeatidly retrying them to obtain first place. There isn’t anything really wrong with these modes, but the combat isn’t as snappy as it needs to be to accomplish any of these goals, making some later senarioes rather frustrating.

Perhaps the best part of Pinnacle Station is Tech Officer Ochren, a nerdy, annoyed, and sarcastic technician that just wants a little credit for his work. His comments are usually pretty funny and left me with atleast something to look forward to. With that said, that’s all there really is to Pinnacle Station. The station is just a training ground for soldiers, with no real mission to complete. Players only gain experience from the simulations only if placed in first, and nothing really worth while comes out of this add-on.

For 400 Microsoft points it seems like a deal, but all that’s really here is some shallow combat modes that are never really that fun. This can certainly add a few hours to any Mass Effect play-through, but unless dominating a scoreboard that other people can’t even see is your thing, you might as well stay away from this add-on.

Found on: endsights.com

Microsoft Announces PUMA Deal for Forza

Microsoft has announced it has signed a deal with PUMA to ensure “prominent PUMA branding” in Forza Motorsport 3.

What seems like a strange partnership actually makes sense – PUMA makes motorsport footwear and accessories as well as sponsoring racing teams from F1 and MotoGP, including Red Bull and Ducati Corse.The deal includes a number of cross promotional initiatives including exclusive Forza preview nights in selected PUMA Concept stores and regular Forza 3 content for PUMAMotorsport.com. Oh, and there’s the limited edition Forza branded shoe. Which we expect will be popular.“The Forza Motorsport association is the perfect fit for our brand, said PUMA’s Antonio Bertone. “This partnership enables us to capitalize on the energy and excitement that accompanies a huge release such as Forza, and push the PUMA Motorsport brand into a new and exciting arena. We’re delighted to be working with Microsoft on this.”This is not the first instance of in-game branding – last year’s Mercenaries 2 features real world ads on in-game billboards while, more recently, the PS3 version of Fight Night Round 4 contained prominent ads for the film Bronson. What do you think of in-game marketing? Can you live with it, or, like Bill Hicks, would you like to see an organised mass suicide for people who work in advertising? Let us know in the comments section below. Forza Motorsport 3 is due for release on Xbox 360 on 23 October.

Found on: incgamers.com

New Forza 3 Features

Forza 3 features the latest and greatest cars available, with the fastest and most exotic cars in the world with an offering of over 400 cars, all of which are fully tuneable and customisable. If you are a fan of any car, chances are it is featured in the game and you can make it much, much cooler.

Details from Press Release:

• The game will feature over 100 racing tracks from around the world, including much more road courses in the most beautiful places than the previous game, like in the gorgeous mountainous Montserrat region in Spain.
• The game promises to have some of the most detailed car models ever created for a video game. The cars will have a purported 10 times higher polygon count than the cars in the first game. The interiors have been painstakingly recreated too, a feature that racing purists will be especially happy with, so the uber-realistic driver’s view will be more awesome than ever.
• The hyper realistic physics engine from will be making a return, new and improved to boot. Combine this with the customisation and new A.I. system, and you’re in for a gameplay experience as unique as the car you choose to drive.
• Forza 3 will have a number of features to make the learning curve much easier for newcomers, with settings such as auto-braking, gameplay rewind and auto-tuning, with a difficulty level that evolves as your skill does.
• Forza 3 features lots of new game modes that promise to verify the racing formula, which can become repetitive if done incorrectly. The single player campaign will have a fully personalized racing calender with over 200 events, with everything from endurance events to drag racing.
• User-made content will again be the star of the show, now more than ever, with even more options and ways to customise you car than the impressive list presented in Forza 2. With the return of the upgraded Auction House and deep editing systems from the first game. Painters, tuners and gear heads will be in heaven, especially with the ability to share your hard work over Xbox Live. New leaderboards will also offer the most skilled tuners and painters the opportunity to rise the ranks and showcase their masterpieces to the world.

Last month we detailed the contents of the Limited Edition which will be released alongside the standard version of the game October 27th 2009

Is this on your pre-order list?

Found on: xboxic.com

2K Play Bringing Two Awesome Looking Indie Games To Xbox Live Arcade

Take-Two Interactive and its 2K Play label deserve thumbs up today for announcing Axel & Pixel and The Misadventures of P.B. Winterbottom, two great looking independent games coming to Xbox Live Arcade. The former's being released this fall, while the other arrives in early 2010.

Axel & Pixel is a point 'n click adventure (seen above) out of Czech Republic-based Silver Wish Games. Not much else is known about the game -- though an official website should reveal more in the future -- but simply knowing it's a brand-new point 'n click adventure with an interesting visual style incorporating real-life photography is enough for me.

The Misadventures of P.B. Winterbottom is more of a known quantity; it was shown at the Independent Games Festival during the 2008 Game Developers Conference. Developed by The Odd Gentleman, The Misadventures of P.B. Winterbottom manipulates time to steal pies. The problem? He's also competing against his past, current and future selves, who are also stealing pie!

Both games will be playable at the Penny Arcade Expo next month in Seattle. I'll be there, along with a bunch of other folks from G4tv.com. Stay tuned!

Found on: g4tv.com

Xbox 360 Peggle Owners Getting Expansion

Peggle Nights will be available as DLC this fall.

Xbox 360 owners now have more reason to keep playing Peggle. PopCap announced today that an expansion will be coming to the Arcade this fall.

The expansion is actually the sequel that PC and DS owners already have, Peggle Nights. 60 levels will be added to both Adventure Mode and Multiplayer, and new Challenge modes will be available. Also new achievements will be added to boost the game up to a total of 250 achievement points, and trophy rooms and stats will be available to be viewed.

No price or release date has been listed for the expansion, and the original Peggle will be required to play Peggle Nights. However, it is still more Peggle, and too much Peggle can never be a bad thing.

Found on: 411mania.com