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Project Gotham 3 Breaks Xbox 360 Spec Rules
Posted by Rob Stevens Categories: Driving, Xbox 360,
We’ve been speculating for a while now that people with non-HD TVs might actually end up getting the best gameplay out of the Xbox 360, depending on how the hardware handles the rendering. Why? Because with all the extra work being done to output at 720p, we figured that holding a steady framerate might be tricky, or even impossible.
Turns out we were half-right. Already one of the Xbox 360 launch titles has been “caught” putting out a 1024x600 screenshot, far less than the 1368x720 needed to qualify for 720p, becuase Bizzare Creations couldn’t get the game to a stable framerate at full-res. The half-right comes in because the hardware apparently scales the game up to 720p automatically (probably the same thing they’re doing for backwards compatability). So running your games in 480i probably wouldn’t yield any performance benefits.
The good news, if there is any, is that launch titles frequently aren’t using the full power of the hardware, which is usually starting to become truly tapped in about the third year. Odds are, Bizzare just didn’t have the time to fully optimize the game, giving a lower-res presentation. And the fact is, most people will never notice.
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Official: Xbox 360 Backwards Compatible Game List
Posted by Oscar M. Cantu Categories: Corporate News, Xbox, Xbox 360,
Xbox.com has finally published its list of titles that will be backwards compatible when the Xbox 360 launches. More games will be added as time goes by, however, you will need a software emulator to play them. This means that anyone who purchases a core system will need to shell out the extra dough for the memory card at the very least in order to play their old favorites. Interestingly enough, not all of the best sellers are backwards compatible - a quick glance at the list reveals that games like Project Gotham 2, BurnOut 3 (and Revenge), MechAssault, and FIFA 2005 will not be playable out of the gate. Bummer. At least that copy of Yourself!Fitness that you never got around to using is compatible.
Check out the full list after the jump.
Click to continue reading Official: Xbox 360 Backwards Compatible Game List
Official Xbox 360 Launch Title List
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Accessories, Corporate News, Xbox 360,
Microsoft has finally released an official list of the launch games that will be available on or before November 22 - right in time for the launch of the Xbox 360. From the looks of things, you have the opportunity to pick up 18 games - 11 of which involve some sort of sport. Check out the full list after the jump.
Click to continue reading Official Xbox 360 Launch Title List
Fans of Total Nonstop Action Wrestling rejoice - for the first time in quite a few years you will be able to get your hands on a wrestling game that is not branded with the WWE brand. Midway is looking to bring a TNA Wrestling game to market sometime in 2007. Based on that information, we can expect to see the title appear on next-generation consoles. We look forward to seeing how Midway integrates TNA’s unique six-sided wrestling ring into the gameplay schema.
Read More 
| Next-Gen
OS GamerCard: Xbox Live Stats Widgets
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Internet, Xbox 360, Xbox Live,
This widget displays your gamer card, or anyone elses gamer card for Xbox Live on Xbox 360. This includes information on your Avatar, Gamer Rep, Gamer Score and Zone. This will also display the most recent games the player has played, though clicking on them will not take you to the comparison page at the moment because Dashboard cannot open URLs with special characters in them. You can however click on the Avatar to be taken to the players profile page.
You will need a Macintosh with 10.4 or greater to run the Dashboard version or a Windows/Mac OS computer with a copy of Konfabulator 2.1.
Read More | One South Clan
Unpacking The Nintendo Wi-Fi USB Connector
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Accessories, Internet, Nintendo DS,
This past Saturday, we received an advanced look at the Nintendo Wi-Fi USB Connector. As soon as we saw the packaging, it immediately became apparent that Nintendo is getting behind their Wi-Fi Connection service in a big way. In fact, I am at a loss as to why Sony didn’t think of something like this for the PSP. Basically, the Wi-Fi USB Connector allows anyone with a computer and a broadband connection to log in to Nintendo’s Wi-Fi gaming service. That means that there is no need to pay for a wireless router and configure a wireless network. This is really, really a smart move by Nintendo. Even better, one USB Connector allows up to five Nintendo DS units to connect to the Internet at once. The Nintendo Wi-Fi USB Connector can be purchased for $34.99 USD.
We snapped a couple of images of the contents, which you can check out after the jump.
Click to continue reading Unpacking The Nintendo Wi-Fi USB Connector
Vaja i-Volution PSP Leather Case
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Accessories, Features, PSP, Reviews,
Okay, let’s be serious for just a moment. We know that the Sony PlayStation Portable is one heck of a portable gaming beast. However, it isn’t all fun and games when your $250 gaming device takes a tumble, leaving with with a shiny, black brick. Protection of the PSP is important, and some of us want something just a bit more elegant than that black sheath that the PSP ships with. Today, the question we pose is: Just how much are you willing to spend on protecting your investment? For example, the Vaja i-Volution case for the Sony PSP. Just looking at it you can tell that it will not only protect your PSP, but it will keep you stylish as well. Oh, and it had better - the thing sells for $180 USD, roughly $70 less than the cost of the PSP itself.
Is it worth it? We do know that Vaja makes some very high quality iPod cases, and wondered how they would do with the PSP. Journey with us as we take a visual tour of the Vaja i-Volution.
Click to continue reading Vaja i-Volution PSP Leather Case
So Xbox.com is now allowing people to create their Gamer Profiles along with their Gamer Cards in preparation for the Xbox 360 launch. One thing to note is the Gamer Zones you are able to choose from. They are as follows:
Recreation
It’s not whether you win or lose, but that everyone enjoys the game.
Motto: “Kick back, relax, be considerate, and have fun.”Pro
You aren’t going to settle for anything less than first place, but you respect the game and your competitors.
Motto: “Play clean, play hard, play to win.”Family
You want a zone you and your kids can enjoy. No mature language, no trash talk, no super-competitive egos.
Motto: “Fun for the whole family!”Underground
If you aren’t afraid of trash talk, the Underground is for you. Not for the faint of heart.
Motto: “Take no prisoners!”
Being the babies that we are, we chose Pro, fearing that the Underground community would devour us alive leaving us crying for Mommy. Nonetheless, the zone you choose when you set up your account will be part of the system used to match you up with other gamers on Xbox Live, so choose wisely. To grab a peek at our Gamer card, check out our profile. Oh, and if you see us online, be gentle.
Read More | Xbox Profiles
Sid Meier’s Civilization IV: First Impressions
Posted by Benjamin VanWinkle Categories: Features, PC, Reviews, Strategy,
Civilization IV is the latest version of a classic turn-based strategy game (originally released in 1991) by game icon Sid Meier. As a player you command a primordial Civilization through thousands of years of history to become the supreme Civilization of the world. You have to carefully balance exploration, expansion, development and conquest in order to accomplish this. Place too little emphasis on any of these and you will fail.
Click to continue reading Sid Meier’s Civilization IV: First Impressions
Ultimate Spider-Man has been out for a few weeks now and I finally got a chance to sit down and play through it. This latest adaptation to the wonderful world of Spidey is cell shaded, which is an automatic plus because it just makes things look better. What’s more, it’s done by the same people who actually make the Ultimate Spider-Man comic book. The gameplay for Ultimate Spider-Man will seem very familiar if you’ve played Spider-Man 2 (The Movie). The game adapts the Grand Theft Auto free roam feature, and the city is quite large. To move on through the story you have to swing around the city completing “City Goals” which consist of helping out the good folks of New York all the way to racing Johnny Storm (Human Torch) of the Fantastic Four. A really fun thing about this game is that you switch characters to get all sides of the story. After completing certain goals the story moves on and you then take over Venom and play through his side of things. The controls in this game are fairly simple: Jump, Kick, Punch, Grab, Swing, Web Shot, etc. so you shouldn’t have a hard time adapting. The game consists of several different Spider-Man baddies like Rhino, Carnage, and Green Goblin. One thing we didn’t like is that the story is shorter than a kids pop-up book. I was able to play through the whole story in less than 10 hours. One glimmer of hope is that once you complete the story mode the game turns into complete free roam and you can pick which character you want to be. I mostly played as Venom at this point in time and it started to remind me of Grand Theft Auto. The more damage/harm you do as Venom the more points you get, and the higher your points go the more calvary gets sent out on you. All in all the game is fun, but semi repetitive if you’ve played through Spider-Man 2.
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