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Halo Graphic Novel Digital Preview
Posted by Christopher Sasaki Categories: Culture, First Person Shooters, Xbox, Xbox 360,
The Halo Graphic Novel will hit the streets on July 26, 2006, but those gamers looking for a preview of the stories that will populate the book can find such on Marvel.com; user registration is required for the interactive preview, but there are glimpses into the stories that will be told, as well as some previews of the one-shot art pages. Included in the preview are some of the pages from famed artists Simon Bisley and Jean “Moebius” Giraud. The graphic novel hopes to expand the Halo universe, and back fill some of the open questions left by the game.
Read More 
| Marvel.com
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New Backward Compatibility Update Coming Next Week
Posted by Josh Smith Categories: Corporate News, Retro, Xbox, Xbox 360,
Peter Moore announced by way of Major Nelson’s weekly Podcast that next week there should be an update to the backwards compatibility offerings for the Xbox 360. He explained that 20 titles will be added to the growing list of BC games including Lego Star Wars and Doom 3. Moore withheld the full list of backward compatible games for fear of “emulation ninjas.”
Peter Moore also went on to explain how his comments on backwards compatibility were taken out of context last week. According to Moore the comment referred to backwards compatibility not being as big of a deal at E3 2006 compared to E3 2005. Peter Moore ends the interview by saying “Its not the case that we don’t care about backwards compat, boy we care about backwards compat.” He also states that Microsoft plans to get as close as possible to the original goal of having all of the Xbox games working on the Xbox 360. Readers, what games are you waiting for to be backwards compatible?
Read More | Major Nelson
Saint’s Row Release Date Announced
Posted by Josh Smith Categories: Action, Release Dates, Xbox, Xbox 360,
THQ has announced that Saint’s Row for the Xbox 360 will be released August 29, 2006. Saint’s Row is an action adventure game with free roaming capabilities similar to the GTA series. The game takes place in Stilwater where you are a member of the 3rd St. Saints. On your rise to power you are given a multitude of choices in a given situation, each of which will affect how other characters in the game respond to you. THQ is also developing a version of Saint’s Row for your mobile phone, though it isn’t clear if you can get the mobile version through Live Anywhere.
Read More | Saint’s Row
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The Da Vinci Code Impressions
Posted by Denise Shively Categories: Action, PC, PlayStation 2, Reviews, Role Playing Games, Xbox,
The compelling plot behind the blockbuster motion picture The Da Vinci Code has bloomed into a video game spinoff that seems worthy of all the attention its release has garnered. Whereby most games that take their cues from books or movies may seem lackluster or untrue to the original, The Da Vinci Code is jam packed with enough thrills, mysterious puzzles, and a variety of things to see and do that will make this game worth your while.
Click to continue reading The Da Vinci Code Impressions
Halo 2 Matchmaking: Monthly Game Breakdown
Posted by Josh Smith Categories: First Person Shooters, Xbox, Xbox 360, Xbox Live,
If you are a regular reader of Major Nelson’s blog you cannot help but notice that Halo 2 is still topping the “Original Xbox Top Live Games” list. Halo 2 has been seated in the top ten for as long as I can remember and recently has kept the number one position many weeks running. Several factors can contribute to the long lasting success of Halo 2. The lack of any other killer app for the original Xbox has lead many to use the Xbox as simply Halo 2 console. The ease of matchmaking and fun gameplay has also contributed to the long championship rein of Halo 2. Whatever the reason Halo 2 is a lasting force in the Xbox and Xbox 360 world.
Last week Bungie announced that over half a billion games of Halo 2 have been played on Xbox Live. They followed up last weeks announcement with the news that Halo 2 matchmaking is still plowing through roughly 20 million games a month. To put that into context 20 million, is the same number of games being played when Halo 2 was released. Whether you believe Halo 2 is still in the top spot because it is an amazing game or because the Xbox competition was lacking retaining this many players a year and a half later is an amazing accomplishment.
Read More | Bungie
Video Game Software Sales Down 10% in May
Posted by Josh Smith Categories: Corporate News, Hardware, Nintendo, Nintendo DS, Xbox, Xbox 360, Xbox Live Marketplace,
After promising sales in April the video game industry was brought back to reality in May. Console software sales are 10% lower than May 2005. The drop has alarmed many analysts even though overall sales, hardware and software combined, show a rise from last May. One major reason for the decreased sales is that the video game industry is in a transition to next generation consoles. This transition has gamers waiting to purchase next-gen titles, couple this with only 2 new Xbox 360 games in May and lackluster sales are more easily explained.
Michael Pachter, an analyst from Wedbush Morgan Securities, summed up the situation, saying “We think that this trend foreshadows continuing weak sales until the holidays, as we expect continued monthly year-over-year declines of 30 - 40% for current generation software sales, with next generation software sales growth failing to offset these declines. We do not expect next generation software sales to offset the decline in current generation software sales until the fall, when a strong lineup of Xbox 360 games is anticipated and launches of the PS3 and Wii are scheduled.”
My own predictions call for decreased Xbox 360 software sales over the next months with increased Nintendo DS hardware and software sales due to the release of the Nintendo DS Lite. I am curious if Xbox Live Marketplace content is counted into the overall software sales for the Xbox 360 since there are currently more releases on the Marketplace than in retail stores.
Read More | Game Daily
Meijer Buy One Get One Half Off Videogames
Posted by Josh Smith Categories: Hot Deals, Nintendo, Nintendo DS, Nintendo Gamecube, PlayStation 2, Portable/Mobile, PSP, Xbox, Xbox 360,
Meijer is having a sale on video games this weekend. Their entire selection of video games is buy one get one 50% off on Saturday from 6 AM to Midnight. Meijer is located in Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, and Kentucky (store locator). They have a good selection of video games for Xbox, Xbox 360, PSP, PS2, Gamecube, GBA, and DS. In the past I have had luck getting Best Buy to price match Meijer, in case you do not have a Meijer nearby. This would be an excellent sale to stop by for anyone picking up a Nintendo DS on Sunday.
Read More | Meijer (PDF link)
How To Talk Trash on Xbox Live
Posted by Josh Smith Categories: Culture, First Person Shooters, Internet, Xbox, Xbox 360, Xbox Live,
Do you often find your trash talk lacking? Do you feel like you can’t get a word in edgewise on Xbox Live? Are you sick of being berated by masters of smack? Your hook-up has finally arrived. Check out Fireborn’s “How to talk Smack on Xbox Live”. Enjoy the educational video and remember, on Xbox Live its not how you play, but what you say!
Read More | YouTube
Want to be a video game tester for Microsoft? Microsoft is currently looking for gamers to test first party titles and devices. Other than getting your hands on a game ahead of the general public, Microsoft will throw in a “gratuity selection” as a parting gift. The offer appears to be available to gamers in all locations and the sign up process is quick and simple. The tests are 2-3 hours in length and involve the latest games and devices at Microsoft. Sign up today and maybe you will get a chance to play test the rumored Microsoft portable gaming console. Note to Microsoft, its time to get some Xbox 360 controllers in your play testing pictures.
Read More | Microsoft
In celebration of England’s first game in this summer’s World Cup tournament there will be a big party in London. The event, sponsored by Microsoft to promote the Xbox’s role as official console of the 2006 World Cup, centers on a huge projector screen that will broadcast the England/Paraguay match live. Visitors to the event can jam to a state-of-the-art sound system, or yell along with cheerleader performances. Microsoft plans similar events for each England (and Australia) game, and expects over 1500 fans to attend the first event this Saturday.
Read More | Virgin.net
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