XBox 360 Rally

Ah, the digital age. Soon, I won’t even have to stop playing games in order to go out to my mailbox for a new arrival from Gamefly. No, seriously, I don’t play games that much — I have a life, thank you — but Xbox Live is going to make it easier for us lazy gamers to get our crack, I mean, video game experiences.

Microsoft is slowly letting the cat out the bag about the upcoming Games on Demand service through Xbox Live. I try Microsoft’s press archive and nada. I guess the announcement came after the E3 all-press conference at a lunch for VIPs and the elite press corps. But I ran across an interview on Eurogamer with John Schappert, who is the exec in charge of Live, and he gives us a bit more detail as to what this whole on-demand service will be.

Shappert: “Right now the plan is to have classic titles. We’re talking about 30 titles at launch - I think we mentioned BioShock, Mass Effect, Sonic, Civilization Revolution. Some of these titles are great titles, but retail shelf space is at a premium, and not everything manages to stay at retail for as long as consumers would still like to buy it, and we generally think there’s a lot of legs left on the 360 - we think we’re only halfway through our cycle - so we want to pick up some of these older, great games you can’t buy at retail.” –Eurogamer

So, part of me is happy about this new service. It may be a nice way of picking up older titles (if you have yet to play them or don’t already own them). But my big question is how will the Xbox’s hard drive handle more than a few games? Maybe Microsoft could also offer some additional storage space, maybe on Xbox Live with some extra server space? I’m sure they will charge us for the off-site storage, but would it be cheaper than buying additional hard drive space? Maybe. I mean, I hope I don’t have to buy a new Xbox in order to accommodate full games on the darn thing.

And even though I am interested in the Games on Demand Xbox Live Service, I am really not sure how practical or useful it will be over time. Especially if I am strapped for memory, I may be inclined to delete a game or two, and if that were to be the case, perhaps I would be better off buying the disk for easy removal and easy “come back to later”.

Furthermore, this whole attitude that older games are not available to buy through retailers and thus that is the reason that the service will be offering only the older games is a little out of whack. There are plenty of copies of anything you would want out there, and I can guess those copies would be cheaper than a Microsoft product (call me crazy). But if you don’t like hunting down an older game, then perhaps the GOD (ha ha ha) service would be good for you. However, then there is the whole “how many older games and which ones would be offered” problem.

So, I guess, in conclusion (as if this were a coherent essay), the announced GOD for Xbox Live may be a good thing, or may be like the Netflix thing and rather redundant. We shall see…

Xbox, Microsoft, Xbox Live, Xbox 360, E3, games on demand, video games

Ok, first the name. Project Natal? That sounds super creepy in a wireless Matrix-y sort of way, doesn’t it? I’m sure the team that came up with the working name were trying to allude to a new birth in gaming, but I just cannot help but think of actual human childbirth. Ew. Or maybe the name is referring to the Brazilian city.

Either way, Microsoft shill Steven Spielberg came out to show off the Project Natal prototype at this year’s E3. Don Mattrick, the SR VP in charge of this kind of thing at Microsoft, introduced Natal (which is only a code name, whew!) as not a motion-control controller but a “breakthrough sensor that tracks 3D movements, and recognizes voices, this is controller-free games and entertainment”. No controller needed at all. Take that, Wii!

The Natal is instead a camera that tracks your movements in 3 dimensions and uses your motions to control the game. The sensor also takes cues from voice commands, both for games and for the Xbox itself. At the press conference, Spielberg and Mattrick claimed that the reason that Natal was needed was to get more people into games, because thumb-based controllers are intimidating to people.

And jumping around a room isn’t intimidating?

As a lazy gamer with a low BMI, I tend to see video games as a way of relaxing on the sofa after playing real golf or hiking. So the Wii has little to no long-term interest for someone like me. But the Natal on the other hand is something that I like, so far. Project Natal’s camera is a peripheral, and therefore not required for many games (I’m sure that there will be plenty of games that will utilize the Natal’s capabilities, but there will still be regular games, too). I like the fact that I am not forced to play with a little wand, when all I want to do is use my thumbs.

By the way, at the E3 press conference, Spielberg described compared the birth of Natal as “a moment as significant as the transformation from the square shaped movie screen to Cinemascope…” Dork.

Microsoft, Project Natal, motion control, controller, gaming console, Xbox 360, Steven Spielberg, Wii, controller-free, peripheral, E3

Hi, boys and girls. It’s just me, your friendly neighborhood JW, here to remind you all that we’re currently looking for people to replace us here at Xbox 360 Rally. All you have to do is go HERE, fill out the form, and wait to hear back. It’s really not that hard.

So, get to it already — so Paco and I can get to the NEW site!

Ok, people, here’s the deal — Paco and I are on our way out. We’re taking over at 1PStart.com in an effort to restore it to it’s former glory. …that, and I just plain want to write about another game every once in a while, is that so wrong?!

Anyways, here is what we’re looking for: A competent, capable writer with a love for all things Xbox. Now, by competent writer, we mean someone who spells “you” correctly, and knows when to capitalize. If you can do that, you’re a shoe-in. So, CLICK THIS DAMN LINK, do the required stuff, then get paid to play video games and write about stuff.

…hell, Mike and I did the hard stuff already, and YES, the GTA4 Banner contest will continue, and I will still give you a copy of GTA IV… or something. So, hop to it.

Xbox 360 Rally, JW, Stuff, Job Openings

The servers are melting. Paco spilled his cola on the keyboard. JW’s out back trying to wrangle the horses. In short, we’re all kinds of FUBAR, so we may not be able to update as much as we’d like today.

Sorry, peeps. We’ll be back soon.

There has been a lot of controversy regarding a recently posted rumor regarding SEGA’s possible Tokyo Game Show line-up. Now, I was originally very defensive of this piece because of who sent it in. He, a long-time go-to guy named Rob, has sent me exclusive tips for four years, and until this most recent one, they were ALL accurate.

Regardless, after the link had been posted by reader “Cedge”, I immediately contacted Rob via GoogleIM.

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Who wants to see the epitome of eye-sex?! Yeah, this video from on10.net that features Peter Molyneux showing us a prime example of the combat system featured in Fable 2 is… it is the sex. It is freaking awesome.

Microsoft, Xbox 360, Lionhead Studios, Peter Molyneux, Fable 2

The event that last year, showcased Guitar Hero II, Halo Wars, Banjo-Kazooie 3, and Doom were announced, as well as having pretty huge announcements in previous years (X02 had the announcement of M$ buying Rare), has been officially canceled.

“There is not a real X07 this year but I think that we will figure out some way to talk about 2008 some time at a different event or a different type of programme” - Aaron Greenberg, Group Product Manager for Xbox 360 and Xbox Live, speaking on the Squad XP podcast.

With big titles like Grand Theft Auto IV and of course the biggest of them all, Halo 3, coming out already this year, could news of other games hurt the current line up? ……. Of course not! Did they already make all their BIG BIG announcements during E3?! I am just reaching for any answer as to why they would cancel the even that isn’t linked to the Peter Moore or 3 Year Warranty issues, which I honestly don’t believe is linked in any way either. Obviously, there has to be a reason, I just can’t think of any good ones at the moment.
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X06, X07, Microsoft, Xbox 360, Puzzle

Our good friends at PCGamingRally have put up a nice find, a new Fable 2 video provided to us by IGN. Both JW and myself have posted plenty of news about this game, which doesn’t stop here, every thing I see and hear about this game excites me, so the media train keeps rolling with this full 15 minute video hosted by Molyneux.

(Note: If there is a blank area above this text, something is wrong with you seeing this video! Don’t worry, different formats are available at IGN by clicking here)
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Fable 2, Molyneux, E3, IGN, Demo, Lionhead, Loinhead

Self proclaimed attention whore and Gears of War mastermind CliffyB has updated his site with some of his thoughts on these upcoming titles. On Bioshock, “The atmosphere in this title is second to none and the play is smooth and solid. I whipped through the first demo without much trouble and then proceeded to take down a Big Daddy in the second, much to the dismay of the person staffing the kiosk. My mad FPS skills came through yet again.”

A little insight on some things you can do with Crysis, “I was able to run up to guys, hit USE and then lift them up by their necks and toss them at other fools. But the fun doesn’t stop there - while holding this poor fella in a death grip I can hit FIRE and PUNCH HIM IN THE HEAD repeatedly.”

His thoughts on Condemend 2 were nice, but what struck me was the comment that preceded the actual game talk, a little smack against the marketing team behind the game, “I snuck into a demo for the sequel to the best game that was marketed horribly at the 360’s launch - Condemned - and I’ve got to say that the sequel is shaping up to be yet another glorious journey into madness. The player’s character is an alcoholic murdering sonofabitch - you can actually flip people off in first person while then proceeding to get into a brutal fight involving fists, boards (that you can now toss!) and finishing moves. I chuckled when my “hero” broke a guy’s arm and then held him as a human shield as the other foe slung a 2×4 at him - he then yelled out in pain as the board hit him. We then saw the poor sap’s head driven into a tube television.”

Lastly, Stranglehold, “Stranglehold is looking slick and as underhyped as ever. Everything’s destroyable in the game and they actually have a Mexican Standoff mode complete with slo motion - and birds everywhere.” Check out the rest of his thoughts on how his full E3 trip went over at CliffyB.com
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CliffyB, Epic Games, Gears of War, Bioshock, Condemned 2, Stranglehold, John Woo, E3, Crysis

Starting out as a rumor a couple of months ago (link), this is looking to be soooo near truth right now. So yeah, that was a pre-emptive “Hell Yes!”.. but check out the new proof, a quote from the Microsoft Vice President of Global Marketing, Jeff Bell, “Now, we’re really looking forward to playing with my three sons, all together on Halo 3.” This was no random quote, in the full interview, this came right after he was talking about how he and one of his sons on Halo co-op, so it would be odd for him to be speaking of deathmatches and not the co-op.

To check the full interview yourself with Major Nelson grilling Jeff, High Quality | Low Quality.

[Info found and posted everywhere by UNSCleric, great find!]
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Halo 3, Four Player, Co-Op, UNSCleric, Microsoft, Xbox 360, Major Nelson, Interview

Coming September and originally set to be one of those crazy PS3 exclusives that keep dropping like flies *cough link cough*. Fatal Inertia is looking to be one bad ass futuristic racing game ala F-Zero. (Note: Yes, this is yet another title using the Unreal Engine!)

[Jeux France]
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Fatal Inertia, Koei, F-zero, Racing Game, Futuristic, Screenshots

A.) I am SO sorry I wasn’t around yesterday — My internet flat-out died on me. Just upped and died, and it wasn’t until now that I was able to remedy this.

B.) Star Wars: The Forced Unleashed may very well be the most awesome game of E3, as this trailer demonstrates. I don’t know about you, but I think this game is gonna be freaking awesome.

Microsoft, Xbox 360, LucasArts, Star Wars: The Force, Star Wars: The Force Unleashed

Just to make this a true ‘Part 2′ to the first Fire Up the ol Xbox post (link), if you just want freebies, the Marketplace is full of ‘em. A demo for the game “The Bigs” has been made available for you baseball fans as well as JW posting earlier about the Stuntman: Ignition being available too. Trailers for BlackSite, The Bourne Conspiracy (also look for a ‘behind the scenes’ video of the creation of the game), Assassin’s Creed, Frontlines: Fuel of War, Eternal Sonata, Bee Movie, Army of Two, and NCAA 08. Finally, the full E3 2007 Press Conference is available for download in 6 parts, all HD, will run you a little over 2 gigs, so free up some space!

Texas Hold ‘em had a very cool update today, introducing Xbox Live Vision Camera support. As the proud owner of the Cam (bought for very cheap here) as well as the proud owner of Texas Hold ‘em (Gotta love free XBLA games), this update is worth checking out. If you were ever looking for an XBLA game that was worth while, Texas Hold ‘em is one of my top 5 most played games on my 360 console, maybe no daily, but not a week or two won’t go by that I don’t fire the game up to play online. Some other features were added that more than make the update worthy of a download whether you own the cam or not (click here for full update list)

Now for the moment you all have been waiting for, the new additions and updates for all your original Xbox games onto your 360:

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Just watch this baby all the way till the end, it is too damn funny. Check after the break for an additional bonus clip of the game, and by the looks of it, seems to be fashioned a bit after the Simpsons Hit & Run game, which means it will be actually worth buying (I know, hard to believe for a Simpsons game). Back to the main point though, watch this one all the way till the end, its like seeing that last little one liner joke that comes after the end credits to a movie:

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