XBox 360 Rally

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!

Coming from Thrillhouse17, representing Platform Nation (formerly XBLRadio, now a full powerhouse of gaming communities coming together), is a video detailing what things you can do in Halo 3’s new multiplayer game type, “Forge” as well as whipping out the very bad ass flamethrower and actually using it.

First, the intro video for Forge, more of a tutorial, runs in at about 10 minutes, and I can’t lie, is a little boring at times, but this is for you hardcore Halo fans who just need to see the forge in action and how things are done, so when Tuesday comes, you can just jump right in knowing what you need to know, for those with a short attention span, scroll down to the second video:

This second video is where the Forge shines a little more, not because more is revealed than the first video, but because you can see the split screen, showing one character in regular mode and the other in the Forge edit mode as a camera… oh yeah.. and the bad ass flamethrower! Plus a few more things.. just roll the clip:

So there you go, satisfied?

Of course not, but it’ll have to do for now, unless you also want to see some in game menu’s.. and no doubt there will be more videos to come as we all prepare for what is to come in the couple of days, check back for more updates at Platform Nation

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Halo 3, Forge, Multiplayer, Xbox 360, Platform Nation, XBLRadio, ThrillHouse17, Game Footage, Early Footage, Flamethrower, Editing, BAD ASS FLAMETHROWER

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

Much like the other recent “meet one of our characters” videos that are coming out as of late (Jericho, Mass Effect), another video is here, but this time for a maybe not so known game, Dark Sector. Check the video, then read below to get some information on this game which by the looks of the video, seems to have a feel like “The Darkness” .. in a good way:

Look for it on shelves Jan 22nd 2008. Some of the devs are co-creators from the original Epic Games’ Unreal. The game features no HUD, very cool, you will see how much damage is being done to you based on just physically looking at your character. 3rd person perspective. Powers that evolve as you play through the game. Multiplayer they literally said, ‘Details to be revealed at a later date.” .. so at least it is going to be there. With so many titles on a daily basis I deal with news on, this is one that I am looking forward to seeing how it progresses.
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New video here of Battlefield Bad Company running 8 minutes. I noticed right away on Call of Duty 4 beta that it was a near copy of Battlefield 2, but in a good way. Battles a little quicker, but still similar to Battlefield 2. Well now here comes this Bad Company video and it still has that Battlefield feel to it, but I really feel they are stepping it up. Check the video, it is turning out to be pretty nice:

I am excited about Silent Hill 5, however, these videos aren’t pumping me up. It’s looking good, just the scenes they chose to show were ‘meh. I am still expecting a great Silent Hill game.

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Covered earlier on the Rally, Dead Island has the storyline of a guy and his wife are on a plane that crashes on an island with zombies. Looking quite scary and not nearly as racist as Resident Evil (kidding btw, you are a tard if you thought RE’s trailer was racist). The overall feel of this game is going to of course remind you of Resident Evil, but also add a touch of Dead Rising with the amount of random killings that I believe will be taking place. Check a clip, then re-read the description that was posted earlier to get a full feel for this title:

I got sent a fact sheet from Nyko, then corresponded back with them to make sure I had all the details right, and after further examination, I think it might be a good idea to pick up Nyko’s guitar and buy the Rock Band and Guitar Hero games separately. Here is a quick fact sheet on the new “Frontman Wireless Guitar”:

80 hours of play from just three AA batteries

Play up to 25 ft. away

If doing dueling banjo’s, it works with the original Wired Guitar Hero guitar

Has the tilt sensor and whammy bar

Very responsive fret buttons

3 changeable pick guards with some stickers included (but you know you are going to use your own)

D-Pad design is better and easier to use

Now, some clarification on that little box that looks like an amp or an effects pedal, that is basically what makes the device wireless. Seeing as how Microsoft is sort of dicks on how they handle giving out their information on how to make controllers Wireless, that little box will plug into any USB port on the 360, then you need to plug in one of your regular controllers into the amp/pedal box. Presto! Now you have wireless technology without Microsoft’s help, kudos to Nyko for figuring this out. The guitar will then transmit the keys pressed to the box which then uses the code from the wired guitar in order to communicate those key presses to the 360 (so simple!).

Now, the 3 pick guards (seen in the black, pink, and transparent) are there to help customize your guitar. Then they include the 3 stickers for customizing further. Keep an eye out on people who are going to use the transparent guard, as that is going to allow you to put your own graphics/photos underneath. I am expecting Forza 2 customizations type action will be shown once this is released.

There you have it, personally not a fan of all Nyko products controller wise, this one is actually looking to be not only well designed and durable, but possibly better than the official ones that Harmonix has put out themselves (ie more customizing + wireless). So far the release date is listed as October 1st and will retail at $79.99 so look for it.

Because it’s Saturday, there is very little in actual gaming news. With that said, if you’re here you’re obviously not playing the Stranglehold demo — so do it.

Now.

Microsoft, Xbox 360, Stranglehold, John Woo, Chow Yun Fat

Go on, admit it — Mass Effect is going to be freaking awesome. Hell, “Freaking Awesome” somehow seems like some kind of damn understatement. BioWare, if the hype is to be believed, could very well become one of the greatest Role-Playing Games of all time. The sheer size and scope that Mass Effect is set to feature will blow you, me, your mother, MY mother, and everyone else with a general understanding of life away.

So it should surprise no one that BioWare has put the same time and effort into creating a character creation system. Some people at 1UP were lucky enough to get a look at the character creating system for Mass Effect, and it certainly appears that you will be able to meticulously edit your character to your liking — and they’ll actually look human this time, too.

I know, I know — I hate GameVideos, too, but… it’s not on GT. Sorry.

Mirosoft, Xbox 360, BioWare, Mass Effect, 1UP

Ok, check out this exclusive GameTrailers intro to Beautiful Katamari, the upcoming sequel to Katamari Damacy…

…I want some of whatever the hell he’s on.

Microsoft, Xbox 360, Namco, Beautiful Katamari

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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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

I have been playing Video Games since the ripe old age of three. The first video game I ever played was the immortal Bad Dudes on the NES. At the time I didn’t appreciate the simple concept of rescuing the President from Ninjas, but now I do. The game that made me a gamer, however, was a little known title called ‘Dinosaurs for Hire’. If not for that 2D Side-Scrolling Shooter for the Sega Genesis, I would not be the nerd I am today.

One of the major factors in what makes a video game memorable is the music. Look at all the video games that are etched into our memories: Mario, Zelda, Sonic, Halo, Warcraft, Metal Gear Solid, Mega Man, Castlevania, Contra, and Final Fantasy are just a few of the games that are memorable in the eyes of the gaming public, and each and every one of those games has some memorable music. Growing up, I would pop Mega Man II into the NES, and leave it at the start screen just so I could listen to that killer opening theme. But of course, you’ll be hard-pressed to find someone who DIDN’T rock out to the Mega Man theme at some point in their lives. Regardless of what your favorite video game is, I promise you that you remember a song or two from it.

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