Xbox Live Pac-Man Championship Announced
April 18, 2007
Microsoft and Namco Bandai reps have announced a new global Xbox Live Pac-Man World Championship contest, with players competing for a chance to travel to New York City and be crowned champion.
From April 25th to May 9th, players with a full version of Pac-Man for Xbox Live Arcade can (after registering, of course)rank themselves through Live Arcade to assert themselves at the top Pac-Man player. In the interest of fairness, previous leaderboard scores will be completely deleted. At midnight on May 9th, Microsoft will tally the top nine scores across the globe for Asia, Australia/New Zealand, Canada, Japan and Mexico, as well as two finalists from Europe and the U.S. Those winners will be flown to New York City for the June 5th finals, where the winner will be crowned by Pac-Man creator Toru Iwatani.
A 10th ‘wildcard’ finalist will also take part in the championships based on a concurrently run ‘Pac-Man FANatic’ contest, where any member of the public can submit a video that “best illustrates their love for Pac-Man.”
The finals champion will also receive a number of other prizes, including 26 years of free meals from Quiznos, 100,000 Microsoft Points, and a customized Xbox 360 console featuring a special Pac-Man inspired design.
“Namco Bandai Games and I are proud to partner with Microsoft on the Xbox 360 Pac-Man World Championship, which celebrates how popular Pac-Man remains to this day. The success of Pac-Man stems from its fun gameplay and host of characters that have been enjoyed by families for generations. It will be exciting to see Pac-Man fans from around the world compete on Xbox Live Arcade to become the first-ever Pac-Man World Champion,” said Toru Iwatani.
Capcom Reveals New Titles
April 16, 2007
As part of its Gamer’s Day event, Capcom revealed a number of new titles for multiple devices.
Capcom dabbled in PC gaming but never made a strong commitment to PC games, so releasing Lost Planet for PC is cool. Lost Planet will feature DirectX 10 and Shader Model 3.0 support as well, making one of the best looking console games one of the best looking PC games ever made. Lost Planet is a good sign that we will be seeing more Capcom titles coming to PCs in the near future. Also coming to PC (and PSN and Xbox Live) is Talisman, Games Workshop’s hybrid board and RPG.
For many, Wii is making out the best with the new Capcom titles. Lets’s start with Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles. Using the Wii Remote as your boomstick, players will gun down zombies and other monstrosities. Resident Evil 4: Wii Edition might be the best Resident Evil of all time! It includes everything from the previous versions, utilizing the Wii Remote to point and blow apart the armies of the undead. Also coming to Wii is Project Treasure Island Z, a series of puzzles and mini-games centered around the antics of a pirate in training, Zack, and his magical monkey, Wiki. Younger gamers will be entertained.
Newly announced titles for Nintendo’s handheld DS system include the third chapter in Capcom’s cult Phoenix Wright legal adventures, with Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney: Trials and Tribulations. Set for release in September 2007, Trials and Tribulations will continue the tradition of the first two chapters of the series, with a new “mysterious hard-boiled” prosecutor named Godot, and a return of the second game’s “pysche-lock” interrogation tool. Also coming to Nintendo DS, in October, is the latest in the decades-long running Mega Man franchise, Mega Man ZX Advent, which includes a new “biometal” system that allows players to change into different forms and utilizes the DS touchscreen to switch between ‘Biometal’ and map navigation screens. Not a bad way to celebrate 20 years of Mega Man, I’d say.
Capcom also revealed that it was working with Cartoon Network to deliver a game based on the Adult Swim original cartoon Harvey Birdman to both the PSP and PS2 by developer High Voltage (Leisure Suit Larry: Magna Cum Laude), though no further details were yet revealed.
As for PS2, Capcom has announced that the company as acquired PlayStation rights to the motor sport MotoGP, and will be publishing its first PlayStation 2 game based on the sport this year, tentatively titled MotoGP 07.
Capcom also revealed a number of digitally distributed titles coming throughout the year for PC, Xbox Live, and the PlayStation network. Foremost amongst these is the return of Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo HD Remix coming to all three digital platforms this fall, including newly redrawn 1080p HD graphics from the backgrounds and blocks, handled by developer Backbone and all new character portraits, done by Udon Entertainment (the company responsible for the official US Street Fighter series of comics). The game will also see “improved game balance,” and, most importantly, online play — a feature fans of the cult puzzler have been asking for since it first appeared. The game will also be including the X, Y, and Z-’ism’ modes from the Dreamcast’s “For Matching Service” version.
Also coming are two more original titles, with WizKids’ Rocketmen: Axis of Evil arriving on Xbox Live and PlayStation Network as an arcade shooter as up to four players battle cooperatively through multiple levels in a struggle to ‘free the Solar System.’
Halo 3 Beta Announced For May
April 10, 2007
Microsoft and developer Bungie have announced that the public beta test period for Halo 3’s multiplayer component will begin on May 16 (5am PDT) and continue until June 6 (11:59pm PDT).
Access to the multiplayer public beta was heavily advertised as a feature in the initial run of Realtime Worlds’ Crackdown, with access to the eventual download only being possible if customers retained the game disc. Admission to the beta was also offered through the “Rule of Three” promotion which required users to register on Halo3.com, play three hours of Halo 2 between February 1st and February 3rd, 2007 and be one of the first 13,333 players to do so.
Although access to public beta testing is common for many PC games, this is one of the first times it has been made available for a console game, and the first time that it has been used as a major marketing tool for any game. Access to earlier closed beta testing was less well advertised and largely limited to North America.
The public beta testing download will feature three maps (Snowbound, High Ground and Valhalla), as well as the new all-terrain vehicle, the Mongoose. New weapons such as the redesigned assault rifle, Brute spiker, Spartan laser and spike grenades will also feature. A new behind the scenes video of the game has also been launched today at the Bungie website and on Xbox Live.
“Halo: Combat Evolved and Halo 2 changed the face of console gaming forever,” said Shane Kim, corporate vice president of Microsoft Game Studios. “Gamers from around the world have logged more than 800 million hours on Xbox Live playing Halo 2, and years after its launch it remains the No. 1 title on our Xbox Live network. Bringing an early look at the multiplayer elements of Halo 3 to our passionate fan base is tremendously exciting for us.”
New Cars, Demo Announced for Forza Motorsport 2
April 4, 2007
With the release of Forza Motorsport 2 only a little more than a month away, Microsoft is readying a playable Xbox Live Marketplace demo that should be available pretty soon.
The full version of Forza Motorsport 2 will be available to Xbox 360 gamers mid-May. Turn 10 director Dan Greenawalt is excited about its impending release, based mostly on the amount of meticulous attention his team has given it throughout its development period: “Whether it’s the hundreds of thousands of physics parameters captured from countless man hours taking track measurements and capturing car data to harnessing the power of the industry’s most advanced neural-network search algorithms, non-linear, and linear math models, as well as AI simulation systems from our Microsoft Research Labs. We’ve turned mountains of real world raw data into a living, breathing racing simulator where the only difference between the game and reality is that you’re not risking life and limb when you hit a wall at 200 mph.” Should be aswsome.
Turn 10 has also updated the list of available cars by adding their collection of aftermarket tuner cars. They are as follows (by make):
1998 - Toyota - AB Flug S900 Supra Turbo
2003 - Toyota - APR Performance Celica GTS
1995 - Toyota - Border MR2 Turbo T-bar
1992 - Toyota - Do-Luck Supra
1995 - Toyota - Tom’s T020 MR2
2002 - Toyota - Tom’s W123 MR-S
2002 - Toyota - Tom’s Z382 Soarer
1998 - Toyota - Top Secret 0-300 Supra
1998 - Toyota - VeilSide Supra Fortune 03
1998 - Toyota - VeilSide Supra Fortune 99
1995 - Toyota - VIS Racing MR2 Turbo T-bar
2004 - Honda - Mugen Civic Type-R
2002 - Honda - Mugen Integra Type-R
2003 - Honda - Mugen S2000
2000 - Honda - Aerogear Integra Type-R
1994 - Honda - Do-Luck NSX
2004 - Honda - Wings West Civic Si
2002 - Nissan - Tommy Kaira Skyline GT-R R34
2000 - Nissan - Top Secret D1-Spec S15
2003 - Nissan - Fairlady Z Custom Edition
1993 - Nissan - MINE’S R32 Skyline GT-R
2002 - Nissan - MINE’S R34 Skyline GT-R
2006 - Mitsubishi - HKS Time Attack Evolution
1999 - Mitsubishi - MINE’S CP9A Lancer Evolution VI
2003 - Mitsubishi - Sparco Lancer Evolution VIII
1995 - Mazda - INGS RX-7
1995 - Mazda - RE-Amemiya RX-7
2002 - Chevrolet - Lingenfelter 427 Corvette
2003 - Chevrolet - Corvette Guldstrand Edition
2000 - Audi - AWE Tuning SilverBullet S4
2000 - Acura - VIS Racing Integra Type-R
2003 - Ford - FocusSport SVT Focus
2003 - Lexus - Foose Design IS430 Project Car
2000 - Dodge - Hennessey Viper 800TT
1998 - Subaru - Tommy Kaira Impreza M20b
Microsoft and Epic announce Xbox Live Gears of War tournament
March 30, 2007
According to an announcement by Microsoft Game Studios and Epic Games, the upcoming Gears of War 2007 Global Xbox Live Tournament, presented by the World Cyber Games, will take place in the form of ranked matches that will be held over a four-week period in April and May.
Eleven finalists, based on leaderboard stats, will be chosen for the grand prize: a four-day, three-night trip for two to Prague, Czech Republic, the source of inspiration for the game’s visual design. Airfare, hotel accommodations, basic ground transportation while in Prague, and a $200 Visa gift card are included in the prize package.
Based on the tournament results, the top four players from each participating country will also win a three-day two night trip to the 2007 World Cyber Games National Championship event that will take place in their corresponding country. That trip also includes round-trip transportation and hotel accommodations, as well as a $300 Visa gift card. Runners-up are eligible to receive a package that will contain an Xbox 360 Pro System, a 12-month subscription to Xbox Live, some Gears of War stuff, and a bundle of games, including Viva Pinata, Project Gotham Racing 3, Kameo: Elements of Power, and Xbox Live Arcade Unplugged Volume 1.
Registration began yesterday (3/29), and ends on April 29. Official tournament play begins on April 9, and ends on May 6. The winners will be announced sometime in May.
Microsoft Confirms Xbox 360 Elite Details, Announces New Xbox 360 Video Marketplace Partners
March 28, 2007
Microsoft has confirmed the April 29th U.S. debut of the Xbox 360 Elite, the new model that will include a 120GB hard drive, a high-definition multimedia interface (HDMI) port, a high-definition cable, and a premium black finish for the console, wireless controller, and Xbox Live headset for $479. A one-month Xbox Live Gold account will also come bundled with the Elite.
The new 120GB hard drive will also be sold as a stand-alone accessory for $179, “to give current Xbox 360 owners greater choice and flexibility in their games and entertainment experience,” according to an official company statement.
Additional Xbox 360 Elite accessories, such as the black Xbox 360 Wireless Controller ($49.99), Xbox 360 Play & Charge kit ($19.99), and the Xbox 360 rechargeable battery ($11.99) will be available separately from the April 29th date onwards.
“Today’s games and entertainment enthusiast has an insatiable appetite for digital high-definition content,” said Peter Moore, corporate vice president for the Interactive Entertainment Business at Microsoft. “Xbox 360 Elite’s larger hard drive and premium accessories will allow our community to enjoy all that the next generation of entertainment has to offer.”
Microsoft officials have also announced the support of a raft of new video content providers for Xbox Live, including Paramount, Warner Bros., A&E Network, ADV Films, National Geographic, and TotalVid.com.
Paramount Pictures will also offer content on Xbox Live for the first time, with move titles such as Braveheart, Team America: World Police, World Trade Center, and South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut. Warner Bros. Home Entertainment will release direct-to-video movies exclusively in high definition on Xbox Live; Sublime and Babylon 5: The Lost Tales are confirmed.
A&E Network will offer “Dog the Bounty Hunter,” “King of Cars,” “Gene Simmons Family Jewels,” “Driving Force,” and “Criss Angel Mindfreak.” National Geographic will offer television series such as “Is It Real?,” “Taboo,” “21 Days to Baghdad,” and “Air Force One.”
Specific titles from ADV Films and TotalVid.com have not yet been announced, although the former is one of the major producers and distributors of Japanese anime in the West. TotalVid.com specializes in extreme sports such as skiing, snowboarding, skateboarding, motocross, surfing and mountain biking.
Microsoft claim that the new partners will add more than 1,500 hours of downloadable content to that already available on Xbox Live. The downloading of movies and TV shows is currently limited to North America, with no specifically announced timetable for a similar service, which would require different licensing deals in other parts of the world.
Xbox Live Security Breach Identified as Pretexting
March 26, 2007
Xbox Live spokesman Major Nelson (real name Larry Hryb) has clarified reports last week of a security breach on Xbox Live after previously stating that there was no evidence of any compromise of security.
“As originally posted, Xbox Live has not been hacked. That is still true. A security researcher, Kevin Finisterre, discovered not a hack, but the fact that some accounts may have been compromised as a result of ’social engineering’, also known as ‘pre-texting’, through our support center,” he explained.
Pre-texting is an increasingly common technique for obtaining secure personal details using publicly available details, such as a member of the public’s date of birth or social security number. It can also involve impersonating authority figures like the police or bank staff. The tactic of pre-texting occurs predominately over the telephone, and the Major indicates that Xbox Live call staff are being re-trained in order to avoid similar problems in the future. “There’s no other way to say it; this situation shouldn’t have happened. Our customers deserve better,” Nelson said.
Initial reports had suggested that Xbox Liveand another web site had been hacked, but the pre-texting explanation implies that the security breach was not of a technical nature, and that Microsoft has simply been the victim of a form of fraud common to many other businesses.
Nonetheless, Nelson seems confident that Microsoft will learn from this: “I confirmed that the team is fully aware of this issue. They are examining the policies, and have already begun re-training the support staff and partners to help make sure we reduce this type of social engineering attack.”
Microsoft Investigates Possible Xbox Live Fraud
March 21, 2007
Microsoft announced yesterday that it is investigating possible fraud on its Xbox Live online gaming service after reports that some gamers have had their Xbox Live accounts hijacked and their credit card used to buy Microsoft Points.
“Recently, there have been reports of fraudulent activity and account theft taking place on the Xbox Live network. Security is a top priority for Xbox Live, and we are actively investigating all reports of fraudulent behavior and theft,” a Microsoft rep said in a statement.
Gamers have been reporting the incidents for some time in online forums and to Microsoft’s Xbox help desk, and many gamers have been less than thrilled with Microsoft’s response. One Xbox Live user claimed that his account was hacked, his credit card info was stolen, and Microsoft responded that he should call his card company since it’s not their problem.
Security researcher Kevin Finisterre was playing Halo recently with several friends when some of their opponents threatened to steal their accounts, he said. “Literally the next day my girl’s account was locked out,” Finisterre wrote in an e-mail yesterday. He claims that he received a message on his Xbox that said, “We are sorry we must log you out of Xbox Live because someone else is using your Gamertag,” and the account was banned. Finisterre said that calling Microsoft was no help and that he got the runaround from the support people who answer the official help line.
Microsoft asks any Xbox user with a question about the security of their Xbox Live account to call in, so that - in the words of a Microsoft rep - “an Xbox customer service representative will help them understand our security policies and procedures.”
Xbox 360 Welcomes Latest Ace Combat & Devil May Cry Installments
A recent issue of Japanese gaming magazine Famitsu reports that the latest installment of the Ace Combat series - at least for now - won’t be coming to the PS3. In addition, Capcom has announced that Devil May Cry 4 will also join the Xbox 360 lineup.
According to the Famitsu article, Ace Combat 6 has only been listed as an Xbox 360 title. Whether a PS3 version is in the works is still unclear.
Ace Combat 6: Kaiho e no Senbi (loosely translated to “The Flames of War Towards Liberation”) will become the first ever Ace Combat game to be released on a non-handheld, non-Sony console. Ace Combat 6 is planned for a Japanese release some time by the end of 2007.
Possibly one of the most significant changes to the Ace Combat protocol will be addition of Xbox Live support, with online multiplayer modes enhancing the gameplay experience. Confirmed so far are team battle, battle royale, and co-op options.
In a press release from Capcom’s main Osaka branch, Capcom said that it will be “pursuing a multi-platform strategy to help enhance profits”, indicating that Capcom is no longer willing to bet on the PS3 being the undisputed console champion this generation. Nevertheless, Devil May Cry 4 will mark the series’ first foray on the Xbox.
A press release from Capcom’s American branch reads as follows: “Capcom is committed to making its titles available to as wide an audience as possible, and has been building its technology base to meet that goal,” said Mark Beaumont, executive vice president, officer and head of Capcom consumer software publishing in the Americas and Europe. “This announcement means that PS3, Xbox 360 and PC owners worldwide will be able to experience the latest installment of one of Capcom’s pillar franchises.”
Release dates for each version of Devil May Cry 4 still have not been announced.
South Park Makes HD Debut on XBox Live
March 6, 2007
South Park will make its high-def debut on XBox’s Live Marketplace on March 20 as a free high-def download to XBox Live members from March 20 to April 3. The XBox episode, titled “Good Times with Weapons,” first aired on South Park in 2004, and this will be the first time this episode - or any other, for that matter - will air in HD.
Also during the March 20-April 3 promotion, Best Buy will be giving away a free HD DVD of the South Park episode with every XBox 360 game console or HD DVD attachment drive purchased.
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