Have you been wondering why our Playstation 3 friends have lost so many exclusive games? Think about it, Grand Theft Auto and Assassin's Creed are both shinning examples. Also, why has the Xbox 360 wrapped up exclusives from third party developers like Bioshock and Winning Eleven? It's quite simple actually, Sony's lead man Ken Kutaragi dragged his feet for far to long. Mr. Kutaragi couldn't give developers the thumbs up for exclusivity and Microsoft played the roll of annoying best friend, constantly bugging developers to flock to their console. And look at the result, we've got great games coming. Good job Microsoft, third party exclusive titles are butter and cream and we're all anticipating Assassin's Creed. Oh the joy.
Posted Nov 19th 2006 7:45PM by Dustin Burg
Filed under: News
Over at Xboxygen you can check out some new Blue Dragon scans. Of course it's in Japanese and of course there isn't the littlest hint to what the heck the article is about, but there are some nice screenshots and beautiful artwork on the pages. Heck, it's Blue Dragon just enjoy the pretty pictures already.
Posted Nov 19th 2006 6:30PM by Dustin Burg
Filed under: News
Our much older (and some say wiser) parent Joystiq found a way to keep both your belly full and your head fashionably warm. On specially marked packages of Pop-Tarts you can get yourself an order form to fill out and send for a Xbox 360 beanie, with the proper UPC count of course. I think I saw another offer similar to this, but for a tshirt on my box of Twistables. And yes, some people do indeed save UPCs for these offers ... it's free Xbox swag AND edible goodies. You just can't go wrong ... you just can't go wrong.
This past week's news on Halo 3 and all the upcoming goodies we'll be treated to in the next year makes my inner fanboy squeal with excitement. A new commercial, new Halo 2 maps, and an open beta for Halo 3 multiplayer, that's just nifty. But I can't help but feel a little ... how do I say this ... uneasy about how the Halo franchise is being handled. I'm not referring to Bungie themselves, because they have yet to let us down, but the corporate machine backing Halo. I just don't know, pre-rendered Halo 3 commercial (Bungie doesn't do pre-rendering), new maps for Halo 2 that must be purchased and only on the 360, Halo Wars being licensed off to a different studio ... blah, blah, blah. Maybe I'm just a little paranoid, maybe I'm just a little stressed tonight, but is Microsoft possibly playing the puppet-master card with Bungie just a little too much? I'll revisit this topic some other time I guess ... maybe I can talk to Frankie and he can calm my nerves. Frankie, if you're reading this, please comfort me ... please?
In an interview with CVG, Id developer John Carmack talks about how easy it is to develop on the 360 for the upcoming Nazi killing shooter Castle Wolfenstein and said that "the Xbox 360 is the first console that I've ever worked with that actually has development tools that are better for games than what we've got for the PC." Whoa, those are bold claims Mr. Carmack ... bold claims indeed. Both Id and Raven are teaming up to create this next-gen shooter and both are working hard to squeeze as much power out of the 360 as possible. A true Xbox 360 fanboy has to be excited about this game, but be sure to keep your guard up, because we all know of a certain game developed by team Id/Raven that didn't live up to its potential (crappy multiplayer just angers me).
In the latest holiday issue of PC Gamer magazine, there is a Microsoft advertisement showing a retail display for the "Games for Windows" PC games. And what game is pictured on the lower shelf squeezed between the PC versions of Shadowrun and Age of Empires III? Gears of War, you silly goose! This ad could just as well be "concept art" and just showing off Microsoft's big hitting video games, but why would they put a supposed Xbox 360 exclusive game like Gears of War in that ad if it wasn't going to be part of their Games for Windows marketing campaign? I'm betting all my chips on Gears of War coming to the PC in 2007, probably around August and only playable on Vista. Playing Gears on your PC, does that sound appealing to you?
Remember that spiffy racing wheel that Microsoft announced a while back? You know, the one that comes with the special force feedback version of PGR 3. Yes ... that racing wheel! Over at Xbox Canadian Live they got their hands on one to demo, and the short and sweet version is that they absolutely love it. The force feedback option sounds extremely fun especially with Forza 2 when it drops. Though, I'm not a huge race fan, I could see this little accessory adding to the enjoyment of a game. Are you willing to drop some cash on this bad boy so you can experience what real racing feels like? Seriously, why wouldn't you purchase this wheel? (I guess you probably wouldn't purchase this if you're totally broke and hate racing games or despise wheels in general ... then I can cope with your decision.)
Posted Nov 17th 2006 8:00PM by Dustin Burg
Filed under: News
For everyone who has waited in line for hours, for those who have saved up all year (and part of last), for all of you in the fanboy realm who dislike Sony and its Playstation 3 ... I present to you Smash my PS3. Not only do they purchase an uber rare PS3, but they smash it into little bits with a sledgehammer in front of Best Buy as those who are waiting in line look on in horror. Revenge or just taunting aggression? I want to believe it's an Xbox 360 Fanboy with a vendetta to settle. Video after the break.
We got a great deal for all the Canadian readers in Xbox 360 Fanboy land. Future Shop (the "it" electronics retailer in Canada) is offering an irresistible Xbox 360 bundle. What's included is a premium Xbox 360, G.R.A.W, XBL Arcade: Unplugged, Ridge Racer 6, and our little gem Gears of War. The price is pretty nice and may make you want to slap yourself and call your pet salamander Sally. You get everything for the low, low Canadian price of $449.99. Better than playing hockey in the Summer and is just an all around good deal isn't it, eih?
NASCAR fans who enjoy their Xbox 360 are in for a treat this weekend as Bill Elliott is going to racing the #00 Xbox 360 / Burger King racecar of death. This puppy is decked out in 360 signature green, sleek 360 curving rings and The King driving a bumper car. I may have to turn on the TV to watch cars go in circles for hours on end just to see this bad boy in action. Also, I'm compelled to ask; do you think this racecar makes more noise than an Xbox 360 running at full throttle?
Posted Nov 16th 2006 8:30PM by Dustin Burg
Filed under: News
Over on the official Xbox forums, ZiKrOnIx posted his very own personal story of tragedy. You see, poor ZiKrOnIx got in a car accident which is bad enough, but the real tragic part is that his ... gasp ... Xbox 360 was involved too. The curvaceous gaming console was thrown from his car, ran over, hard drive cracked, power brick thrown, and faceplate crushed. And the end result? He took his battered 360 home, fired it up, and was greeted by the friendly glow of the dashboard. Yup, it's still working even after all the brutality it endured. If you have any Xbox 360 abuse stories, please tell your story below. And if you're the sick and twisted type, go check out the horrific pics after the jump.
If for some odd reason you wish you could use your uncomfortable PS2 controller on your 360, then TeamXtender has an answer. TeamXtender is in the planning stages of creating an adapter that your Xbox 360 controller would plug into to allow full PS2 Dualshock support and would also allow keyboard/mouse connectivity. I'm in love with my sexy white controller, but would you be enticed by such an offering or are you like me and satisfied with the your current 360 controller?
Love basketball? Love college basketball? Love NCAA college basketball? If you answered yes then you'll be gitty with anticipation when the NCAA March Madness demo hits the Xbox Live Marketplace November 20th. The demo is going to pit number one Florida against number two Kansas in typical basketball style. NCAA March Madness is expected to be available in retail stores January 2007. Put down the pre-season brackets and go download the demo November 20th ... March Madness FTW!
The oh so dashing Mark Rein posted a heart warming message to Gears fans on the official Gears of War message boards. Simply put, he stated that Epic was "going to support Gears of War and we're going to make improvements and enhancements for it." No dates or timetable was stated, but Epic just wants the fans to know that they are listening to us, hearing our complaints and praise, and will come out with updates and possibly new content in the near future. Now that's a real game developing company, actually caring about their customers and going the extra mile for them. Here's looking at you Electronic Arts, you're still grounded.
Posted Nov 15th 2006 6:15PM by Dustin Burg
Filed under: News
How did I miss this major announcement yesterday? Big Bumpin' is one of Burger King's soon to be released Xbox 360 games, and IGN posted some new screenshots. I'm uber excited about this one, how can't you be? Imagine it now, Big Buckin' Chicken versus The King in bumper cars, blood will be shed, feathers will fly ... priceless.