mass effect 2 is a huge hit

Not that that was unlikely to be the case or anything! EA and Bioware's latest Xbox 360 exclusive title, the follow-up to its 2007 space-based shooter RPG Mass Effect, is posting great sales numbers in its first week on shelves, especially compared to the first title's release sales numbers. Mass Effect 2 has topped the UK sales charts for this past week, beating MAG, CoD Modern Warfare 2 and New Super Mario Bros. Wii. Fans of the original Mass Effect game get the added bonus that the sequel lets you carry a completed game file over from the first game, giving the player access to their well-developed Commander Shepard character from the original story. IGN gave Mass Effect 2 a 9.6 "Incredible" and it currently has a metascore of 96 and a user score of 9.0 at Metacritic. If you are a fan of the RPG genre and never played Mass Effect, you can pick it up used for... Wow, I was going to say like $18 but apparently the used price has jumped again, surely based on the success of the sequel. Well, $23 is not a bad price to pay for the original if you've never played it I suppose. Anyway, Mass Effect 2 seems good enough that playing through the first before taking it on will be worth it. Anyone playing it and loving it yet? I know my boyfriend is itching to pick up a copy but is practicing discipline and playing through the first one again before starting the sequel.

UK Video Game Chart: Mass Effect 2 the new No. 1

xbox live or playstation network?

With last month's console price drops for both the Playstation 3 and the Xbox 360, the debate of which system to go with rages on. The PS3's new claims of "It only does everything" are, well, kinda true. At the same time, the Xbox offers a highly populated online gaming community that the PS3 hasn't really developed as well (yet anyway). For a price of course. This article goes into both sides of the next-gen console debate in a lot of depth, including the differences in the online services as well as the hardware advantages to both systems. So if you're considering taking the plunge to buying a new $299 gaming system, check out this article for the lowdown on both options.

Xbox Live or Playstation Network, the Facts

250 GB xbox 360 and PS3 bundles on the horizon

Once the dust has cleared after the recent price drops on the Xbox 360 and the Playstation 3 there will be more new bundles arriving on the market than ever, including a reported 250 GB hard drive Xbox 360 that will be released with Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 for $400, the previous price of the 120 GB Elite. While many gamers buy into the idea that bigger is always going to be better and more space is better than less, some feel that the systems are cheapening what they offer as far as performance and hardware by simply adding more storage space and charging more. This is an interesting argument and it's totally possible that such measures are desperate attempts to keep up with the ever-changing desires of today's gamers. Our systems are a 20 GB 360 and an 80 GB PS3 and while the PS3 does require installing a lot of data, we still have plenty of space although we don't really download much or store music on either system. What will be truly ridiculous will be when the next next generation of game systems is defined in terms of terabyte hard drives. Most likely the PSN and Xbox Live will have seriously kicked into gear with offering more stuff to download by then.

The 250 GB Xbox 360 is a mistake, and it's one that the PS3 should avoid making

console price drops abound

Hot on the heels of Sony's announcement of the new PS3 Slim model priced at $299 with a 120 GB hard drive, Microsoft has made its official announcement regarding its own video game console price drops this month. The $299 Pro system, equipped with a 60 GB hard drive, will be dropped to $249 and subsequently phased out while the $399 120 GB Elite system will be reduced to $299. The no-frills Arcade system will remain at $199. Also, there are no plans for a competing Xbox 360 Slim model in response to Sony's slimmer console, according to Aaron Greenberg, the Director of Product Marketing for Xbox 360 and XBLA. So, if you've ever considered taking the plunge into console ownership, now might be the time since for $299 you can have your pick of the 360 or PS3, both with a monster 120 GB drive.

Microsoft confirms price cut, denies "Xbox 360 Slim" rumors

natal is cool but still questionable

At last month's game developer's conference Game Convention 2009 in Germany, the Microsoft team working on Project Natal for the Xbox 360 revealed a bit more on the topic of the innovative motion-camera-controlled game system first unveiled at this year's E3. Now IGN has brought the new information to its readers in a Project Natal Preview that highlights the promise of new and interesting gaming as well as the uncertainty of how much Natal will catch on. I have to agree with the cynics that are wondering when the real appeal of Natal as a gamer's gaming console will appear - "Ricochet" seems like a cool and fun Wii Sports-esque game that definitely exhibits the Natal's range, but I definitely doubt the application of this system into real games that people want to put a lot of time and effort into. The description of using imaginary wheels and pedals and pumping fists to control Burnout gameplay sounds just awful and I really don't know many gamers who want to continually make such crazy motions as opposed to sacking out on the couch with the convenience of a wireless analog-stick controller. Plus when it comes to driving games, you need only compare Mario Kart 64 (one of gaming's great masterpieces, in my opinion) with the Wii version to see the importance of a steering stick and tensile control.

I would love to hear from anyone who has first-handedly tried out Project Natal at this year's conferences about whether the control system is as mind-blowingly cool as most people seem to think, and whether the applications into "normal" games will expose Natal's weaknesses or strengthen its argument for new control schemes in gaming. Especially if you have photo evidence of yourself flailing around while playing Ricochet!

xbox 360: epic fail!

The new issue of Game Informer includes a feature article profiling the sales and durability numbers of the hardware consoles from the three major game companies. The magazine conducted a survey asking gamers to report incidents of hardware failure, quality of customer service received, and instances of repeat purchases of the same console. The results were not so good for Microsoft, whose Xbox 360 console is now in the spotlight for highest rate of failure, fewest customers satisfied with service, and most repeat purchases compared to the Sony PS3 and the Nintendo Wii. The report also indicated that on average a 360 took about a month turnaround to be repaired whereas the Sony and Nintendo consoles trended more towards a week. I have been lucky (knock on wood) to not have suffered a Red Ring of Death but have often theorized that this hardware failure is responsible for Microsoft's gleefully high hardware sales numbers, and this study seems to be implying the same thing. The 360 may have some good game titles going for it but its dependability and customer service are sorely lacking. Still, only 3.8% of respondents said a hardware failure would make them not buy another 360, so until Xbox gamers learn to value their hard-earned money and stop wasting it with Microsoft, the company really has little motivation to alter what has proved to be a crazy successful business model of shoddy manufacturing and guaranteed repeat purchases.

xbl restrictions leave new zealand gamer kids in the cold

Microsoft has confirmed their new policy of restricting anyone under 18 in New Zealand from downloading content on Xbox Live, a move that supposedly is in the interest of keeping XBL a “safer place” for its users. Though the ban is related to keeping kids from accessing mature content on the Xbox Live Marketplace, the new restrictions mean that anyone whose Live account indicates that they are younger than 18 can’t even download demos or DLC for G-rated games! Hopefully Microsoft will find a better middle-ground solution that lets NZ kids download material that is appropriate to their age group, or else I think they will just have a load of accounts with falsified ages on their hands in response.

Microsoft Confirms Locking New Zealand Kids Out From Xbox Live

kodu game lab on xbox live

If you've ever dreamed of creating your own video games on the Xbox360 but don't have your own game development company, you're in luck! Kodu Game Lab, a programming tool by Microsoft, is now available for download for 400 Microsoft points ($5) on Xbox Live. Kodu allows you to create your own game at a level where even kids will find it accessible - apparently a demo involved a 12-year old girl creating her own game with it. I have 800 points that have been sitting in my account for months and now I might have a reason to spend half of them. Sweet! I'm definitely checking Kodu Game Labs out as soon as I get a chance.

Make Your Own Xbox Games with Kodu

new xbox360 features on the horizon

It's been a big year for game and game hardware development and all of the major developers have interesting and cool new stuff up their sleeves for the coming year in gaming. Even with its groundbreaking Project Natal motion-control system in the works, Microsoft knows it needs to keep up with the Joneses (or in this case Nintendo and Sony) when it comes to exciting upcoming offerings from its Xbox360 system. BloodyDisgusting.com, an excellent source for news on horror and scary games, takes a pretty in-depth look at the 360 and what it will have to offer in the near future. Personally having gotten acquainted with my PS3 at this point it's hard to see a lot of these ideas as anything but direct-response competition with Sony but still, turning the game console into a more varied multimedia machine in my opinion is a very good direction to be going in.

On a side note since I've tagged this post with Microsoft, am I the only one seriously hating on Bing and its retarded commercials where someone asks someone else a question and the person goes into a zombie-like state of rattling off quasi-related web hits supposedly from Google? I'm sorry but if you Google "foods you can't eat while pregnant" literally every single hit on the front page is relevant and useful. Try again, Microsoft. At right: everyone's favorite red ring of death.

xbox 360 project natal bundle?

Rumors are flying when it comes to discussion of the future release of Project Natal for the Xbox 360. Now it looks like there will most likely be a newly released 360 bundle that comes with Natal and some minor system/hardware upgrades, but that Natal will also be compatible with existing 360 units. I hope this is the case because it will suck if Natal doesn't work with current 360s. Either way, I think we can expect to see some serious trade-in deals from GameStop on upgrading to the new hardware, plus it would certainly make sense for the standalone 360 units still selling to get another price drop, in my opinion.

Aaron Greenberg, director of product management, told Eurogamer: “I think part of the excitement about this announcement is that in many ways we are delivering a next generation experience this generation. With that said, I can confirm that Natal will run on Xbox 360 so no new console investment will be necessary.”

Rumor: Speculation Surrounding a New 360 Gets Added Fuel

project natal has people all astir

New games and hardware price drops are always nice to hear about but the lasting effect from this year's E3 is definitely the buzz surrounding Microsoft's Project Natal for the Xbox 360. The possibilities it offers do seem pretty revolutionary (although some of the ideas floating out there certainly walk the line between innovative and gimmicky) and I think we've only seen the tip of the iceberg thus far. Check out this interview about Project Natal with Shane Kim, Microsoft's corporate vice president for Xbox.

Project Natal will "reinvent the industry" - Microsoft

project natal is pretty cool!

Motion controls are all the rage these days and everyone's got something in the works, but the one that really has people talking after E3 this week is Microsoft's Project Natal, a camera-based motion control system (unveiled by Stephen Spielberg!) whose tagline is "you are the controller"! This thing is cool. Project Natal lets you control your on-screen character with.. well, just you. You move around and a camera senses your motions, and also appears to be able to recognize your voice and face. I'm pretty curious to see this thing take off commercially and I can't wait to see the games available with this technology! Natal is clearly a major innovation to look forward to in the video game industry. Watch Peter Molyneux's E3 presentation on Project Natal with Claire and "Milo" below. Crazy stuff!

game news from all over

The Sims 3 is charming people left and right. Read what this New York Times writer has to say about The Sims 3, in stores today. When I get home I'm playing this game for hours.

Halo: Reach trailer debuts after ODST demo. Microsoft unveiled the next game in the hugely successful Xbox exclusive Halo franchise after showing off their demo of Halo 3: ODST, out this fall, at their E3 presentation.

"Rape games" are now officially officially banned in Japan. Can't say I have any kind of problem with this.

Microsoft unveils new video/motion capture controller. The device lets the player control characters in a game by moving their arms and legs. Personally, I like sitting on my couch, but that's just me.

Sega's E3 booth lineup of games includes The Conduit, Aliens vs. Predator, and Mario & Sonic at the Winter Olympic Games. And the crowd goes "meh".

xbox 360 achievements

It's funny how an otherwise totally crappy game will still make you go "uh.... sweet!" when you randomly unlock some totally weird achievement and get 15 gamer points added to your Xbox Live gamertag for bragging rights. I feel more motivated to try weird, out-there games on the 360 than on any other console because of it. Anyway, Game Informer Online has a funny article detailing the best, worst and craziest Xbox 360 achievements out there. Enjoy!

Fantasy Football: Live Score Tracker
Press START (5 Points)
EA, as you can see, sometimes lacks a creative vibe when it comes to their achievements. You are also awarded 35 points for changing a setting, and 10 points for logging in on a Thursday.

Achievements: The Easiest, The Hardest, And The Most Ingenious

the importance of first-party game exclusivity

With Microsoft's announcement last week that it plans to purchase game developer BigPark and add its resources to Microsoft Game Studios, the Xbox360 manufacturer may have new opportunities to score big with Microsoft-exclusive titles. Most gamers these days can recognize the difference between a quality game title with care and effort put into its development and a crappy piece of third-party shovelware that won't sell a single copy. For this reason, there is a tough conflict between making financial ends meet (movie-licensed games released on cross-platform, for example) and publishing good games designed for specific platforms that will really make an impact on the gaming industry. Hopefully with this new acquisition we'll see some interesting new 360 exclusives coming out in the future.

Why first-party video games matter

megan's law for gamer tags?

A new bill under consideration in Texas could require convicted sex offenders to register online usernames on gaming communities such as Xbox Live and the Playstation Network. The idea is that these are channels often abused for unsavory reasons and gamertags certainly do provide the user with a level of privacy online. Considering the one time I thought I was being mildly harrassed on Xbox Live it turned out to be a close friend of mine (I'm a little slow sometimes) I don't have much experience with this issue. However, I have no problem with it whatsoever. People get a little ridiculous in online communities and it seems like just like a chat room it has the potential for leading to bad situations. It's not like they should be banned from using the services but Microsoft should have a list of gamertags related to persons with convicted sex offenses in my opinion for sure. Anyone feel passionately about this one way or the other?

anti-war-video-game protesters arrested

Apparently the military is really hard-up for volunteers/recruits these days (big surprise) and (another big surprise) people don't really find it very savory when they lure young people into considering enlistment by haivng them try out war simulators and military video games on the 360 and PC. Personally I think simulators offer a huge advantage in training but should definitely not be used as enticement in recruiting. Very shady!

Seven Arrested After Protesting Army Video Game Recruiting Center

new 360 elite bundle

Rumor has it that Microsoft has a new Xbox 360 Elite bundle on the way. Priced at its usual $399, this one comes with not one but two games, and both fairly desirable ones at that. The black console with a 120GB hard drive will be packaged with Halo 3 and Fable II, both Xbox 360 exclusives. If you've never owned a 360 before this is actually a pretty damn good deal, if you're the kind of gamer who needs the big hard drive. Personally I have yet to come close to filling up my 20GB but we don't download much stuff. Anyway, the black 360 is pretty cool looking and the games come close to a $100 value, so you're pretty much getting the black console and the extra 60 GB for the price of the regular Pro 60GB system. I still think Microsoft needs to come out with a rainbow spectrum of color options for 360 cases! That would definitely stand out against the black PS3 and the white Wii.

halo encyclopedia to be released

Because clearly the six novelizations of the insanely popular game franchise Halo were not enough, publisher DK and Microsoft are teaming up to release a Halo Encyclopedia later this year. The tome will contain everything you ever needed to know about Master Chief and the Spartans, the bad guys, the weapons, the environments and really anything else ever mentioned in the Halo series. Do you see yourself buying the Halo Encyclopedia when it is available later this year?

oblivion dlc discounts, horse armor increase

Strange marketing decisions, or just a silly April Fool's Day gimmick? Who knows. Bethesda Softworks has discounted its downloadable content for Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion for the next week so if you've never expanded your Oblivion world, now's the time to pick up these expansion packs. Every Oblivion DLC is half-price for the next week, except the Horse Armor pack, which has jumped from 200 to 400 Microsoft points ($5). Bethesda's PR/marketing guy Pete Hines had this to say:

"In celebration of the arrival of April, the wackiness of April Fool's Day, and the upcoming 3rd anniversary of the release of Horse Armor (Friday, April 3), we are pleased to announce that for the next week all Oblivion DLC for Xbox 360 is half price, except for Horse Armor, which is twice as much as usual."

Oblivion DLC half off, Horse armor twice as much