Big 360 Cancellation Next Week?

So, according to the latest 1UP Yours podcast, we may be seeing some big Microsoft news next week. According to Shane (yeah, I know, but it wasn't disputed at all by the others on the podcast):
Quote:
A big Microsoft 1st party title that has been in the works for a very long time that people are very excited for sounds like it's being canceled, and a Microsoft executive who's pretty high up who's been a voice for the company sounds like he's on the way out. I really really hope this isn't Alan Wake. I want that game in a bad way. The only exec who I can think of off of the top of my head would be J Allard.

What The Dashboard Could or Can be, in the Future!

Take a look at these early designs of what the dashboard design could have been. I think we, as consumers sometimes forget th
XBOX 360 LIVE
GAMES
MEDIA
SETTINGS
e amount of work that goes into making sure that it's little things like this that make it user friendly for us. These pictures sure make it look difficult. What designs would you have liked to have seen? Maybe in the future there will be new designs to download? Now there is a thought.

Microsoft rides the Wii!

A few weeks ago, we reported that the Xbox 360 may be catching up on the motion sensing controller craze. Well, this week it definitely appears that they are ready to take it to that next step. However, Microsoft being how they are claiming that the new tech will be nothing like the Wii’s already functioning controls. Even though Bill Gates said that you would be able to swing a tennis racket or swing a baseball bat in a realistic fashion, he still claimed that it would not be the same as the Nintendo’s mega hit system. We shall see.

Call of Duty 4 Review

AVERAGE: 9.3

Call Of Duty fans have every reason to be excited, the latest in the series, Call Of Duty 4 is due to be released on November 6, 2007 in the United States. Gaming fans are gearing up for the latest addition to their favorite Call of Duty series. Call of Duty 4, for those of you who do not know, is a single and multiplayer first person shooter game.
It takes the player through a variety of different situation involved in war. In fact, it's title is Call of Duty 4, modern warfare. No matter what platform you choose to play the Call of Duty 4 game on, such as Xbox, PlayStation, or personal computer, you are sure to welcome the many new improvements.
As you play, you will be part of the US 1st Force Recon, as well as the 22nd SAS Regiment, a British section of armed forces. These are the two many perspectives with story lines, however, you will also have the opportunity to play missions in which you will act as a sniper team with a fellow soldier or even a gunship gunner.
If you would prefer to play away from your computer, why not get yourself the Call of Duty 4 Xbox game or the Call of Duty 4 PlayStation game. Either way, you will get the opportunity to experience all of the fun, strategy, and role-playing that this first person shooter game has to offer.
What is great is that you get to pick how you play. On any platform, you have the opportunity to play alone or with a group of others. Try the free for all where you play to survive. How about the team Deathmatch where teamwork is necessary to gain the right score level. Try team objective to capture flags, search, and destroy to defend or destroy as assigned.
There is so much more to Call of Duty 4 than meets the eye, which is what makes the game series such a spectacular success in the gaming world. So, grab your laser pointers, grenade launchers, and night vision goggles and get ready to experience a new gaming experience complete with new attachments, weapons, and style of game play never experienced before in Call of Duty.

Microsoft's Own Portable Gaming System?

Sony, Nintendo and Microsoft all have next gen consoles, out on the market. And two of the three company's have there own portable game players for gamers who travel. Now Nintendo has had the best one out there; the DS Lite. It has sold over 12 million in North America. For Sony, they have a pretty good player as well, called the PSP (PlayStation Portable.)They have sold over 6 million inNorth America. Now Microsoft does not have a portable Game player out on the market. To me this is the time to bring one out, as the xbox360 is the number 1 selling next-gen platform to date. And if consumers love xbox so much, and love there software, (which Microsoft is know to be good at.) Then give themwhat they want, overall Microsoft will get more money so it works for everyone.

The good they is if they were trying to make one, they would have tons of great ideas. And even tons of ideas how not make a small system. They have two examples, from Sony, and Nintendo. So if Microsoft followed both systems, then they would know the pros of the product and cons as well. So overall they can make a better product in the end; now there is one big problem though. Sony and Nintendo have a huge head start, so it would take allot of power to get in the same market numbers as those two.

Because of Microsoft's huge xbox live fan base they could put it easily in a portable system. So pc games, xbox 360 gamers, and xbox portable gamers can play with each other. How cool would that be! And lets face it, Xbox 360 has better graphics then the ps3, so they could put a even better graphics card in a portable, that is better the PSP. The DS is more for casual gamers, with Mario, cart racing etc. But there are more hardcore gamers out there that want good looking games and great gameplay. Now the PSP has tried to go for the hardcore gamers and have failed. Yes they sold alot, but in-fact there is only one portable hardcore gaming system out there. So they know choice; and with an even better line-up of games out on the Xbox 360, they could port it to it as well.

Even the marketplace and chatting with your friends, videos, music etc. There are so many possibilities out there for Microsoft if they made a portable system. Just name it Xbox Portable, thats it. Consumers would be very happy.

Xbox 360 Global's own BioShock Review

OVERALL SCORE: 9.4 *********.4


"There's nothing which will make you ever want to stop playing; you'll simply curse under your breath and get on with killing Splicers and hunting Little Sisters."

The hype has reached such ridiculous levels at this point that BioShock really needs no introduction. Know only that it is a truly massive game whose most overwhelming success is found in the thousands of small "holy crap" moments which crop up as you plug your way through the lengthy and involving story. This is emergent gameplay at its finest. Like when you first get your Telekinesis plasmid and learn that thrown corpses are as lethal as any bullet, be they vendor-purchased or hand-crafted. Or when you take down a Big Daddy not because you have a lot of ammo or health packs, but merely because you hack an RPG turret at the very moment one of the mysterious behemoths shambles into the room. BioShock is at base a game which rewards creativity. Note that if you've never read a word about BioShock before then you're probably going to want to start here (check out the FAQs). This review assumes that the reader already has a basic understanding of the game and its mechanics.
T
he Rapture of BioShock
BioShock's undersea city of Rapture is a character unto itself. The art-deco design is offset by freely burning fires, collapsed rooms and clear signs of struggle. Some bad mojo went down in Rapture, and it went down recently. If not for the occasional whale gliding past the city's view ports, it would be easy to take the city for a 1950s sci-fi vision of post-apocalyptic Earth. The lessons of Rapture founder Andrew Ryan's flawed Utopian ideals are on permanent display in the twisted dystopian ecology which has grown and continues to exist within the wreckage of his failed experiment. From the increasingly maniacal Splicers to the innocent malevolence of the Little Sisters' ADAM harvesting activities, Rapture owes much to trashy 50s science fiction film, the same sort you see being mocked on Mystery Science Theater 3000.

Rapture is not to be taken lightly however. Splicers - your primary enemy - appear in great abundance and even re-spawn as you tread back over previously visited areas. They're smart too; if you happen to get killed, it's probably because they out-thought you (or because a Big Daddy ran through you with his gigantic drill). Since a good portion of the game involves freeing Little Sisters, there's always a balance to be struck when clearing Splicers out of a new area. The crafty player will even leave pockets of them alone, quietly creeping by with the intention of later returning with an angry Big Daddy in tow. On the other hand, wiping them all out and using the open space they once occupied as an arena to face off in single combat against the Big Daddy is also an option. That's the beauty of BioShock's mechanics. Between the much-touted "A.I. ecology" and the sheer variety of abilities accessible through the game's Plasmids, you're able to do pretty much anything you can think of.
Unleashing the Awesome Power of BioShock

How about those Plasmids? From what we've seen in demos - Enrage, Incinerate!, Winter Blast - to what we haven't (no spoilers here), the array of abilities you come to manipulate the world with over the course of the game is staggering. Basic concepts such as fooling the enemy into fighting for you play out on every level, from the smallest flying sentry bots to the largest of the large, the Big Daddies themselves. Even the first combo added to your repertoire - the one-two punch of an Electro Bolt stun attack followed by a wrench to the head (a move we've lovingly come to refer to as the "Shock-Smack") - remains an effective means of combat into the mid- and late-game. Especially when your melee skills are amped up with a Gene Tonic or two.
Gene Tonics are split across three categories: Combat, Engineering and Physical. Like Plasmids, you start with only two open slots for assigning Tonics to, but you can purchase additional ones from special Gatherer's Garden vending machines. Equipped Gene Tonics bestow passive abilities, many of which operate behind the scenes. Wrench Jockey, for example, is a Combat Gene Tonic which ups the damage of your physical attacks. Scrounger, on the other hand, is a Physical Gene Tonic which lets you re-randomize one time the contents of any container you search. Though they don't have the weaponized appeal of Plasmid abilities, Gene Tonics become indispensable in the later parts of the game and you'll want to buy additional slots to house them when you have the opportunity.

Weapon and ammo upgrades are also available, though they won't be much of a concern until you reach the third or fourth area of the game. Once you pass a certain checkpoint, random items such as gasoline and rubber tubing start to pop up in your container searches. These are used at U-Invent stations to create new kinds of ammo (there's one type for each weapon that can ONLY be invented), auto-hacking tools and even upgraded Gene Tonics. Best of all, BioShock's total lack of an inventory system means that you'll only have to worry about your stocks of certain items when you visit an associated vending machine.

There's been very little mention in the press leading up to BioShock's release of the camera you receive early on in the game. There are no spoilers here, unless you count game mechanics described in the manual as a spoiler. Once you obtain it, the camera is used to snap photos of the varying creatures and creations you come across in your trek through Rapture. The more photos - and the better photos - that you take of a given being, the more research you accrue on it. As you gather research a meter fills; top out the meter and improved abilities are unlocked. The camera provides yet another level of character customization to a game which is already rife with it.

The Highs and Lows of BioShock
There's quite a lot to like about BioShock. The FPS controls are smooth, environments pop with glowing objects (which marks an item as worthy of your notice) and the simplification of basic mechanics such as Plasmid/Tonic slot shuffling and item acquisition to vending machines simultaneously makes the interface easy to manage while adding an additional level of strategizing to the game. You really need to plan ahead when you're first heading out into a new territory. Certain Plasmids, such as Electro Bolt, are absolutely indispensable in those situations. BioShock also features an encyclopedic help screen. While it doesn't contain a description for everything, there's still more than an adequate amount of information. Add to that the always-welcome "save anywhere" feature and you're left with a very user-friendly presentation.

There are a few negatives to report. Searched containers - as far as we can tell anyway - are all-or-nothing propositions. If you search a trash can and find three items, two of which you actually want, you're still stuck taking all three. This wouldn't be so terrible if it weren't for the mixed effects of consumable food. Items such as wine, coffee and potato chips are used immediately and have a mixed set of effects on your remaining health and EVE (BioShock's "magic points"). Some raise both while others raise one and lower the other. It's usually an insignificant change, but that's besides the point. In a game that lets you do pretty much anything you can think of, the fact that you can't take selected items out of a container is a bit mind-boggling.

Also, as welcome as the simplified presentation is, it's safe to say that most hard-core gamers would have been happy with a few additional menus. For instance, there's no way to check which Gene Tonics you have equipped and which you have in your private stash without visiting a Gene Bank. Not only that, but the otherwise helpful encyclopedia doesn't offer any descriptions of found Plasmids and Tonics; once again, you'll have to find a Gene Bank for answers. And while the lack of an inventory screen has its upsides, the most hardcore of the hardcore will likely want for one in the late-game as they try to invent every object and Tonic that Rapture has to offer.
These minor complaints mean very little in the end. There's nothing which will make you ever want to stop playing; you'll simply curse under your breath and get on with killing Splicers and hunting Little Sisters. There's also a core story which this review hasn't even touched on, and with good cause. 2K Games has remained notoriously tight-lipped on plot details and we'll do the same. But just what do those ghosts and surreal images which keep popping up mean? And what are those odd, chain-shaped tattoos on our protagonist's wrists? Could there be some deeper connection between the main character and Rapture than we are first led to believe? You'll have to discover these answers for yourself as you make your way through the murky depths and face the untold horrors of Rapture's darkest corners.

Metal Gear Solid Coming to Xbox 360?

Usually we brush rumors aside, but this is one we would definitely like to see come to fruition! According to several other sites, such as NOOOZ, Konami is rumored to be considering bringing the long time Playstation exclusive Metal Gear series to the Xbox 360 with Metal Gear Solid 4. Apparently, the rumors are abound that while the PS3 version of MGS4 will be released first, that some time there after, Konami will be releasing it on the Xbox 360 as well. The rumors take things even further, stating that the reason behind this decision is that the publisher feels it is necessary in order to recoup the costs in making the game and they just don't believe there are enough PS3 units on the market because of the Blu-ray diode failure situation. Again, this is nothing more than a rumor at this point, but the rationale seems to make sense and we are keeping our fingers crossed that this one turns out to have some actual bearing. Stay tuned as we keep our eyes and ears glued to any further information regarding Metal Gear Solid 4 and it's possible transition across platforms.

Gears of War Sequel in the Works!

It's already sold 1 million copies, but that's no surprise, this game had almost that many pre-orders! The good news is that due to its popularity a

sequel is now in the works.
Epics much-hyped Gears of War, which cost an estimated $10 million USD to make, has sold over 1 million copies in its first two weeks of availability. The breakneck selling pace for Gears of War makes it the fastest-selling game yet for Microsoft's year-old Xbox 360 console.
And for the Gears of War faithful out there, the inevitable has been confirmed -- there are sequels for the game in the works. "The goal of this ad is to establish Marcus Fenix as the hero of the Gears of War trilogy," said Jeff Bell, Microsoft's Corporate Vice President of Global Marketing for the Interactive Entertainment Business unit

Now let's hope it won't take Epic 2 years to make this game.

Core becoming a Arcade Console?

Recently there have been leaked shots of three Xbox 360 consoles in a ad, the Elite, Premium and Core. But the Core said to be a Arcade console has memory cards and some free xbox arcade games. Some retailers have even been taking the cores off the shelves cause it hasn't sell. And people were confused on how the core is still there, but i guess this is Microsoft's way of changing the core. And it will become a causal console for those not so hardcore gamers.

Source from Xbox360fanboy

Is Microsoft buying out exclusives?

Over the past year there were reports that Microsoft have been buying out exclusives for the Xbox 360. Like Splinter Cell, BioShock, Lost Odyssey and Mass Effect and more. Microsoft hasn't said anything about this, but the bigger question is Microsoft stealing Sony's exclusives? With GTA 4 (Grand Theft Auto 4), Unreal Tournament 3 and soon to be Metal Gear Solid 4.

I think they have, but who cares. Stop bring up the topic, so this is the last time. I'll make it clear, it's a good thing Microsoft is buying out exclusives and buying out exclusives from Sony because they care about there fan base like me. I don't want the PS3 having all the good games every year. So Microsoft is trying to make there platform better. So please don't bring it up anymore ok!

New GameShark Skins and Faceplates!

It seems as though every year someone is trying to make Xbox 360's look cooler. Well Gameshark has released new Halo 3 skins and face plates for your console. And they say it is as easy to put on as taking it off. they come at a pretty good price at $29.99, and shipping ground is free! there are about 3 different halo 3 skins one with a vehicle and one with only Master Chief.

So if you are deciding on making your xbox even cooler or just cool, then i recommend this.

Violence on Videogames brain washing kids?

Yesterday on the new show Star Jones, they were talking about how games today are to violent and they are brain washing kids. On the show there were guests, one who lost his own sister from the Columbine shooting at school. Another was a lawyer trying to pass a bylaw to prohibit kids from violent games. And last but not least was the defendant of the gaming industry.

Now let me recap this before I start, these saw called "people" have been trying to make this law happen for over 8 years now and they have lost everytime. So why would anything change now? Well they won't, as the de said all the new consoles (xbox, ps3, wii) have parental controls, so the parents get to decide what games there children are allowed to play. And even in the retail stores, if your not over 18 years old, you are not allowed to buy M (mature) rated games. And from that it all comes down to the parents. If they choose to buy M rated games for there children so be it. There is no way stopping that. And lets be honest who here wants videogames to become all cheesy and with no action? Just because one guy who played to much vidoegames and was mental and shot at a school, doesn't mean everyone else as to suffer. Its not like you can actucally montior every single household on what there playing.

So this topic is a wast of everyones time!

P.S. Another win for the gaming industry!

-X360Global

BioShock Class Leading Scores!!

It seems as though BioShock the game, creaters from 2k games have made a seller. When the game released late August, it got reviews that made Killzone and Halo look alittle weaker then before. And with gamers so excited about this holiday's line-up, they eagerly made a petition with over 5,000 signatures, asking for a limited edition. And give props to 2k on releaseing it earlier then the competition. If they shipped after Halo 3, everyone would be stuck on the last chapter and multiplayer for months. Gametrailers, Gamespot, Joystiq and IGN have given this creepy underwater game, in the range of 9.6 out of 10 on the scale. Last time we saw that kind of rating was the last Halo!

So buckle your seat belts everyone, were gone to have one bumpy holiday!