Yes, Xbox Live Silver subscribers will have access to Halo Waypoint, but only for a limited time. From the November 5th launch until November 26th, Halo Waypoint will be available to everyone with an Xbox 360, switching to a Gold exclusive feature after that. It makes sense, seeing as so much of Waypoint's functionality is tied to your online performance, which requires a Gold membership in the first place.

It looks like the Career Mode will have plenty of ways for the ultra-competitive Halo player to show off, essentially adding achievements on top of achievements, only these only matter to the Halo community, and the rest of us can play Hexic in peace. Lovely!

Playing an unreleased title on Xbox Live is typically an indicator the game has been moved out of development on Microsoft's PartnerNet, and has moved into the certification process.

But more importantly, the people who spied IW level designer Alex Roycewicz (gamercard above) and community guru Robert Bowling playing the game say they spotted these map names in free-for-all and team deathmatches: Afghan; Underpass; Highrise; Derail; Invasion; Estate; Wasteland; Favela; Terminal; Rust; Scrapyard; and Quarry. This forum thread added three other map names: Uprise, Sub Base and Skidrow. The names don't give up much regarding the game, but those are a solid 15, just like the first Modern Warfare. McWhertor played two of these, Favela and Highrise, if you want to read more about that.

Here also, thanks to reader Richard K., is a video showing FourZeroTwo getting his multiplayer on in a party last night.

Modern Warfare 2 Now Playing on Xbox 360 [WePlayCoD]

And just like Cash4Gold, you get nothing for something with this offer, too! Well, not really. Something about unlimited boosts. And you can ... wait for it ... do a barrel roll! and other moves with impunity. Plus, you won't cry yourself to sleep anymore!

You know what would be great? If used game sales worked like this. Just put Bionic Commando in this insured (why?) pouch and - get even less on your trade-in!

Are ya wondering if Gold4Jetpack.com exists? Yeppers. Not much, but there's a page.

GOLD4JETPACK [site, thanks Alberto]

Well, free if you don't spend a dime on customization, new tracks or tricks. Is Joy Ride a fun freebie from Microsoft or a Trojan Horse packed with microtransactions?

What Is It?
BigPark's avatar-sporting cartoon racer is free to Xbox Live gold members and will feature local two-player coop and up with eight player races online. It will be free to silver and gold Xbox Live members, but only gold members will be able to play online.

What We Saw
I ran two races against computer-controlled cars.

How Far Along Is It?
No date has been announced for the game's release and the developers told me they are still working out some of the bugs and adding new features.

What Needs Improvement?
Avatar Tricks: Most of the game is about racing your car around an open world, either on tracks or in stunt parks, but you can also perform little tricks with your avatar while driving. It's a neat feature, but a little random when I saw it. I'd like to see the developers tweak it so I can better decide which tricks my avatar performs during a race.

Hidden Costs: This is a free game, but only if you don't download anything. The game will be released as a free download to Xbox Live gold members, but you will have to pay to download new tracks, modes and avatar items. Just how basic the free stuff is will have a big impact on the game's potential success.

What Should Stay The Same?
Absurd Tricks: Racing is fun, but the tricks you can perform in the game are crazy, like shooting across the screen, racing down wooden tracks that look more like roller coasters than raceways and canonballing into hidden areas.

Customization: Everything from the car you're racing, to your avatar to clothing and tricks can be customized in the game. Sure, most of it will come with a cost, but it will make for some pretty colorful and always new races.

Avatar Support: Finally I can do something with my avatar besides grimace and burp.

Tracks: The completely open race tracks set in Wil E. Coyote worlds make for some surprisingly fun races and unexpected shortcuts and delays.

Stunt Parks: More fun than the race tracks are the stunt parks that look like something more fitting for over-sized skateboards than vehicles. Burning down a half-pipe and then twisting in mid air to land on build up speed is a blast.

Final Thoughts
Joy Ride is a slick, easy to play racer that offers a lot more fun than you might expect. It also comes with those hidden costs, but since the basic pack is free it's hard to say it's not worth picking up.

Here's the thing - Mirror's Edge absolutely should 'go gold' in the proper old-school meaning of the phrase. A lithe young free running lass should then don loose fitting clothing and temporary tattoos and leg it across the rooftops to whatever 3rd party disc duplicator or certification center forms the next stage of modern games production.

Do it DICE. Do it.

Mirror's Edge completed EA ships gold disc to factory

They've only got a limited number of these puppies to sell, so if you're the type to spend large amounts of money of frivolous gaming extras you might want to do it quickly.

Gears of War 2 - Gold Lancer Assault Rifle (World Exclusive) [Gamestation]

At this price, Xbox LIVE is just about $3/month. So low that's it's pretty damn tough to complain about Microsoft charging for the privilege of online fun...but don't you get any ideas, Sony.

Xbox 360 Live 12-Month Gold Subscription Card (FREE 1 Month Bonus) [Buy via BargainJack]

Mass Effect still doesn't come out for a month. DAMN!

Mass Effect Goes Gold [Bioware]

But you get two great games, Games for Windows support and all the bonus material from the original Empire at War Collector's Edition for the low, low, low price of $29.99. Now that's savings.

Product Page

"This is a huge milestone for us and a big cause for celebration at Bungie and Microsoft Game Studios," said Harold Ryan, Studio Head at Bungie Studios. "This is the game we've always wanted to make and certainly the best game our studio has developed. We can't wait for gamers to get their hands on it on Sept. 25."

Most Anticipated Title of 2007 Released to Manufacturing, Begins Final March to Xbox 360

The wait is almost over. "Halo 3," the final chapter in the groundbreaking "Halo" trilogy and the most anticipated game release of 2007, has been released to manufacturing.

Three years in the making by renowned developer Bungie Studios, "Halo 3" is now finished and will begin its journey to store shelves around the world in less than four weeks. "Halo 3," which has already set new records as the fastest preordered game in history, has exceeded one million presales in North America alone. The title is set to shatter day-one entertainment sales records when it is released worldwide beginning Tuesday, Sept. 25.

"This is a huge milestone for us and a big cause for celebration at Bungie and Microsoft Game Studios," said Harold Ryan, Studio Head at Bungie Studios. "This is the game we've always wanted to make and certainly the best game our studio has developed. We can't wait for gamers to get their hands on it on Sept. 25."

Created by legendary developer Bungie Studios and exclusive to the Xbox 360™ video game and entertainment system, "Halo 3" will set a new standard for interactive storytelling and social gaming by engaging consumers worldwide in Master Chief's epic battle to save humankind. In November 2004, the world's view of video games changed forever with the release of "Halo 2," which generated a record-setting $125 million (U.S.) in sales within the first 24 hours and changed the way people think about interactive entertainment. Three years later, it remains the most-played game on Microsoft's Xbox LIVE® online gaming and entertainment network, with nearly 1 billion hours of online gaming logged to date.

Age of Empires III Makes it Gold [gamedaily]

If you thought the eBay markup on next-gen consoles was high, wait till you see this. This limited edition gold Zelda Triforce GBA, autographed by Miyamoto himself was recently sold on eBay for a whopping $2,157.86. There were only 30 of these puppies made and signed back in 2005 when the Nintendo World Store opened it's doors for the very first time (one of them still resides in a case at the NWS). The system had never been played and came with a copy of Legend of Zelda: Minish Cap.

There is no doubt that this is a rare and precious item, but two grand, wow. I guess everything is worth what someone is willing to pay for it, but for that price, that better be real gold. Congratulations, Ossidium, you are now the proud owner of a piece of Nintendo history and an empty bank account. Flynn De Marco

Rare Limited "Zelda Triforce" Nintendo Gameboy Advance [eBay - Thanks, ecto311]

Joost emailed us this morning to point out that a new trailer for Shadowrun mentions a Games for Windows Live Gold account.

A voice over at the very end proclaims 'Shadowrun links Xbox 360 and Windows Vista players together for the first time'. Then visible on the screen for a second is the following credits, including '...requires Xbox LIVE Gold account and hard drive (on Xbox 360) or Games for Windows - LIVE Gold account (on Windows)' (emphasis mine)

What did you think? That Microsoft was going to let you play your games online for free? While this doesn't confirm that the Windows Live Gold account will cost money, its existence certainly implies it. I just hope this isn't the beginning of premium pricing for all online PC gaming. Brian Crecente

Games for Windows Live Gold

Sony just sent me a package that made me smile. The final code for God of War 2. No more playing endlessly through the two demo discs, now I get to play the game itself. Unfortunately, I can't post my impressions until Monday.

Despite the picture the final game will be on one disc, Sony says. Brian Crecente

Making video games isn't just expensive, but CRAZY expensive. Just ask Alain Tascan, EA Montreal's General Manager. Electronic Arts is well known for its big budget game titles, so Tascan should know what he's talking about:

I'm not sure that the model we have here will be the model in 15 years, and that the EA you know today will be the EA you know then... I'm sure we'll do things differently, just because of the cost. The cost of games now is crazy.

So what, EA will release a Madden every other year? Brian Ashcraft

Game Cost High [Games Industry]

The Xbox 360 Eragon demo is live on Live now, but only gold members can download it. It's looking like this is the new way Microsoft is going to start rolling out their Live demos.

I'm not sure if it's exactly good timing for Microsoft to start jankifying their online services when the competition is about to launch their consoles, both of which come with free online services. Brian Crecente

After posting on his blog that the new Gears of War promotional ad would only be downloadable by Xbox Live Gold members, Major 'Larry Unpronounceable Last Name' Nelson went on to clarify in the comments:

So here is the deal..Silver members WILL get access to this..probably in about a week. This is going to happen more and more (Gold getting things before Silver) so you may want to think about upgrading if you want all the latest and greatest trailers, demos etc.

Right! Because why should Microsoft market to you for free when they can get you to pay them to market to you? Mark my words: demos and trailers costing Live points is just around the corner. Florian Eckhardt

Trailer: Gears of War Ad [Major Nelson]

There is an informative, but not overlong article on Chinese gold farmers over on Silicon Valley.

At any given time, as many as half a million Chinese gamers are completing quests and gathering such assets as virtual gold pieces to sell off for real money. They toil in Internet cafes and in makeshift computer labs, sometimes sleeping on cots in nearby dormitories in shifts. [...]

``It's easier than making shoes,'' said Wang Xin, 27, an entrepreneur who keeps 30 young people working in his stable of gamers. ``You don't work so hard. The physical pressure is not high. This is much less demanding than the sweatshops.''

It seems to be the perfect job for the multitude of "idle people" in rural Chinese areas, in particular. People who have just graduated high school and spend too much time in internet cafes can turn those previously unproductive days of hackenslashen into food and shelter.

But the mention in the above quote about sleeping on cots in dormitories is nothing short of terrifying. I know the cultural norms are different in the exotic land of China, but I've been to conventions. Even sharing a hotel room with fellow gamers for a weekend is terrifying. Eliza gauger

(Goldfarmer t-shirt from Think Geek)

Read complete article here [Silicon Valley, via Digg]

Finally! A Game Boy that can match in bling the 24 karat sparkle of Crecente's teeth! But like Crecente's teeth, this Game Boy won't come cheap — street value is $25,000. Florian Eckhardt

Original Nintendo Game Boy (via Gizmodo)

Ultima Online just did some major housecleaning. A few weeks after the game started to use cheat detector PunkBuster, Electonic Arts announced that they have closed down 180 accounts and permanently deleted about 15 trillion gold pieces. That's a 15 with god knows how many zeros.

Raph Koster points out that using the exchange rate, pre-deletion, that's about $21 million dollars in real cash. If that doesn't have a mammoth impact on the economy of Ultima Online I don't know what will. One would think that it would cause a huge upswing in the value of gold, but it is probably too early to tell. Brian Crecente

The Money Pit [Edge Online]