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Today, The Original Xbox Live Dies
It’s April 14. If you own an old Xbox and play online with it, or still play original Xbox games on Xbox Live via your 360, you should know this is the last day you’ll ever be able to do so. As Microsoft promised earlier in the year, at midnight tonight the plug will be…
By Luke Plunkett Published April 14, 2010 -
New Forza 3 Rides Suitable For Road And Track
Forza Motorsport 3’s car lineup continues to grow by leaps and bounds, with ten new rides for the Xbox 360 racer now available for purchase in the Road & Track Car Pack. Jalopnik readers and AutoWeek have taken their turns selecting cars for Forza Motorsport 3, and now it’s car enthusiast magazine Road & Track’s…
By Mike Fahey Published April 13, 2010 -
Let’s Round Up Gears of War 3 Stuff
Lots of Gears of War 3 news broke last night. Perhaps while you were sleeping. Or maybe you were doing other things. I don’t know. Your First Look At Gears Of War 3 Gears of War Designer Talks To Jimmy Fallon Gears of War 3 Now Has Actual Worldwide Release Dates What Is That Mesmerizing…
By Brian Ashcraft Published April 13, 2010 -
Gears of War 3 Now Has Actual Worldwide Release Dates
When asked on variety program Late Night with Jimmy Fallon when Gears of War 3 would be released, designer Cliff Bleszinski replied, “probably April 8”. Microsoft is giving another date for North America, however. According to an official release, Microsoft states that Gears of War 3 will be out on “April 5, 2011 in North…
By Brian Ashcraft Published April 13, 2010 -
Your First Look At Gears Of War 3
While we already know Gears of War 3 is on its way in April 2011, the game made its public debut earlier tonight on the Jimmy Fallon show, giving us our first 73-second look at the Xbox shooter. As you can see in the teaser trailer shown above, Gears of War 3 introduces a number…
By Luke Plunkett Published April 13, 2010 -
Why The Halo MMO Was Cancelled
A few years ago, Microsoft-owned Ensemble Studios, the team behind Age of Empires, was working on a Halo massively-multiplayer online game, code-named Titan. That project ended up a bust, and was cancelled by Microsoft. Here’s why. “We had all this incredible talent, we had the right people, the right passion, we had a phenomenally successful…
By Luke Plunkett Published April 13, 2010 -
Conan Takes Show To TBS, But He Could’ve Gone To… Xbox Live?
Former Tonight Show host Conan O’Brien is headed back to television this fall, inking a deal with cable station TBS to establish a new late night show. One report says that Conan was in talks for a very different deal. News of O’Brien’s deal with TBS comes from Variety, who writes that the former Late…
By Michael McWhertor Published April 12, 2010 -
Sci-Fi Author: Halo Full of “Bull**** Archetypal Characters”
You might like Halo. You might not. Crysis 2 lead writer and sci-fi novelist Richard Morgan says he doesn’t like Halo at all “I don’t like the Halo series at all,” says Morgan, best known for his dystopian novel Altered Carbon. “Okay Halo is not actually bad, it’s just, you know, average.” Average? Do explain!…
By Brian Ashcraft Published April 12, 2010 -
Report: Machinarium/Microsoft Deal Breaks Down Over Exclusive Issue [Updated]
The studio responsible for last year’s indie adventure/puzzle hit Machinarium says six months of talks with Microsoft ended with no progress on bringing the Indie game to the Xbox 360, because Microsoft doesn’t want to support games that aren’t Microsoft exclusives. Update: The original source of this report now says: “When asked about their plans…
By Owen Good Published April 10, 2010 -
Gears Of War 3, Coming April 2011
Somebody at Microsoft appears to have flicked a switch a little early, with an advertisement appearing on the Xbox 360 dashboard tonight for Gears of War 3. There’s the trademark Gears of War logo, and a tagline that reads “The epic story concludes April 2011”. The ad appears to have jumped the proverbial gun, with…
By Luke Plunkett Published April 9, 2010 -
Microsoft Hasn’t Given Up On The Halo Movie
Once upon a time, Microsoft was going to make a big budget Hollywood version of the Halo franchise. Until it spectacularly fell apart. That doesn’t mean it won’t ever happen, says the company. Back in 2005, a film version of Halo was first penned by Alex Garland, writer of The Beach novel and 28 Days…
By Brian Ashcraft Published April 9, 2010 -
Modern Warfare 2 Map Pack Pricing Doesn’t Bother 2.5 Million Xbox 360 Owners
Activision and Microsoft are exploding with joy over the performance of the new Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 “Stimulus Package” map pack, proclaiming today that the downloadable add-on “shattered Xbox LIVE records” to the tune of 2.5 million sold. One million of those purchases and downloads occurred within the first 24 hours, according to…
By Michael McWhertor Published April 7, 2010 -
Alan Wake’s Release Date…Pushed Up!
Microsoft slipped us word this morning that Alan Wake’s European release date has been changed. Thing is, it’s been changed for the better The game was originally due for release towards the end of the week of May 20, but for some reason, it’s now been pushed up to Friday, May 14. A whole week…
By Luke Plunkett Published April 7, 2010 -
Halo Reach’s Gun Porn (And Vehicle Porn, Too)
Halo creators Bungie love guns. Love big, bulky space vehicles,too. Love ’em so much they’ve released a ton of renders showing how both will appear in the upcoming Halo: Reach. Alongside those mechanical moneyshots we’ve also included some older shots of the game’s cast of Spartans, Covenant and cannon fodder Marines. Halo Reach’s beta kicks…
By Luke Plunkett Published April 7, 2010 -
Xbox Live Gets Double Impact, Half Price Deals In April
Microsoft has laid out a good portion of the Xbox Live Marketplace release schedule for April, ensuring that no one will buy a copy of The Maw or Borderlands: The Zombie Island of Dr. Ned this week. That’s because both of those downloadable goodies will drop to half price later this month, priced at just…
By Michael McWhertor Published April 6, 2010 -
Second Out of the E3 Press Conference Gate: Sony!
Last week Microsoft surprised many of us with news that one of their twin E3 press conferences would be on the Sunday before the half-week show. Today Sony tells us when they’ll be dropping their big news. Sony’s official Save the Date for their press conference tells us that they will be taking over the…
By Brian Crecente Published April 6, 2010 -
Xbox 360 Consoles Now Have USB Memory Support
The calendar says April 6, and that means, as promised, your Xbox 360 consoles now have a little upgrade waiting for you: the ability to save data to removable USB memory drives. While Microsoft’s own first-party USB sticks, due next month, are pricey, it’s important to remember that you don’t need to use them. You…
By Luke Plunkett Published April 6, 2010 -
Games, And Their Impact On The Environment
A great report over on GamePro today takes a look at the environmental impact of the video game industry. Those yearning for a brighter future (and can take solace in incremental improvements), you’ll like what you see. From better power management features in consoles and handhelds to a reduction in the carbon footprint of the…
By Luke Plunkett Published April 6, 2010 -
Day-One Modern Warfare 2 Stimulus Package Buyers Get Seven Days Back
Several readers sent us tips this morning indicating that Microsoft gifted them seven additional days of Xbox Live Gold for purchasing the Modern Warfare 2 Stimulus Package on day one. Julian sent us a picture, however, so Julian wins. What does Julian win? Well, credit, for one, along with the seven days’ worth of Xbox…
By Mike Fahey Published April 5, 2010 -
Microsoft: Browsing Web on TV a ‘Poor Experience,’ on PS3 It’s ‘a Nightmare’
In a recent interview Microsoft’s director of product management was asked why there was no browser on the Xbox 360, and if one will ever be made available. Don’t bet on it anytime soon. According to an interview with Inside-Games, translated by Sankaku Complex, Aaron Greenberg said: We really believe that the web browsing experience…
By Owen Good Published April 3, 2010