The early public look at the New Xbox Experience, as teased by Microsoft’s Larry Hryb on a recent podcast, is now accepting applications. The “Xbox 360 Fall Flash Preview,” as they’re calling it, will be admitting “a few thousand participants” who are chomping at the bit to build one of those flashy Avatars.
It’s just a tragic facet of the human condition – a tribal instinct that can pit friend against friend and brother against brother. Catholic v Protestant, Sunni vs Shia, Spectrum v Commodore 64 and now – perhaps most bitterly of all – Xbox 360 v PS3.
One of these games shouldn’t be sold to the public. No, it’s not Viking: Battle for Asgard, but that’s a very good guess! We’re talking about Fallout 3, which, at least at some Wal-Marts just west of the Mississippi, is publicly available, even though it shouldn’t be.
Space is a frightening place, even without the monsters; a soundless, airless void where nothing can survive. Even in the most well-fortified spaceship, you’re still moments away from death. Science fiction movies and novels have explored this primal fear on numerous occasions, with classics films like Alien capitalising on the fact that the only thing more hopeless than being trapped with unidentified flesh-hungry creatures is to be trapped with them millions of light-years away from home.
Now EA hopes to translate that experience into a video game with the release of Dead Space, a twisted tale of horror, madness, and betrayal set within an abandoned deep-space mining colony. Have they succeeded in creating something truly terrifying, or does Redwood Shores’ effort evoke more laughter than screams?
If you’re ready to phone in this year’s Halloween costume, Costumes Inc. and Rubie’s Costume Company got your back. This Master Chief “Collector’s Costume” will be the talk of whatever shindig you find yourself at over the next week. “You paid how much for this thing?” they’ll ask. “It was marked down from $US850!” you’ll proudly announce, all the while sweating profusely, your speech muffled to near indecipherable levels.
Xbox Live – so much more than a way of playing games against sweary 14 year olds. Live is also, according to Vice Prez John Schappert, an “online retailer” committed to making niche content more accessible.
Meet Tri-City Bay, the new free roaming environment in Need For Speed Undercover where you’ll be able to piss off cops to your hearts content. Within Tri City Bay you’ll find smaller areas such as Palm Harbor, Port Crecent, Gold Coast Mountains, and Sunset Hills. Black Box also promises that Tri City Bay will be the largest NFS world ever constructed – 100 miles of open road. You’ll be able to pick up the game November 18th in North America and November 21st in Europe.
Next week’s additions to Rock Band — and Rock Band 2, obviously — feature a healthy blend of pop, pop-punk, post-punk and whatever genre the Silversun Pickups would prefer to be labelled. We’ll be glamming it up with a trio of Siouxsie & the Banshees tracks starting next Tuesday on the Xbox 360, Thursday on the PlayStation 3 along with a potpourri of toe-tappers. More Psychedelic Furs, please!
Will the last Templar Guardian please turn off the lights and do whatever it is that you do to auras that makes them stop glowing – Hellgate: London is shutting down.
PlayStation 3 owners will be able to brag of their Grand Theft Auto IV achievements… err, accomplishments officially starting Monday, as Rockstar Games is making PlayStation Trophies support official at the start of next week. Expect 51 new Trophies to arrive on the PS3, presumably matching the already available Xbox 360 Achievements — the first four should be familiar to the Xbox crowd — plus one for that bonus platinum level trophy that illustrates your dedication.
