Tag Archives: Video games

Xbox 360 updates coming soon [Updated]

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Microsoft has announced a slew of exciting updates coming to the Xbox 360 (granted you are connected to Xbox Live). Some of the new features include: Netflix updates, including movie parties (a Netflix Gold member can invite up to seven friends (represented by their avatars) to watch a movie in a virtual theatre); managing your queue (Netflix members can now browse the entire Netflix Instant Stream queue from their console, no PC required); avatar marketplace (there will be a store where clothes and props can be purchased for your personal and customizable avatar); games on demand (full Xbox 360 games can now be purchased right on the console, along with their game manuals (no need to purchase a physical game in a store), and it’s yours to keep (the games are attached to your Xbox Live account, so you can move games from different consoles or delete them if you so choose); and more! Check after the break to see the entire breakdown of updates, and see below for screenshots of the new menus. These updates will only be available as a preview release at first. All updates should be released later in the summer (think late August). Also, keep in mind that these updates DO NOT include the recently announced Facebook and Twitter integration, Zune video store, 1080p Instant On, and Last.fm updates; these will be released at a later date (probably Fall 2009).

Update: The Xbox Live Dashboard update will be available to download on August 11th.

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[Via Engadget]

Continue reading Xbox 360 updates coming soon [Updated] →

Guitar Hero 5 Tracklist (so far)

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Guitar Hero 5 is just around the corner, and the final tracklist is slowly but surely leaking out into existence.  IGN has compiled the tracks that have been announced.  The tracks listed below  were just announced today.  The game will have 85 tracks by 83 artists.  Peek after the break for the complete tracklist (so far).  Guitar Hero 5 is expected to release on September 1st.  Take a look!

New Additions
Attack! Attack! UK – “You And Me”
Bon Jovi – “You Give Love A Bad Name”
Darker My Love – “Blue Day”
The Duke Spirit – “Send A Little Love Token”
Elton John – “Saturday Night’s Alright (For Fighting)”
Face To Face – “Disconnected”
Garbage – “Only Happy When It Rains”
Kaiser Chiefs – “Never Miss A Beat”
Kiss – “Shout It Out Loud”
Love and Rockets – “Mirror People”
My Morning Jacket – “One Big Holiday”
Nirvana – “Lithium (Live)”
The Police – “So Lonely”
Rammstein – “Du Hast”
The Rolling Stones – “Sympathy For The Devil”
Sonic Youth – “Incinerate”
Screaming Trees – “Nearly Lost You”
Sublime – “What I Got”
The Sword – “Maiden, Mother & Crone”
Thin Lizzy – “Jailbreak”
Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers – “American Girl”
The White Stripes – “Blue Orchid” Continue reading Guitar Hero 5 Tracklist (so far) →

WiiHD…where are you?

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The Wii looks gorgeous in stunning high definition.  “Pumped through a Wii PC emulator, these images are just upscaled versions of the [game’s] existing graphics—in other words, you’re not even seeing what advanced hardware/graphics engines can do with additional texture or lighting.  But with a boost in sharpness alone (more pixels),” the Wii looks great in HD.  Check after the break (click “…more”) to see more Super Mario Galaxy images in HD.  Here’s to the rumors of a WiiHD console coming to fruition sooner than later.

[Quote via Gizmodo; Images via NeoGaf] Continue reading WiiHD…where are you? →

Leeeeeeeroy Jenkinsssss

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Now these are true and blue nerds.  It’s a taping of a guild working together (or not working together) in the ultimate MMORPG World of Warcraft.  This video captures what happens when a guild member decides to leave a guild meeting and attack the enemy by himself.

Three things stand out for me that are especially funny.  (1) When the guild master (the leader of the group) is talking on his headset to the other members, he turns his character in the game as if his character in-game is actually talking to the other guys.  (2) The entire guild reaction to Leroy’s attempt to go it alone.  “GOD DAMNIT LEROY!  YOU MORON.”  Ha!  (3) Leroy’s grand entrance (“Let’s do this…LEEEROY JENKINS!”) and epic fail (“It’s not my fault…”)  And is Leroy crying in the end?  This is a classic.

Danny "Phenom" Johnson sets new Guitar Hero records

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At the 2009 Book Expo America tradeshow, 14-year-old Danny “Phenom” Johnson set three new Guitar Hero world records that will be published in the latest Guinness World Records Gamer’s Edition 2009.  He holds the Longest Note Streak with 3,722 notes (and 100% notes hit) on Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock’s “Through the Fire and Flames.”  With that performance, he beat his previously held record for the Highest Score For a Single Track with a score of 985,206.  Most recently, he set the record for the Highest Score For a Single Track in Guitar Hero: Metallica.  On “Mercyful Fate,” an 11 minute song (!), he scored 1,017,326, hit 100% of the notes, and had a 3,178 note streak.  These numbers are INSANE.  He is truly a Guitar Hero “phenom.”  Check out his latest performance of Mercyful Fate at IGN. —–>WATCH THIS IN ITS ENTIRETY.  Watch and learn.

If you’re interested in seeing his other records being set and for some tutorials by Danny himself, check out his YouTube channel.  Right now, his front page video (the video embedded above) is his 100% completion performance of “The Devil Went Down to Georgia.”  Dayyum.

[Via ElectronicTheatre]

Conan responds to Mushroom Kingdom backdrop!

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Conan hilariously responds to the blogger from “Serious Lunch” about his monologue backdrop having an uncanny resemblance to the Super Mario Bros. Mushroom Kingdom.  Although Conan does not formally say if it was intentional or not, I hold strongly to my opinion that Conan and crew are big Nintendo fans at heart.

P.S.–When announcer Andy Richter says “…my wife sent me a link to this from another site,” he is talking about this website!  : )

[Image via Dlisted]

E3 2009 Round-up: Microsoft Takes the Prize

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Project Natal

The Big Three–Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo–showed off their present and future technologies in the video game and entertainment businesses at this year’s bigger and badder Electronics Entertainment Expo in Los Angeles, California.

In my opinion, Microsoft stole the show with a brilliant keynote presentation that showed off a great line-up of games including tons of first-party (Halo 3: ODST, Halo Reach) and third party (Splinter Cell Conviction, Alan Wake) sure-fire hits.  The special presentation by Harmonix with The Beatles: Rock Band definitely has people excited about the next game in the Rock Band series.  Xbox’s exclusive song, “All You Need is Love” will surely get people to buy the game for the Xbox over the other consoles.  Xbox 360-exclusive games worth mentioning include Forza Motorsport 3, Crackdown 2, Left 4 Dead 2, and Shadow Complex.  The Xbox 360 plans on stealing Sony’s thunder with legendary PlayStation-exclusives games such as  Final Fantasy XIII and Metal Gear Solid: Rising coming to the Xbox 360 this fall.  Tony Hawk: Ride and Modern Warfare 2 also made exciting appearances.

As great as the Xbox 360 game line-up looks, it was the unveiling of Project Natal that made everyone’s jaws drop with amazement.  Natal is Microsoft’s way of making YOU the controller.  No Wii-motes, nunchucks, or wands.  Natal is a device, similar-looking to the Wii Sensor bar.  It sits below or above your TV set.  It contains a camera, IR sensors, and a built-in microphone.  With facial and voice recognition, the technology built into it is extremely advanced.  Simply put, Natal can pick up and output your every movement from your head to your feet.  It has full-body motion control.  Here’s an example of Natal in natural action.  You walk in front of your TV, your Xbox 360 recognizes who you are, automattically signs you into your Xbox Live account, and bring you to the New Xbox Experience home screen.  You can use hand gestures to play a game, watch a movie, and so on.  You decide to play a racing game with some of your family members.  Your hands control the steering wheel, your feet the pedals.  Take a quick pit stop, and your dad can jump in the action and replace your tired wheels by unscrewing and placing in new tires.  Then it is back to the races.  Natal opens up a whole new world of interactive gaming.  It truly has me excited about the future of video games, especially the Xbox 360.  There is no price point and release date for the code-named Project Natal.  However, it has been said that it will definitely not be out this year (possibily in 2010), and the price will be under the cost of the console itself (under $250).

Check after the break for videos of Natal in action, as well as quick overviews from the Sony and Nintendo (not nearly as impressive) keynotes.

Continue reading E3 2009 Round-up: Microsoft Takes the Prize →