Xbox Jedi

Here's a bit of backstory for those of you who don't follow the hot Baltimore news scoops: Sheila Dixon, once mayor of Baltimore, became the former mayor Baltimore after being indicted for embezzlement earlier this year. One of the main pieces of evidence in her trial was an Xbox 360 prosecutors claimed she purchased with gift cards given to her by local developers, which were supposed to be given to various charities.

The telltale 360 recently appeared in an eBay listing, attracting a number of prospective buyers hoping to get their hands on the game console/slice of Baltimore history. If you're interested in owning a device which is capable of single-handedly ending someone's mayoral career, the auction is still running. Its price is significantly higher than a standard console, but you've got to pay a premium for all that history.

[Via Baltimore Sun]

Former Baltimore mayor's telltale Xbox 360 now on eBay originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 10 Mar 2010 01:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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After a five-year hiatus, free-roaming felony franchise True Crime is set to return (sans subtitle) in Fall 2010. United Front, which is also working on the upcoming ModNation Racers and houses veterans from games such as Bully, Prototype and Scarface, is developing the new entry for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. Lead producer Jeff O'Connell describes it as a "more serious" reboot -- and a story that's more closely modeled after cop films. "It's an opportunity to be an innately good guy," he said of the undercover, under-pressure role you'll assume. "That's good drama."

Inspired by films like "The Departed" (see: "Infernal Affairs"), True Crime follows undercover lawman Wei Shen as he infiltrates the triad, slow-mo kicks enemies in the chin, and completes objectives across the game's new city playground. "Is it an accurate representation of Hong Kong?" O'Connell asked. "It's not." Despite referencing over 27,000 photographs, the city has been "tuned for gameplay," eschewing a realistic, street-for-street recreation in favor of a more cinematic and moody Hong Kong.

Continue reading Impressions: True Crime

Impressions: True Crime originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 10 Mar 2010 00:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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You probably know what you friends are playing by just looking at your friends lists…but what about everyone else on Xbox LIVE? Let me answer that for you right now:

Xbox 360 Top LIVE Titles (based on UU’s)

1    Modern Warfare 2
2    Halo 3
3    Call of Duty: WaW
4    FIFA 10
5    Battlefield Bad Co. 2
6    Call of Duty 4
7    GTA IV (Purchase the full game for direct download )
8    Toy Soldiers
9    Gears of War 2
10    Left 4 Dead 2
11    Borderlands
12    Just Cause 2 Demo (Pre-order game)
13    Madden NFL 10 (Download the demo)
14    Forza Motorsport 3 (Download the demo)
15    Mass Effect 2
16    Halo 3: ODST
17    NBA 2K10
18    BioShock 2
19    Assassin's Creed II
20    NHL 10

Top Arcade Titles (Full Versions purchased)
1    Toy Soldiers
2    Trials HD
3    Castle Crashers
4    Battlefield 1943
5    UNO
6    Hasbro Family Game Night **
7    Marvel vs. Capcom 2
8    Magic: The Gathering
9    Worms 2: Armageddon
10   Duke Nukem 3D
11   The Misadventures of PB Winterbottom
12   Zombie Apocalypse
13   Marble Blast Ultra
14   Worms
15   Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 1989 Classic Arcade
16   Peggle
17   DOOM
18   A Kingdom for Keflings
19   Shadow Complex
20   Turtles in Time Re-Shelled

The above arcade list is based on full versions purchased.
**Combined sales of all Hasbro Family Game Night titles

Top Indie Games (Full Versions purchased)

1    Avatar Showdown
2    The Impossible Game

3    I MAED A GAM3 W1TH Z0MB1ES!!!1

4    Avatar Drop
5    Shoot 1UP
6    Yet Another Zombie Defense
7     Curling 2010 
8     Miner Dig Deep
9     Head Shot 2
10     Anger Management
11     Avatar Meet Up Live!
12     MotorHEAT
13     Avatar Golf 
14     Avatar Boogie
15     Inside Lacrosse's CL2010 
16     Soulcaster
17     ZP2K9
18     Soul
19     Beat Hazard
20     Dont B Nervous Talking 2 Girls

Original Xbox Top Live Titles (based on UU’s)

1    Halo 2
2    Star Wars: Battlfrnt 2
3    Xbox Dashboard
4    Counter-Strike
5    Fable
6    Splinter Cell Chaos
7    Conker: Live Reloaded
8    Doom 3
9    Star Wars: Battlefront
10   SW: Republic Commando

 

These lists are based on global unique users connected to Xbox Live or in the case of Arcade and Indie Games, full versions purchased during the week.

Some content (and therefore the links) may not be available in all regions.

This game was classified by the community with the following category scores - Violence=1/3, Sex=0/3, Mature Content=0/3. All the word games you could want wrapped into one exciting adventure. Take the role of a student at Morphemial University - the premiere school for language - where students progress by defeating each other at word games. Word Duelist features over 15 different word game challenges and nearly 20 students to talk to across nine different locations.

R.U.S.E. is quite a crafty game. It turns out that the recently revealed June 3 release date was nothing but a smoke screen for the real date. The fully legitimate, actual release date is June 8. The game's PC beta began today and, according to Big Download, Ubisoft also announced the change in launch schedule. Normally, this kind of thing would be upsetting but, given the title, it just seems appropriate.

The beta, incidentally, is available now to all Steam users. It allows both single-player and multiplayer action with six different factions on seven multiplayer maps.

RUSE date a trick after all, release moved to June 8 originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 09 Mar 2010 23:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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You know, we always thought GLaDOS ran the Portal simulation just so she could discover the true value of friendship, but it may really have been in the name of public service. In the video after the break -- created by Freddie Wong, who you probably recognize from his ridiculous (and hilarious) Guitar Hero video -- we get a glimpse at the likely ramifications of improper Portal gun training and how a few apathetic "friends" can ruin one of the most exciting experiences ever. And here, all this time, we thought GLaDOS was the bad guy!

Note: For those of you who spot that weird frame at the end of the video -- yep, with all that gibberish -- don't bother to decipher it. It's apparently just another gag from Freddie and "friends." Yuk-yuk-yuk.

Continue reading PSA: Portal guns are for trained professionals only

PSA: Portal guns are for trained professionals only originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 09 Mar 2010 23:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Capcom has revealed the final new character for Super Street Fighter IV, and he's ... well, he's a giant dude covered in oil. Like, Hakan actually oils himself up before each round. This has the aesthetic effect of being extraordinarily off-putting, and the functional effect of allowing him to slide across the stage as if it were the Crocodile Mile. And since he's a grappling-type character, you get these really great squishing noises whenever he grabs another character.

See Hakan in action after the break, courtesy of IGN, and just try to imagine the design process behind this guy. Suddenly a green guy who can generate electricity sounds pretty low-key.

[Via PS3Attitude, thanks, Vallanthaz!]

Continue reading Final, glistening Super Street Fighter IV character revealed

Final, glistening Super Street Fighter IV character revealed originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 09 Mar 2010 22:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ready to frustrate yourself forever? Learn the game of Go. It's an ancient Chinese game that's over four thousand years old, and games can last up to 16 hours in tournaments. Sounds just perfect for an adaptation into the frenetic world of video games, right?! Well, your wish is granted. The Path of Go or How We Came Up With A Proprietary Name For The Public Domain Game of Go is being developed in-house by Microsoft at the likewise excitingly named Microsoft Research Cambridge division.

We played the game briefly at GDC, and it's actually very robust. It includes a tutorial where your avatar has some faux back and forth dialogue with an ancient Go master, in which he really does teach you the game. I tried reading an old instruction manual for a set of Go I found at a thrift shop once, and was so confused by terms like "ko" and proper stone placement that I just re-thrifted the set. Now, I'm ready to take on Russell Crowe in A Beautiful Mind and kick his ass.

Additionally, the game features single player or two player both locally and through Xbox Live, multiple backgrounds, and full 3D environments where you can control the camera. There's also an actual story mode in here, where you learn the nuances of the game in "beat the situation" scenarios while heading down a path. The ... wait for it ... Path of Go.

Hands-on: The Path of Go (XBLA) originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 09 Mar 2010 22:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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There's a pretty bizarre moment in the original True Crime: Streets of LA where it transforms from an expected hip-hop laden urban crime game into a poor knockoff of Big Trouble In Little China. Instead of remaining consistent, the game decided to stop having you take on thugs, and started having you fight zombies, dragons, and flying skulls. Well, I can safely say that even though I've only seen a small snippet of the upcoming (and subtitle-less) True Crime, from the way executive producer Stephen van der Mescht describes it, there won't be a crazy "why did I go from shooting guys to punching dragons?" moment in this next installment.

In fact, True Crime is a complete reboot. Not only is it an entirely new game and locale (not an unfamiliar thing, since the previous two games changed main characters and switched from Los Angeles to New York), but an entirely different developer, United Front Games (the studio behind the upcoming ModNation Racers) is behind it. Besides the tone, the one thing that van der Mescht emphasizes when showing off the new True Crime is that it's not just an open-world driving game with some combat or a crime game divided up into specific driving/shooting/punching elements; the studio is aiming to have True Crime be a seamless blend of those types of elements.

Infinity Ward community manager Robert Bowling has pointed us toward a new self-help website filled with good news: new maps are coming to Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 on March 30th. While the powers that be at Activision might have ousted the creators of the game, they haven't affected the delivery of eagerly awaited new maps.

People afflicted with mapathy, your cure is on the way. PS3 owners ... well, you'll have to suffer a bit longer. Have you spoken to your FAMAS-ist about a prescription?

[Thanks, Legion!]

First Modern Warfare 2 map pack coming to Xbox Live on March 30 originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 09 Mar 2010 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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"I'm Commander Shepard, and this is my favorite store on the Citadel." - English

"Jestem dowódcą Shepard, a to jest mój ulubiony sklep na cytadeli." - Polish (machine translation)

In a GDC 2010 session entitled "Localizing Large RPGs," which forms part of an ongoing localization summit, BioWare localization project manager Ryan Warden eloquently explored the revered developer's process of adapting a huge, dialogue-driven game like Mass Effect 2 for alternative markets and languages. It may surprise you to learn that BioWare's processes are significantly more elegant than hiring an army of workers to copy and paste lines of text into Google Translate.

With 450,000 words and 30,000 lines of voice-over in the English version, Mass Effect 2 demanded an active approach in its translation to eight languages, including Russian, Czech and Spanish. "Trying to manage this scope is almost unfathomable," said Warden. "For BioWare titles, we don't have the luxury of waiting for the title to be fully complete before starting localization."

The concurrent process was designed to provide as much information and context to translators as possible, allowing them to focus on the job without having to request further information for each new conversation. BioWare compiled a complete localization kit, complete with a pronunciation guide (that's crow-guhn, not kroggin!), an IP glossary, a collection of translator Q&A documents and an extensive character database. "Any time that a translator spends time asking questions and waiting for feedback ... that's wasted time," Warden added. The goal, he said, was to "eliminate any doubt in the confidence of the translator."

Continue reading GDC 2010: BioWare speaks up about Mass Effect 2's localization

GDC 2010: BioWare speaks up about Mass Effect 2's localization originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 09 Mar 2010 19:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The previously announced Jalopnik DLC for Forza Motorsport 3 is now available on Xbox Live Marketplace. The pack includes 10 cars, which were chosen by the editors of Jalopnik.com, and include "some of the most coveted 2009 and 2010 models." The pack contains the following cars:

• 2008 Mazda Furai
• 2010 Jaguar #33 Jaguar RSR XKR GT
• 2009 Ford #40 Robertson Racing Ford GT Mk7
• 2010 Aston Martin V12 Vantage
• 2010 Porsche 911 Sport Classic
• 1992 Bugatti EB110 SS
• 2011 BMW Motorsport Z4 sDrive35is
• 2010 Audi TT RS Coupe
• 2010 Aston Martin Rapide
• 2010 Honda Mugen Civic Type-R 3D

The car pack costs 400 ($5), but you can also grab a sample -- the 2010 Honda Mugen Civic Type-R 3D -- for free. Head over to the Forza Motorsport website for more info on each car.

Shortcut: Add the Jalopnik Car Pack to your Xbox 360 download queue [Via Xbox.com]
Shortcut: Add the Jalopnik Sample Car to your Xbox 360 download queue [Via Xbox.com]

Forza 3 Jalopnik DLC hits XBLM originally appeared on Joystiq Xbox on Tue, 09 Mar 2010 19:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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First Star Software and Dutch developer Catnip Games recently announced their upcoming collaboration on an Xbox Live Arcade remake of the classic gem-collecting puzzler, Boulder Dash. That's not to be confused with the classic dishonesty-based board game Balderdash. Or the exclamation popularized by mustachioed, portly gentlemen from the 1920s who found themselves upset by a piece of nonsensical information.

Very little pertinent info was revealed by the developers' joint press release announcement, though we do know the game will include "sparkling diamonds," "hordes of enemies," "numerous traps," and "falling boulders." The release doesn't mention dashing, but we assume it will also play a pivotal role.

Boulder Dash digging for gems with upcoming XBLA remake originally appeared on Joystiq Xbox on Tue, 09 Mar 2010 18:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Though we've thoroughly enjoyed Just Cause 2's "Anatomy of a Stunt" videos, we're not sure the one you see posted above is accurately titled. Though the name "Rocket Launcher Jump" does capture some of the components of the stunt, it fails to mention a few other important buzzwords; namely "speedboat," "ramp," "explosion," "death," "aerial," and "unimaginably awesome."

Do yourself a favor and check out the video above, which we've chosen to remoniker "Unimaginably Awesome Speedboat Ramp Jump Aerial Rocket Launcher Explosion Death."

Just Cause 2 trailer analyzes anatomy of the 'Rocket Launcher Jump' stunt originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 09 Mar 2010 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Held in conjunction with the Into the Pixel and Video Game Art Show exhibitions, San Francisco's Hotel des Arts is dedicating its entire fourth floor to "The Making of Dante's Inferno" through April 2010. We've got a sneak peek at the art on display in the gallery below, but if you want to see the real deal we'd suggest you make your way to the opening night reception being held at the Hotel des Arts on Thursday night, from 6pm to 10pm, smack dab in the middle of GDC week.

GDC 2010: Dante's Inferno art show at San Francisco's Hotel des Arts originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 09 Mar 2010 17:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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In advance of NPD sales results for February 2010, analysts are predicting year-over-year declines for pretty much everything. Wedbush Morgan analyst Michael Pachter, according to Gamasutra, is predicting that hardware and software sales will decline 10 percent, with Wii hardware sales hit particularly hard (around 40 percent) due to shortages. Beyond the Wii, the continuing decline of the music genre is partly to blame for the reduced sales.

Analyst Colin Sebastian is guessing at a 15 percent decline, despite encouraging early sales for games like Heavy Rain and preorders for games like Battlefield: Bad Company 2 (which, as an early March release, may fit into the NPD February sales period) and God of War III. The fact that high-profile games are likely to show sharp declines after strong first-week sales will prevent software trends from turning for the better.

Analysts predict hardware, software drops in February NPD originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 09 Mar 2010 17:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Thus far, we've really learned only one thing from the trailers released for Zeno Clash: Ultimate Edition: You can plan to spend a lot of time in the game pounding very strange looking people in the face. Whether you do so by yourself or with a friend is up to you. Now, thanks to the latest trailer from Atlus, we learn a little bit about the story of Zeno Clash. It seems that the main character kills someone or something known as Father-Mother. We're not sure what started the dispute -- perhaps a forgotten Father-Mother's Day present -- but the end result is a dead tribal leader, banishment and a quest for the truth. You know, that old chestnut.

Zeno Clash: Ultimate Edition hits XBLA on March 31.

Zeno Clash: Ultimate Edition gets full, confusing trailer originally appeared on Joystiq Xbox on Tue, 09 Mar 2010 17:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sure, Ferraris are fun and all, but they aren't exotic enough. EA's looking to increase Need For Speed: Shift's roster of wacky, expensive rides you'll probably never drive in real life through the Exotic Racing Series Pack. Available March 18 for 800 ($10) on Xbox Live and PSN, the Exotic Racing Series Pack parks seven new rides in your virtual garage:

• Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione
• BMW M1 Procar
• GUMPERT apollo
• Honda NSX
• McLaren MP4-12C
• Maserati GranTurismo S
• Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren Stirling Moss

Need For Speed: Shift gets exotic DLC originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 09 Mar 2010 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Though we already know the bulk of the March release schedule for new content on the Xbox Live Marketplace, Major Nelson's blog recently laid out how the rest of the month will play out. Tomorrow, we'll get our hands on Scrap Metal for 1200 ($15), next Wednesday will see the release of Perfect Dark for 800 ($10), and on March 24, we'll get our hands on the (somewhat) free Game Room hub. Oh, and the Games on Demand service got a bit crazier today with the release of Condemned: Criminal Origins for $19.99.

If you're an insatiable value-hound, you should turn your attention to the upcoming Deals of the Weeks: The original Fable will have its price reduced to 800 ($10) from 1200 ($15) during the week of March 15. All of Fallout 3's add-on packs, including Operation: Anchorage, The Pitt, Broken Steel, Point Lookout and Mothership Zeta, will be offered at half price (400, or $5) during the week of March 22. For the rest of the schedule, including Avatar outfits and add-on packs, check out the list after the jump.

Continue reading Xbox Live Marketplace release schedule for March

Xbox Live Marketplace release schedule for March originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 09 Mar 2010 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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With Shank now being published by EA, Klei Entertainment is putting the increased development budget to good use -- with a trailer! Well, it's likely there would be a trailer this week anyway, as this week also marks the hyper-violent XBLA/PSN/PC brawler's appearance at the Independent Games Festival.

The brutal violence may dominate the trailer, but our eyes were immediately drawn to the acrobatics. There's so much somersaulting, swinging, hanging, and other exciting-looking methods of movement that they even manage to distract us from the usually thrilling shoot-stab-saw combos on display.

See a cut of Shank gameplay originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 09 Mar 2010 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Microsoft took yet another step today in convincing us that Windows Phone 7 will be a legitimate gaming platform. The company just unveiled XNA Game Studio 4.0, which, in addition to supporting PC and Xbox 360, will also let designers make games for the new mobile platform. Besides being great news for indies, it also means that you'll be able to use your gamertag and Avatar on the phone, as well as unlock Xbox Live Achievements.

You can read more about the technical integration of XNA and WP7 on Microsoft program manager Michael Klucher's blog. Hopefully we'll have even more details for you as the tech is rolled out during GDC.

XNA Game Studio 4.0 includes Windows Phone support originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 09 Mar 2010 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Commander's Log:

Well, whaddya know? I get up this morning and ride down to Deck 2, and the first thing outta Kelly's mouth is that I have a new message at my Private Terminal. About time -- things have been hella boring around here since beating up the Collectors! Anyway, it's from Illusive Man -- who else -- with a tantalizing subject line: "Arc Projector."

So, get this: Mr. Smokey says Cerberus has passed off a new "advanced electrical attack device" to me. It was recently tested on some geth during a "highly successful" skirmish in the Skyllian Verge. (I won't tell Legion that part, but "they" probably already know.)

Well, I'd sure like to test it myself, but the galaxy's awfully quiet these days -- still waiting on that Hammerhead delivery. I guess I'd better just start up that New Game+ ...


P.S. I've been feeling really homesick for Cali lately. That's where I grew up before enlisting in N7, fool.

Continue reading Mass Effect 2 gets free Arc Projector heavy weapon, courtesy of Cerberus DLC Network

Mass Effect 2 gets free Arc Projector heavy weapon, courtesy of Cerberus DLC Network originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 09 Mar 2010 14:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Much like the star it's named for, it seems the Tiger Woods PGA Tour franchise isn't adverse to trying new things. EA has announced that the next iteration, Tiger Woods PGA Tour 11, will support the PlayStation Motion Controller to "give gamers an authentic interactive swing experience."

There aren't any other details about Motion Controller implementation at the moment, but the game is slated for release on June 8 -- well before the Motion Controller's projected fall release. (And before you ask, no mention has been made of support for Microsoft's Project Natal.)

It may be less flashy, but series fans may be interested to hear the game will also feature the Ryder Cup, allowing for two 12-man teams to face off against each other.

We say 12-man, but we guess it could be 12 women against 12 men, right? Heck, maybe even 12 women against one man. Can you imagine, one guy trying to keep up with all those women? We sure can't.

Tiger Woods PGA Tour 11 will be available on June 8 for Wii (with MotionPlus support), Xbox 360, PS3 and iPhone.

[Editor's Note: EA's press release only included a box art asset for the Xbox 360 version. Go figure.]

Tiger Woods 11 to support PlayStation Motion Controller originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 09 Mar 2010 13:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Don't even lie! You're just as excited as any club kid that boundary-pushing pop sensation Lady Gaga is coming to Rock Band next week. So, in the privacy of your living room, break out the tight-fitting pleather and get your jam on (to the tracks you, publicly, tell everyone you hate).

Of course, you could pretend you "accidentally" bought the Gaga Track Pack, when you actually meant to purchase South Park chubby charmer Eric Cartman's rendition of "Poker Face." Yup, that lil' ditty will also be available. See, now you can cover up that undeniable desire to go goo-goo for Gaga with a veil of irony!

Check out the full release list after the break.

Continue reading Rock Band Weekly: Lady Gaga, Cartman's 'Poker Face'

Rock Band Weekly: Lady Gaga, Cartman's 'Poker Face' originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 09 Mar 2010 12:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Now that Sega's Condemned has been added to the Xbox Live Games on Demand service (for $19.99), you can get started with the suspense even before you play it! Turn the lights off, curl up on the couch with some popcorn and just watch it download. When will it be finished? No one knows!

Condemned is available everywhere but Australia, India, Japan and New Zealand. Instead, in Japan -- and Japan only -- Guilty Gear 2: Overture has been added to Games On Demand for ¥2,940 ($32.75). Additionally, in Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, Singapore and Taiwan, Ridge Racer 6 is now available -- also for ¥2,940 in Japan, with prices varying by region.

Shortcut: Add Condemned to your download queue [via Xbox.com]

Condemned to Games on Demand originally appeared on Joystiq Xbox on Tue, 09 Mar 2010 12:44:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Electronic Arts will publish 38 Studios' first game -- which will not be the studio's interminably tardy MMO Copernicus -- the company announced today. The game has been codenamed "Project Mercury" and is being developed by Big Huge Games, acquired by 38 last year. The mysterious, "epic single-player" RPG is under the stewardship of Ken Rolston, former lead of the last two Elder Scrolls titles.

"Project Mercury" is set in the Copernicus universe, created by fantasy author R.A. Salvatore, with artistic direction by Spawn creator Todd McFarlane. Salvatore is expected to speak later this week at GDC. The game is scheduled for release on Xbox 360, PS3 and PC when it's done.

EA to publish 38 Studios' first project, developed by Big Huge Games originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 09 Mar 2010 12:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Here is the current schedule for upcoming content coming soon to the Xbox LIVE Marketplace*

 

Xbox LIVE Deal of the Week:

March 15: Fable Originals, 800 Points

March 22: Fallout 3 Game Add-ons :Operation: Anchorage, The Pitt, Broken Steel, Point Lookout and Mothership Zeta,  400 points each 

Xbox LIVE Games on Demand:

March 9: Condemned: Criminal Origins (not available in Germany, Japan, India or Korea)
March 9: Guilty Gear 2 Overture (Japan)

Xbox LIVE Arcade:

As part of the Block Party promotion, here is the Arcade schedule for March.

March 10: Scrap Metal, 1200 points

March 17: Perfect Dark, 800 points

March 24: Game Room, Free to download. Individual games will cost 240 to 400 points

Xbox Avatar Marketplace:

These are just a few of the collections scheduled for the Xbox LIVE Avatar Marketplace.

March 11: St. Patty’s Day
March 11: Scrap Metal

March 18: Perfect Dark

March 18: Alan Wake

Also, the following Xbox 360 Game Add-Ons are scheduled to be available:

 

March 9: Forza Motorsport 3 Jalopnik Car Pack, 400 Microsoft Points

March 11: BioShock 2 Sinclair Solutions Tester Pack,  800 Microsoft Points

March 16: Dragon Age: Origins Awakening Expansion Pack, 3200 Microsoft Points

 

Also, later this week we’ve got the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Multiplayer Unlock event running from March 12 [9:00 am PT / Noon ET] – March 15 [9:00 am PT / Noon ET], during which Silver Xbox LIVE members will be able to enjoy online multiplayer in the game for free. Sign up for a free Xbox LIVE account today and be prepared to play.

You may want to follow my Twitter account if you want to be reminded when many of the above items become available.

 

*Current schedule. Subject to change. All content may not be available in all Xbox LIVE regions.

Game Informer's latest "TidBits" column features a a glorious list of "inside baseball" stats from Dragon Age: Origins. Some of the numbers are simply cute, while others are positively frightening: "QA analyst Bruce Venne played 1,957.55 hours of Dragon Age PC in 5,352 games." Consequently, "The Bruce" was awarded to staff that played more than Venne in any given month -- the honor was bestowed only once.

While the list is mostly packed with numbers, there are some notable non-numerical did-you-knows, like the staff's affectionate nickname for the Ogre, "Fluffy," and, unsurprisingly, the revelation that one of the BioWare crew makes chain mail "from scratch."

Check out the full list of Dragon Age tidbits on Game Informer.

Dragon Age 'TidBits' drop stats like a Fluffy punch originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 09 Mar 2010 10:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It's not so surprising, really, that Modern Warfare 2, arguably the world's most popular video game, would recruit such a staggering amount of bodies for its perpetual online war. But, there it is: 25 million unique players, as revealed in a tweet from Infinity Ward's community guy-at-large, Robert "fourzerotwo" Bowling. We've contacted Infinity Ward for specific platform numbers, but in the meantime, Bowling offers a bit more to chew on:

He confirms the majority of players are taking the fight to Xbox Live, but he says the PS3 comes in at "a close" second. That puts the PC space in third, though it's still enlisted "millions," according to Bowling. But, what about that boycott? Oh, right.

Now, it should be noted that Modern Warfare 2's reported 25 million players aren't necessarily all on active duty. Surely, more than a few steadfast soldiers have taken up positions in DICE's Battlefield: Bad Company 2. No rest for the weary, eh?

Modern Warfare 2 enlists 25 million unique players, Bowling says originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 09 Mar 2010 10:06:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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This game was classified by the community with the following category scores - Violence=1/3, Sex=0/3, Mature Content=0/3. Play as a safari hunter re-capturing animals that have escaped from RidKim Zoo. Play over 20 levels across 4 different terrains capturing some of the most dangerous and unusual animals. Try survivor mode to see just how long you can survive against a never ending barrage of animals.