EGM Live* - Electronic Gaming Monthly Magazine's Weekly Podcast

EGM Live* - Podcasts from 1UP.com: BattleStation! Behind the scenes of EGM's interview with Sony's Jack Tretton!
It's another Shoe-vs.-Shane smackdown, this time about the little things...like PS3 component cables. Electronic Gaming Monthly editors Dan 'Shoe' Hsu, Jennifer Tsao, Shane Bettenhausen, and Michael Donahoe tell the full story behind the March issue's BattleStation! cover story. Is that a real tomato on the cover? What did Shoe and Jack Tretton argue about that didn't make it into the mag? And which one's cockier: Sony or Nintendo? Plus, reader mail and a return to the essays in our Question of the Week contest.
Download the Podcast:
Audio (16.4 MB) - Length: 40:25"

FEAR for Playstation 3 is graphically inferior to FEAR for Xbox 360

Xbox 360, Playstation 3, Nintendo Wii, PC and HDTV News: "It seems that the bad news for Sony's Playstation 3 will not stop pouring in. The latest bit of information concerns the game FEAR. In a preview by Gamespot it has been reported that the Playstation 3 version of FEAR is expected to be identical to the Xbox 360 counterpart, as far a game content is concerned anyway. Visually, it appears not to measure up to the months old Xbox 360 version.

Gamespot said:

''On a visual front, the PlayStation 3 version looked somewhat fuzzy compared to the crisp Xbox 360 version, even on an HDMI connection, but the graphics were otherwise identical in terms of content and textures. Meanwhile, the frame rate remained smooth and steady through our play session.

F.E.A.R. for the PlayStation 3 should deliver the same amount of thrills and chills as the PC and Xbox 360 versions, and it's not surprising that Sierra and developer Day 1 Studios took the safe road of porting over the excellent Xbox 360 game. F.E.AR.'s mix of kinetic action and creepy horror is an effective one, and the game should hit the PlayStation 3 in March. '

source: gamespot.com"

Has Xbox 360 squelched the Playstation 3's strengths and advantages?

On paper the Playstation 3 looked mighty impressive when compared to the Xbox 360 originally at E3 2005. It seemed that the true next generation would not start until Sony said so. Or would it? Does Xbox 360 really have more horsepower? (This article is not a fanboy rant but simply a means to hold Sony accountable for their promises.)

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Nerf Sports Pack for Nintendo Wii stops the violence -- sort of

after six successful generations of hard plastic accessories, who could've guessed that generation seven would bring with it the Wiimote's penchant for screen destruction and innocent-bystander injury? Enter Nerf with soft, forgiving, foam-built attachments for a bit of added realism for your golf, tennis or baseball game without all the pain.

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Xbox Live + Mac = MacLive

Any mac user that owns a Xbox 360 will want to download this app. MacLive lets you track your Xbox 360 friends off your desktop without having to log into My Xbox and uses Growl to deliver notifications as well. Screenshots and details can be found by following the link. read more

Halo 3 will ''mute idiots'' via button

Bungie has introduced an intruiging new function on the 360 controller's Back button for Halo 3, where you can mute any trashtalker you want.

Or rather, it'll refine the excellence of sound - by eliminating the sort of "vocal buttmunches" who help ensure the truth of the following equation: "Teenagers, plus anonymity, plus microphone = idiot."

The "A-Hole Button" as they're calling it brings up a score list with everyone's tag on it. By using the right stick, you can quickly select whichever player is smack-talking you into a stupor, and you won't hear from them again.

"Any muted player you have selected in your Xbox Live account overrides Halo 3's new system, but that should actually enhance the choice of maroons you're editing out of your gameplay. Best of all, it means fewer wasted or frustrating gameplay sessions," Bungie's Frank O'Connor notes.

"We're doing our best to come up with lots of smart solutions for stuff like this, but honestly, we can't be parents to some of these poltroons. We're much more concerned with giving you guys the tools you need to silence them."

It's also worth checking out this week's update for more hints about weapons, along with some comments on actress Jen Taylor's visit to the studio to record Cortana's Halo 3 dialogue.

"There's a lot more drama and a lot less technical jargon this time around. I actually just finished a couple of lines that nearly had me in tears. For an actor, more drama is always good," she notes.

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Xbox Rewards Site Now Open

Xbox Rewards: "Its time to get something back for all you've put into gaming. Welcome to Xbox Rewards

"Play, Challenge, Get Rewarded, Find out how it works"

Future Shop wants Canadians to get 360s; Free gift card if out of stock

Xbox 360 Fanboy: "Future Shop, the Canadian equivalent to Best Buy (who actually purchased the franchise in 2001), promoted the Xbox 360 as a worthy next gen console in a recent 'Ask the Expert' column. The article brings up various points about how the 360 stacks up to the competition, mentioning price, resolution and available titles. It's good that they're giving an honest look at the hardware. They finished up with the following:

'Even better, Future Shop guarantees that the Xbox 360 will always be in stock - or you'll receive a $30 Future Shop Gift Card - so you can join in the future of gaming anytime. '

So you fellow Canuck fanboys keep your eyes peeled next time you're at Future Shop, because you could snag a gift card that could go towards your next game."

Paperboy on Wednesday

Xboxic: "s posted earlier, we knew it wouldn’t be Worms, so let’s forget about that for a moment and enjoy the news that Paperboy is coming this very Wednesday to an Xbox 360 near you. The price is thankfully 400 MS Points for those wondering.

Players control a paperboy on his speedy bicycle delivering newspapers along a busy suburban street. The goal is to deliver a week of daily newspapers to subscribers’ homes without damaging their property, all the while avoiding hazards such as grumpy neighbors, annoying dogs and moving vehicles. Miss a delivery too many times and players may lose a subscriber for good.

This is a game that really needs no introduction, but if you are just that bit too young, the briefest of summaries is above. Originally released in 1984, the coin operated arcade version was much loved by everyone, and it was very addicting. Will it work on the 360 though? It will need some new features."

New UT3 screens are eye popping

Xbox 360 Fanboy: "Our friends at Xboxygen scored some new shots of Unreal Tournament 3, the fourth game in the Unreal Tournament series. The shots mostly showcase the game's gloriously rendered vehicles. Most notable of the new vehicles is the vicious tripod pictured above. The giant mechanical beasts appear to be terrorizing the Japanese countryside (something that almost never happens). Another interesting shot shows two players on hoverboards hooked onto a third vehicle, Back to the Future style. Put simply, the game looks great. Click the 'read' link for more pretty pictures (perfect for wallpaper)."

Live top ten: attack of the demos

Xbox 360 Fanboy: "After the Crackdown demo managed to crack the long held top three last week, two more demos are climbing the Xbox Live charts this week. While Gears of War maintains #1 and Rainbow Six Vegas reclaims #2, Call of Duty 3 has been pushed all the way down to #5. The usurpers: the Crackdown demo at #3 and the GRAW 2 demo at #4. Madden 07 remains at #6, while Lost Planet drops two spots to claim #7. Another demo, NBA Street Homecourt, lands at #8, while Live mainstays, Oblivion and GRAW, grab #9 and #10 respectively. Check out a handy list after the break.

Each entry is followed by its position on the previous breakdown.

Xbox 360 Titles for the week of 2/5:
1. Gears of War (#1)
2. Rainbow Six: Vegas (#3)
3. Crackdown demo (#2)
4. GRAW 2 demo (--)
5. Call of Duty 3 (#4)
6. Madden 07 (#6)
7. Lost Planet (#5)
8. NBA Street Homecourt demo (--)
9. Oblivion (#8)
10. GRAW (--)"

Guitar Hero II for $79.99 [update 1]

Xbox 360 Fanboy: "Update: Oops, looks like shipping isn't free. Instead, all customers will be upgraded to 2nd day air for the normal shipping cost of $7.67. Still, you'll get Guitar Hero II for $87.66 delivered. Not too shabby.

Anyone looking to save a little scratch on the upcoming Guitar Hero II need look no further than Costco. Costco is offering the bundle, including the game and X-plorer guitar controller, for $79.99. That's a full $10 off the retail price. As an added bonus, Costco will throw in a 2 day shipping upgrade for free. According to the website, this deal will only be available for a limited time, so those who prefer to rock on the cheap better get moving.

If any of you frugal rockers find any more great deals, be sure to send us a tip."

Detailed Fable 2 info coming at GDC

Xbox 360 Fanboy: "This year's Game Developers Conference kicks off in March and it looks like we'll get the insider dish on Lionhead's Fable 2. GWN.com dugg up information on the GDC's conference sessions and found one on Fable 2 hosted by Peter Molyneux. We double checked this information and located a GDC session called 'Innovations in Fable 2' hosted by Peter and starting on March 8th. The description says that the 'talk will centre around revolutions in Fable 2.' and 'will examine how key game play elements have been refined and expanded'. Will we finally get every last detail on Lionhead's highly anticipated sequel? Will we get to see actual gameplay videos? Will Molyneux start the hype machine and over promise on all levels? We don't have any answers now, but we know that there will be some Fable 2 information coming out of GDC ... how much is still unknown."