22.2.07

Forza Motorsport Redesign

Xbox Live's Major Nelson: "I just noticed that the redesign went live this morning. The site will give you an idea of some of the web based game integration (like Tournaments) that Forza Motorsport 2 will have, including the ‘Forza Motorsport 2 Online Auction House’ which will allow you to sell your auto creations for in-game career cash. Poke around the site to discover more of what the game will offer."

MotoGP 07 confirmed for Xbox 360

Xbox 360 Fanboy: "Xboxygen reports that Climax's upcoming title will be MotoGP 07, and will feature updated graphics, and 3D animated crowds. Old school Xbox Live members should have fond memories of the MotoGP series. The online demo/patch for the original MotoGP as well as the demo for Whacked! were packed in with the initial release of the Xbox Live starter kit back in 2002. On Xbox 360, MotoGP 06 wowed gamers with its stellar graphics, and while the Grand Prix was less forgiving, the Extreme Mode tailored more to the arcade racing style and was more accessible. Are you interested in some two wheeled racing? And for the record, were any of our readers there for the beginning of Xbox Live and had some of their first online experiences in a 16 person race around Mugello?"

Microsoft Announces New Xbox 360 Platinum Hits

TeamXbox: REDMOND, Wash. — Feb. 22, 2007 — From gamers looking for fun with the family — such as volleying with tennis pros— to those who want hardcore action — such as leading an elite Ghost Recon squad equipped with cutting-edge weapons and communications systems — anyone in search of a great game experience can find a blockbuster title with Platinum Hits for the Xbox 360™ video game and entertainment system. On the heels of the expanded Platinum Hits launch in Europe earlier this month, Microsoft Corp. today announced that the next round of titles in the Xbox 360 Platinum Hits library will be available March 16 in North America, Latin America, Japan and the Asia Pacific region.

Next month’s Platinum Hits releases include critically acclaimed games from the industry’s leading publishers, including Activision Publishing Inc.’s “Call of Duty 2,” Electronic Arts Inc.’s “EA SPORTS™ Fight Night Round 3,” Ubisoft Entertainment’s “Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter” and 2K Sport’s “Top Spin 2.” This lineup of Platinum Hits represents some of the best high-definition titles available on Xbox 360 at an appealing price.

Next month’s Platinum Hits release, starting at an estimated retail price of $29.99 (U.S.), will include the following titles in the Americas:
  • “Battlefield 2: Modern Combat™” (Electronic Arts)
  • “Burnout™ Revenge” (Electronic Arts)
  • “Call of Duty 2” (Activision)
  • “Dead or Alive 4” (TECMO Inc.)
  • “Fight Night Round 3” (Electronic Arts)
  • “Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter” (Ubisoft)
  • “Top Spin 2” (2K Sports)
  • “Rockstar Games presents Table Tennis” (Rockstar Games)
In Japan the Platinum Hits titles listed below will be available in March for 2,800 yen:
  • “Battlefield 2: Modern Combat (Electronic Arts)”
  • “Burnout Revenge” (Electronic Arts)
  • “Chrome Hounds” (Sega Corp.)
  • “Perfect Dark Zero” (Microsoft Game Studios)
In the Asia Pacific region these new Platinum Hits titles will be available. New pricing for these games will vary slightly by region:
  • “Dead or Alive 4” (TECMO)
  • “N3: Ninety-Nine Nights” (Microsoft Game Studios)
  • “Project Gotham Racing® 3” (Microsoft Game Studios)
  • “Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter” (Ubisoft)
Gamers throughout Europe are able to pick up the following new Platinum Hits titles, launched earlier this month, for an estimated retail price of 29.99 euros:
  • “Call of Duty 2” (Activision)
  • “Dead or Alive 4” (TECMO)
  • “Project Gotham Racing 3” (Microsoft Game Studios)
  • “Rockstar Games presents Table Tennis” (Rockstar Games)
  • “Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter” (Ubisoft)
  • “Lara Kroft Tomb Raider: Legend” (Eidos Interactive Ltd.)
“Platinum Hits not only lets gamers enjoy a broad portfolio of titles at an amazing price,” said Jeff Bell, corporate vice president of Global Marketing for the Interactive Entertainment Business at Microsoft. “It also ensures that existing and new gamers alike can get the most from their Xbox 360 by owning a great library of blockbuster hits. So if you missed playing a game the first time around, now there is a great reason to pick it up.”

The Xbox 360 Platinum Hits program, which launched worldwide last fall, gives people access to great games at a great value. And now with more than 10.4 million Xbox 360 consoles in living rooms around the world, there will be plenty of new console owners eager to jump into the best-selling Xbox 360 games. In fact, the Xbox and Xbox 360 Platinum Hits program accounts for more than 16.3 million games sold worldwide. A full list of Platinum Hits titles available in the U.S., Europe and Japan is available online at http://www.xbox.com/platinumhits.

GRAW 2 demo date confirmed

Xboxic : "On Monday February 26th, you’ll be able to duke it out against some friends, or a bunch of strangers with the Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter 2 demo. At this point we have no idea what the exact contents in terms of weapons and other peripherals of this earlier announced demo are, but we do have some pictures from one of the levels. If you have no interest in having your ass kicked by humans you can try the already available single player demo.

According to Xboxyde, the map displayed in the four images will be playable up to 16 players in both death match and coop modes. For more information about the game you can read this interview or this demo announcement post.

On the official GRAW 2 website, Ubisoft is announcing a match against the developers of the game, and all you need to participate is the demo of the game. If you want to apply, simply head over to the website and register an account on their forum and leave your e-mail and Gamertag there."

IPTV for Xbox 360 to be shown next month

GamesIndustry.biz: "Microsoft will showcase its IPTV service for Xbox 360 at The Connected Home exhibition in London, March 5 - 7.

Microsoft's Worldwide director of marketing Ed Graczyk will demonstrate the service during his keynote entitled 'The Future of Connected Entertainment'.

'Separately the Xbox 360 and Microsoft TV IPTV Edition deliver unique and exciting entertainment experiences, but IPTV on Xbox 360 delivers a real value proposition for consumers, service providers and content and game developers alike,' commented Graczyk.

'By integrating these industry-leading solutions, we continue to drive innovation and enable new connected entertainment experiences for consumers.'

IPTV will allow the Xbox 360 to be used as a digital recorder, and allow crossover features such as the ability to record while playing Xbox 360 games or chatting over Xbox Live while watching TV.

The service is expected to roll out in Europe before the end of the year."

Xbox Live soon to be free?

Xboxic: "Or is it not to be? These are the questions currently facing Microsoft as they develop their strategy towards the “Games for Windows” platform and the online experience within. In a recent interview with 1UP, Microsoft Corporate Vice President Shane Kim addressed a couple of questions with regards to the online service on offer for PC gamers.

If you have any experience with online gaming for the PC, you know the one big benefit is that it is free. There are also services such as Gamespy that offer decent alternatives to what Microsoft plan to offer with Live. So decent that Microsoft may have difficulty breaking into the PC World. Especially if MS offer an alternative provider that charges; why would anyone swap over to Live and pay, when they can game for free elsewhere? It isn’t economically viable for MS to this.

Added pressure of course comes from console competitors. Whilst Nintendo have been almighty slow in getting their online plans put into place (i.e.: they haven’t), Sony have been striding forward with their service which is free for every user, and they have their own servers for first party games. For all the criticism levelled at Sony, they are offering something Microsoft isn’t: free online gaming."

360 eats electricity. A lot of it!

Xbox 360 Fanboy: "The crew at HCW decided to compare the power consumption of all three major consoles. Just for good measure, they threw in a mid-range PC as well. The overall conclusion, both the Xbox 360 and PS3 suck up almost as much juice as a PC. The Wii, on the other hand, sips lightly on its electricity like a vacationing retiree drinking a mai tai. It's worth noting that the PS3 does consume more power than the 360. During DVD playback, the Xbox 360 uses somewhat less than the PC or the PS3, though HCW notes that 360 playback quality is low and the machine itself is noisy.

Does any of this really matter? Nope, but it's interesting nonetheless, and it's sure to give fanboys some fuel for the forums. HCW will be comparing other aspects of the consoles in the coming weeks. We'll keep you posted."