Trick Or Treat?: Top Secret Microsoft Product To Launch At Midnight

I'm told that tonight, at 12:01am EST (okay, so tomorrow), the division of Microsoft that launched the Xbox and the Zune will unveil something very special . What it is, we do not know for sure, but it's "something totally new coming out of the Entertainment and Devices division, and it's going to change the way people interact with technology." The email (which was not a tip but rather was mistakenly sent to me through official channels) also stated that "you really have to see it to believe it." How tantalizing.

The timing is good, since tomorrow is when Bill Gates and Steve Jobs get to point fingers at each other under the grandfatherly gaze of Grand Vizier Walt Mossberg, and in these heady iPhone days, Gates needs all the ammo he can get. But what the heck is it? We're convinced Zune 2.0 is still a ways off, but then again, what else would this division be up to? Stay tuned, and we'll get back to you with the details right around midnight

Gameport: Ben Heck's Portable Emulator

Everyone's favorite game console mad mod genius, Ben Heck, has a new project, and it's something that you and I might actually get a chance to play with for a change. Instead of a one-off like the Xbox 360 Laptop, he's designing the case for the GamePort, a handheld emulator designed to play retro games.

So he's designed it for a reputable company rather than just for fun, so we should be able to buy it, right? Well… maybe. According to the GamePort site, "the company that would have distributed the GamePort in stores perished after legal problems. Several other options are being discussed, including selling directly online." Awesome. Not exactly something to fill us with confidence, but who knows, maybe it'll go up for sale at some point.

IGN: Forza Motorsport 2 Review 8.9

So Forza 2 has brilliant physics, great customization options, and solid online play. So why isn't it earning greater esteem from IGN? As I said early on, a racing game is about more than just the cars. Much like its predecessor, Forza 2 lacks soul. The only personality you'll find in Forza 2 are the custom skins created by fans. While it's certainly an enjoyable and well-made game, it just doesn't have the spark of energy and excitement found in almost every other racer.

Cars are supposed to be sexy, but they aren't sexy in Forza 2. Sure, they are accurately recreated and have spot-on physics, but Forza 2 is the Ed Asner of racers. It's talented, but you wouldn't want to take it to bed.

8.5 Forza Motorsport 2 Xbox 360 Review 1UP

"Forza 2 is the best sim racer out there right now, no question, and it continues to lead the way online. But aside from the cool online auction and community stuff, it's pretty much Forza 1 with updated graphics -- which is great, but I was hoping for a slightly larger step forward."

Epic: UT3 is Gears on Crack, Cover is for Wimps!

The latest issue of OXM features a six-page article on Unreal Tournament 3. More important, the preview contains the first details regarding the Xbox 360 version of the game, which both the developers and the magazine editors confirmed it is looking in its current state better than Gears of War.

The reason for that is Epic Games has improved the Unreal Engine 3 for Xbox 360 since they shipped Gears of War six months ago.

In the preview, Epic Games’ Steven Polge, the lead designer of Unreal Tournament 3, confirms that the Xbox 360 version of the game will support four-player co-op and two-player split-screen in the single-player campaign, which will let you take different paths depending on the decisions you take.

The preview also revealed that Unreal Tournament 3 will feature 18 vehicles and 5 types of turrets. Epic also promises “zero-time to spectacle” thanks to the hoverboard (two of them being linked to a Manta in the picture below).

Regarding the controls, Polge revealed that they are so good that half the people who work on the game prefer to play the Xbox 360 version. Furthermore, the guy responsible for the controls has stepped in playtest sessions, where everyone was on keyboards, and with a controller he kicked everyone’s butt.

Now that Epic is known among Xbox gamers for Gears or War rather than its emblematic Unreal franchise, the comparison between the two series is inevitable.

Jerry O’Flaherty, the art director for both games, says that “Gears if a more confined game. UT is about big, huge distances. The speed of UT is so quick; it’s not a walking environment, it’s a running or flying environment.”

Finally, Polge chipped into the discussion saying: “It’s Gears on crack. Cover is for wimps!”

We encourage you to go and get the July issue of OXM to read this UT3 preview, which shows for the first time the Necris Scavenger, new levels and new screenshots of the game with plenty of gore and a disturbing headshot.

New MGS 4 coming to the 360 rumor is bologna

In the past few days rumors have been a flutter over a Swedish gaming magazine confirming that Metal Gear Solid 4 would be making its way to the Xbox 360 in 2008. The source, a supposedly translated piece from the magazine's article posted on the Xbox.com forums. Well, from what we can tell, this rumor is made up crud that some fanboy whipped together to stir the rumor pot. But why do we cry falsity?

Well, on the same forum, member indianhustler brought to everyone's attention the wording of this supposed magazine article by linking to a 2003 IGN article that talks about MGS 2. That 2003 article's verbiage is nearly identical to the supposed new MGS 4 rumor from Swedish Super Play magazine, except for a few words switched out. Take a look for yourself as we've posted both the "translated text" from the new rumor and the old 2003 MGS 2 IGN article below. See any similarities? Yeah, this MGS 4 confirmation is nothing more than a copy and paste job from an old IGN article done by a bored fanboy. That's why this is made up bologna ... for now.

Supposed MGS 4 confirmation from Super Play magazine
"At the end of 2007, one of the biggest titles to be released for any of the current generation consoles is Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots. As the follow up to the blockbuster smash hit PS2 title Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater, it will problably sell extremely well and be played by many PS3 fans. However, sole owners of Wii and Xbox 360 would have to do without it. Fortunately, Konami isn´t completely blind to the fact that more gamers deserve to play this epic title, and it is now confirmed that Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots for the Xbox 360 will launch a year later in November 2008. It will come with new content additions including VR missions and other bonus gameplay like Snake Tales, which lets you go on more objective-based missions -- some quite lengthy. So, there's no question that Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots for the Xbox 360 comes packed with more content than the original PS3-version.

Seemingly, the Xbox 360 Metal Gear would have been the one to wait for, but Konami respond by releasing the slightly beefed up Metal Gear Solid 4 for PS3 as well."

Text from MGS 2 IGN article that ran in 2003
"At the end of 2001, one of the biggest titles to be released for any of the current generation consoles was Metal Gear Solid 2. As the follow up to the blockbuster smash hit PSX title Metal Gear Solid, it went on to sell extremely well and be played by many PS2 fans. However, sole owners of GameCube and Xbox would have to do without it. Fortunately, Konami wasn't completely blind to the fact that more gamers deserved to play the epic title, and it released Metal Gear Solid 2: Substance for the Xbox a year later in November 2002. This came with new content additions including VR missions and other bonus gameplay like Snake Tales, which lets you go on more objective-based missions -- some quite lengthy. So, there's no question that Metal Gear Solid 2: Substance comes packed with more content than the original MGS2 on PS2.

Seemingly, the Xbox Metal Gear would have been the one to buy, but Konami responded quickly by releasing the slightly beefed up Metal Gear Solid 2: Substance for PS2 this March."

Purchase Shadowrun or Forza 2, get a free game

This week at Circuit City online or in-store, when you purchase either Shadowrun or Forza 2 you get a free Xbox 360 game valued at $19.99. It's a pretty good deal seeing that Circuit City's rival Best Buy doesn't offer any incentive to buy either game. Though, you'll be hard pressed to find a good 360 game for $20 as we only could dig up games like Cars, Rockstar's Table Tennis, The Outfit, and (shutter) Bomberman: Act Zero in that price range. But, it's a free game for purchasing a game you already wanted to purchase ... you game to purchase?

Avast! Here there be Pirates demos

Ah, there's nothing better than surprise demos in the morning. Actually, come to think of it, there are lots of things better than surprise demos (at any time of day really). Still, let's not sully the moment and ruin the fun of a new Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End demo gracing Xbox Live Marketplace (though the demo has already made the voyage to other shores). We've been impressed by the game's visuals so far, and now we can sample the actual swashbuckling gameplay. Let's hope for a pleasant surprise, shall we?