For this week only, you can grab Saints Row 2 DLC, "Ultor Exposed" at a 30% discount.  Normally 800 points, the download will be available for 560 until November 15, 2009.

Download to your Xbox 360 here.

Disgruntled Ultor microbiologist Tera Patrick holds the key to the corporation’s illicit research activities and revenue generating schemes. Help Tera dismantle the Ultor Corporation by exposing the megacorp’s seedy operations to the citizens of Stilwater. Battle through three all new co-op enabled missions. Commandeer new air and ground vehicles including attack aircraft and luxury sports cars. Customize your character with new hairstyles, law enforcement uniforms, and all new clothes. Own the streets in new Strong Arm and Gangsta Brawl multiplayer maps. These are your Saints and this is your city like you’ve never seen it before…fully exposed!

At the time of this writing, there is literally 24 hours left until the midnight launch of #MW2, the world’s most anticipated game. As you all know, @openTRAY will be giving out a copy of the game if we reach 500 followers. However, that isn’t the point of this post…

Our friends, the 360 Junkies, are hosting the Modern Warfare 2 Xbox LIVE Community Playdate! You can read up more on Xbox.com’s page here, or read the post on the Junkies post here.

We’ll definitely be playing on Tuesday as well, so join either of us if you’d like.

For more gaming updates or to contact me, follow me on Twitter.

Just a reminder to everyone, if you follow @openTRAY and retweet the following message, you’ll be entered in to win a copy of Modern Warfare 2 for the Xbox 360. Also, we have to get 500 followers, so be sure to tell your friends!

Help @openTRAY reach 500 followers b4 Nov 10 and get a chance to win copy of #MW2 for 360. RT and follow @opentray and use hash tag #otmw2

Simple as that!

For more gaming updates or to contact me, follow me on Twitter.

Modern Warfare 2 brings its A game to every aspect of the game.  An enticing story-driven singleplayer, an already famous and improved multiplayer, and Spec-Ops mode for you co-op lovers.  openTRAY wants to know which mode you’ll check out first, this Tuesday [or whenever you get the game].

Sega is giving everyone a chance to play the Bayonetta demo early. All you have to do, is sign up for the “Sega Pass” here [free] and go back to the site on November 9th and register for your code. Registration for early access will be open until November 13th. It’s a first come, first serve kind of thing. Hurry if you want to get a chance to play the demo early!

Finally, a chance to play something early without pre-ordering it. Nice job SEGA.

For more gaming updates or to contact me, follow me on Twitter.

In Episode 4, we talk about the lack of playtime our 360’s have received, the hate that fuels Blizz’s life with Gears of War 2, and the epic Modern Warfare 2 trailer, amongst other news stories.

EA plans to ship a Mass Effect 2 Collector’s Edition when the game hits store shelves, in late January. As always, the publisher claims to have a “Limited Quantity”.

The collector’s edition will come in the ever popular tin case, and include the game, a 48-page hardcover “Art of ME2” Book, Issue #1 of the “Mass Effect Redemption” comic book, and a bonus DVD with behind-the-scenes and making-of videos.

It will cost an extra $10 on each platform, costing $69.99 on the Xbox 360, and $59.99 on the PC.

"We’re really excited to roll out this Collectors’ Edition featuring so many unique items, including special Collectors’ Edition armor and weapons and content that will surprise Mass Effect fans," said Dr. Ray Muzyka, co-founder, BioWare and Group General Manager of the RPG/MMO Group of EA. "The limited edition comic book and bonus DVD will really enhance and expand the overall Mass Effect 2 experience."

Mass Effect 2 is releasing January 26th in North America, and January 29th for Europe.

We talked about it in the openTRAY Podcast, but now Halo Waypoint is available to everyone worldwide. You can check it some of the features [including ‘Channel Schedule’] and learn more about Halo Waypoint here. All you have to do is go to your dashboard and find the Halo Waypoint application, install it, and enjoy.

For more gaming updates or to contact me, follow me on Twitter.

This is the most epic thing I have ever seen, with an awesome Eminem song to add the final touches. Modern Warfare 2 releases worldwide November 10th, 2009. I have goose bumps… And NO I’m not crying =]

For a chance to win a regular edition of Modern Warfare 2 for the Xbox 360, Retweet [and follow the guidelines said in the tweet] the following:

Help @openTRAY reach 500 followers b4 Nov 10 and get a chance to win copy of #MW2 for 360. RT and follow @opentray and use hash tag #otmw2

For more gaming updates or to contact me, follow me on Twitter.

Every few weeks, openTRAY will go back and take a look at some of the best older games out there, something you may have missed, or perhaps less popular.

In this installment, we take a look at Rainbow Six Vegas 2

Rainbow Six: Vegas 2

Out of the three Go Back and Plays, two are Tom Clancy games. Rainbow Six has always been a favorite personally, and this installment [the seventh] is by far the best yet.  The amount of customization in this game beats out any other FPS you can find [besides the upcoming Modern Warfare 2 perhaps]. Released in march of 2008, this built upon the story, and overall experience of the first one. Unlike the first one, where you only got small amounts of EXP, and only in online play, in this, you can rank up in any game-type. The amount of features in this game is overwhelming, and that’s why I’m going to keep this short. I can find a copy of this for around $10. If you like convenience, and you don’t mind spending an extra $10-$20 [or $40+ depending on your region], then you can buy the game here [Games on Demand]. I recommend you stay away from the first one, as the achievements are pretty hard, there’s no running, and the online community is close to dead. And trust me, this is one of the funnest games on Xbox LIVE.

For more gaming updates or to contact me, follow me on Twitter.

For a price of nothing, and for a storage size of 2 gigabites, you can now download the demo for Left 4 Dead 2. Previously available to pre-orders first, now a week later, the demo is available for the public. Let us know.. are you going to get L4D2?
You can download the content here.

For more gaming updates or to contact me, follow me on Twitter.

Tuesday, November 3

Retail Games

• Band Hero
• Dragon Age: Origins
• Jurassic: The Hunted
• Pro Evolution Soccer 2010
• Star Wars: The Force Unleashed: Ultimate Sith Edition

Wednesday, November 4

Xbox LIVE Arcade

• Wallace & Gromit’s Grand Adventures: Episodes 2-4

Starting today [Nov. 2nd] through Sunday, Nov. 8th, the Variety Map Pack on Call of Duty 4 is 50% off, normally 800 Microsoft Points, this week 400 points. The map pack includes the following 4 maps:

‘Broadcast’, a map inspired by the single player mission where you go to the TV station trying to find Al Asad, Broadcast is my 2nd favorite out of the 4.
‘Creek’, an open-ended map with only a few buildings, meaning most combat will be outside, also, my least favorite of the maps.
‘Chinatown’, a favorite from Call of Duty 2, this is a remake of the fun map, and is also my favorite, as it mixes with objective type games and Team Deathmatch perfectly.
Finally, ‘Killhouse’ is a small map, only available on free for all types or Team Tactical [3v3], it makes for a fun knifing map in private matches, as well as a fun map for free for all or TDM.

You can pick them up here.

And a reminder, to celebrate the release of #MW2 and the discount, Activision and Infinity Ward are holding the likely last Double EXP Weekend for Call of Duty 4. Just another reason to play nothing but Call of Duty now through the rest of time.

For more gaming updates or to contact me, follow me on Twitter.

Do not attempt to adjust your Internet. We are everywhere. We are everyone. Are you ready for The Invasion?  Are you ready for the single greatest organized attack on Xbox Live and PlayStation Network?  We are of the same cloth so we will battle on the same grounds.

Now is the time to have direct, close-up and personal contact with your community.  It is a celebration of the community, the industry, and our passion.  But most of all it is a concentration of fun with people having a good time together.

The Target: Xbox Live, clan tag TI51
The Weapon: Call of Duty 4: MW
The Date: Nov. 6
The Time: 10PM EST/7PM PST

The Invasion is happening soon. Join us.

Episode 3 starts out with an astonishing 2 stories. With this week being one of the slowest news week yet.  This episode’s quick and short, in a good way.

If you were one of the many who got into the preview program for the Social Media Insight, then today you’re getting a new feature to look out, a few weeks early. Halo Waypoint is a destination, only on Xbox LIVE and for Gold Members, for all your Halo needs. I’ll give my impressions later in the day, but it is now available to most English speaking countries, excluding Canada, as stated by Major Nelson.

For more gaming updates or to contact me, follow me on Twitter.

Released today, The Ballad of Gay Tony is now available on Xbox LIVE, for 1600 M$ Points, or $20. There’s also a stand-alone disc featuring “The Ballad of Gay Tony” and the earlier DLC release, “The Lost and the Damned”, available for $40, or $35 at Amazon.

You can download the content here, or buy the disc here [Amazon], here [Gamestop], or here [Game.co.uk].

For more gaming updates or to contact me, follow me on Twitter.

Content: CSI: Deadly Intent Demo
Price: Free
Availability: All Xbox LIVE regions
Dash Text: In Sin City there are no secrets, only hidden answers. Join the new Vegas CSI team and explore brand-new cases written by CSI writers. Partner with the new cast of CSI Season 9 and explore crime scenes, examine victims’ bodies, and follow the surprising twists and turns of the story. Unveil hidden evidence, and search for valuable clues on the crime scene. Interview a variety of witnesses and suspects by asking key questions and using evidence to uncover the truth. Analyze evidence with an assortment of new technology, including DNA and microscope analysis. Play the demo now!

If you think you’ll still be playing Call of Duty: World at War after a couple weeks and don’t own all the maps, we have a deal for you.  Major Nelson reports that every map pack for Call of Duty: World at War has been marked down 50% for one week only.  If you haven’t bought any maps, you can grab all 12 for $15.

Tuesday, October 27

Retail Games

• Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader: Game Time
• Ben 10 Alien Force: Vilgax Attacks
• CSI: Deadly Intent
• DJ Hero
• Fairytale Fights
• Forza Motorsport 3
• Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City
• Madagascar Kartz
• SpongeBob’s Truth or Square
• Tekken 6

Wednesday, October 28

Xbox LIVE Arcade

• Inferno Pool
• Rainbow Island: Towering Adventure!

The Fable II Pub Games include three exciting casino-style games set in the world of Lionhead’s award-winning Fable® series. The games include Fortune’s Tower (a pyramid card game in which each row can make or break your fortunes), Keystone (a game of dice and chance with numerous betting options), and Spinnerbox (where luck is everything). When you get the retail version of Fable II, you can transfer gold and unique items that you’ve won in these pub games to your characters in the world of Albion.

Normally downloaded at 800 points, you can grab this for 400 this week only.

This week iBlizz and Kyaizen are back, this time a little more on topic. We talk about the upcoming Xbox LIVE social media update, along with gaming news. Fit in Jared’s crazy obsession with spending ridiculous amounts of time on Saints Row and Rainbow Six Vegas, and you’ve got Episode #2.

By now you’ve heard of a few new features being added later this year to the Xbox 360.  Including, Facebook, Twitter, Last.fm, and Zune Marketplace with InstantON 1080p.  This all sounds like the next logical step in terms of dashboard features, and a good chuck of us got to experience the new update a little early.  Here’s what we have to say so far.

It’s quite a lengthy write-up and if you don’t feel like reading the whole thing, we’re surely going to cover it in our show Saturday.

Twitter

Let’s take this one at a time starting with my most anticipated feature, Twitter.  When I first heard of Twitter coming to the Xbox 360, I got real excited, real fast.  It has become my main medium of information and communication for not just one niche, but everything.  When I installed the update, I immediately opened up the Twitter application [which was quite buried by the way].

Logging was pretty straightforward, and easy with my chat pad.  It also has a feature to remember your info, so you don’t have to type in your username and password every time.  Interface is pretty nice, with the whole cloud theme they have going.  Although, I really hope they allow different themes for the app.

It’s a pretty standard twitter application.  You can view the latest 50 tweets in your feed, which updates every minute (or every second if you mash on the Y button).  You can reply and retweet by simply selecting the tweet.  The application also allows you to browse user profiles; allowing to view their bio and follower counts.

Of course, you can post a tweet as well.  However, there is a little quirk with posting tweets.  Twitter allows 140 characters, most all applications have a live character count as you are typing your update.  On the Xbox, this is not the case.  You have to keep things extra short and simple as you have no idea how many characters you’ve used so far.  Unless you’re a twitter veteran and have a knack for spotting 140.

While as an application, everything twitter is solid on the Xbox 360.  However, I highly question the practicality.  Firstly, the Xbox 360 isn’t that easy to type on.  Even with the chatpad, I try avoid using it a much as possible.  Nobody is going to go out and spend money on a wireless keyboard.  If you have one laying around, great.  You’re set, but you make up a really small percentage of users.

Typing issues aside, you really lose a huge part of the twitter experience on the Xbox 360.  Twitter has become about sharing more than just status updates.  80% of tweets in my feed have a link associated with them, pointing elsewhere on the web.  If you can’t click those links (which you can’t on the Xbox 360), those tweets are a bit worthless.

Twitter doesn’t work on the Xbox 360 for another reason, although this one has a solution that Microsoft is probably working on.  You can’t access any of the twitter functionality outside of twitter.  Meaning, you can’t do…anything while you have twitter running.  You can’t play games, browse the dashboard, the marketplace.  Only thing you can do is tweet.  The application turns your $400 Xbox 360 console into a dedicated piece of hardware for Tweeting!  Hopefully, they’ll add Twitter functionality to the guide menu in the future.

While I love twitter, and love Xbox LIVE.  I don’t think it’s a good marriage.  Mainly because you can’t have the full twitter experience without a web browser and ability to follow links.  It would be tolerable if you could post to twitter while playing a game, or doing anything besides having to have the application open.  It’s a good direction to go in, but it needs major improvement.

Facebook

Next up is Facebook.  Facebook has been done pretty well:  straightforward login, and you get access to browse all you’re friends and info.  It cuts out all the bullshit different applications, and shows you just the core feature. You know; from when facebook wasn’t an over cluttered waste of web space.

Status updates, news feed are all there and simple to view and navigate.  Facebook on the Xbox 360 is great for browsing content, and checking up on friends.  I think it will certainly fall into your routine of things you do once you leave a game in frustration to the dashboard.

One of the most used features will probably be photos.  Being able to view photos from all your facebook friends on your television is an appealing idea.  Even though you can’t upload pictures and videos to your facebook profile right now, certain games in the future will have screen capture functionality for use with facebook.

While games having access to the facebook application is an out-of-dashboard function, currently you have to be in the dashboard with the facebook application open to use it.  This is again, like with Twitter, a huge drawback that will hopefully be updated.

An extremely useful feature in this app is a function to find all your facebook friends who have an Xbox LIVE account.  This makes for a little more tight integration, as it allows you to find people you already knew, and add them onto XBL.

There really isn’t much to say about facebook on the Xbox 360.  It’s quite bland, but works.

Last.FM

Lastly, we have last.fm.  This is by far one of the neatest things available on the dashboard.  I’m a heavy last.fm user and have been for a while.  Being able to play all my stations and have my recommendations loaded up was really nice.  It also allows you to sign up for the service ‘within seconds’ right from the dashboard, if you’re not already a member.

The application does everything the desktop software does:  play music, display artist info, create new stations; you can even ‘love’ a track with a click of a button.

All three of the social apps are confined within themselves on the dashboard, but I think last.fm suffers the most from this.  We all listen to music while gaming and it would’ve been great to be able to use this outside of the application.

That’s all folks

In the end, I feel like these applications on the Xbox 360 were created as a gimmick, as none of them are really practical or usable at this point.  Maybe that will change…maybe not.  Twitter is quite useless, unless games will have access to your account.  Facebook is pretty well implemented, but is confined to the application at this point.  Last.fm is only good to have running while you’re doing something else (physically).

The intro CGI video for Left 4 Dead 2 has been floating around the internets today, and it is epic to say the least.  It’s three minutes long and will get your heart pounding for sure, so please take a seat before you hit play.  The game releases November 17th.

This new trend of multiplayer wave after wave modes may just become a standard.  While I feel that horde in Gears of War 2 failed, Firefight in ODST did a great job with the concept.  Army of Two will take a stab at it, and they will let you have two armies…of two.

Extraction will not be available at launch to everyone.  Only those who have pre-ordered will get a code.  However, one month later it will become a free download through the marketplace.  Seems like an odd pre-order bonus, but it’s one I think will sway many people buying it on launch.

Around 3 weeks ago, 3 weeks ago, Valve re-submitted Left 4 Dead 2 to the Australian Classification Board. Well, here we are, 3 weeks later, again, and L4D2 has been rejected…again.

The following comes from the source of all this.

A three-member panel of the Classification Review Board (the Review Board) has unanimously determined that the computer game Left 4 Dead 2 is classified RC (Refused Classification).

In the Review Board’s opinion, Left 4 Dead 2 could not be accommodated within the MA 15+ classification. The computer game contains a level of violence which is high in impact, prolonged, repeated frequently and realistic within the context of the game.

In addition, it was the Review Board’s opinion that there was insufficient delineation between the depiction of general zombie figures and the human figures, as opposed to the clearly fictional ‘infected’ characters. This was a major consideration of the Review Board in determining the impact of this game on minors.

Australia gets f**ked over again. Maybe you should make a real rating system, not one making a “mature game” 15 and up.

For more gaming news or to contact me, follow me on Twitter.

If you don’t know what Halo WAYPOINT is, it’s what Bungie and 343 Industries have been working on. Think of it as, a destination for all you Halo needs, and on your Xbox 360! As mentioned in the video below, however, [besides the Silver preview much like Last.FM] it is exclusive to Gold Members. Ranging from awards for achievements to guides and videos, and the introduction and continuation of the recently announced Halo anime, entitled ‘Halo Legends’. It’s shaping up to be another reason to have you Xbox 360 on 24/7. I know Halo fans are excited, so without further ado; I give you the sneak peek and Welcome to Waypoint Walkthrough video.

Halo Waypoint comes out November 5th.

I want your thoughts. Are you excited for ‘Halo Waypoint’ and the upcoming anime ‘Halo Legends’? @openTRAY or leave a comment of your thoughts.

For more gaming news or to contact me, follow me on Twitter.

To be quite honest, I didn’t realize a Prison Break game was being made after the show.  I followed the show for quite some time after losing interest in the fourth season.  A video game does seem like an intriguing idea and after seeing these screen shots this morning, I’m officially watching out for this game.

Need for Speed: Most Wanted

This was arguably the last Need for Speed that was true to franchise roots.  Again, visuals will make it apparent that the game is a launch title.  It has a open world to drive around in, and honestly this is one of the most entertaining racing games out there.  It’s a great balance of realism and arcade, something that the new NFS titles lack in their effort to become more simulators.

It’s a pretty standard racing game, with many licensed cars and customization options.  The lack of depth in my opinion is what keeps this game fun and enjoyable.  Easy to pick and play without having to have much knowledge.

All the achievements are from the single player campaign, but it’s no easy stride.  The game isn’t impossible, but can get pretty rough at times.  Completing the game will net you the full 1000 points.

This game still holds it’s value as a Platinum Hit for $30 at GameStop.

If you’re one of the few, for some reason, that haven’t pre-ordered Modern Warfare 2, Amazon gave you a whole new reason to, starting today.

As you may or may not know, I am heavy on deals, and will only buy something MSRP if I get something out of it. For instance, as posted in my ODST Review, I got $10 Amazon credit towards video games only, and a $5 credit for using a code. So, I got ODST for $9 under retail, at $51, plus got $15 off of #MW2. So, I’m paying $45 [plus shipping for same-day delivery] AND, here’s where it gets even sweeter, especially for you reading. Amazon is now offering $15 Video Game Credit! That’s right! I get MW2 for $30. LOL! Maybe you weren’t so lucky, but even so you can still get a sweet $15 off! Trust me, deals will add up, especially when Amazon offers credit, for all the games you’ll be buying in the next 6 months. Any cash saved is good!

Well, here’s the link: $15 off Modern Warfare 2. I also looked into it, it’s valid for PC, PS3, and of course, Xbox 360. Also, if you’re more keen on the Hardened edition, they are also offering $10 credit for buying that. Not as good of a deal, but hey, you get a CoD code for XBLA. Then again, you could just use the $15 saved towards just that =].

UPDATE: Wal-Mart has the same deal, so if you’re more interested in picking up a copy on day of release, instead of waiting for the mail, here’s the link.

For more gaming news or to contact me, follow me on Twitter.

Major Nelson of Xbox LIVE, posting a few days ago,  wrote an article on his blog that unauthorized Xbox 360 Storage Devices will stop working all together when the new update comes. So, if you’ve applied for the new update, and are chosen, make sure you transfer any and all content, including profiles, onto an OEM Microsoft storage device. If you haven’t signed up, or don’t get chosen, however, then you’ll have around a month to transfer everything. The Twitter/Facebook/last.FM/Zune Marketplace update will be hitting Xbox 360s world wide November 17th.

For more gaming updates or to contact me, follow me on Twitter.

Borderlands
Publisher	2K Games
Developer	Gearbox Software
Overall Score	7.5/10
Gameplay	7/10
Visuals	8/10
Multiplayer	10/10
Replay Value	6/10

Gearbox Software has a bit of a hit on their hands with Borderlands.  This shoot’em up RPG has some unique art styles, crazy guns, and a lots of sand. Hit the jump for the full review.

First item that needs to be addressed is the co-op.  I automatically will try out a game if it supports good co-op, Borderlands does just that.  Flawless drop-in/drop-out coop with up to 4 players total really boosts the fun factor.  Even though the game has strong RPG elements it does great when playing with friends with varied levels by allowing you to create and save multiple characters.  If you don’t want to create a new character for each friend you play with, the game will allow you to use existing characters as is, but will simply scale the enemies to make it reasonable.

Co-Op is perfectly presented in Borderlands.  There are no special missions or sections of the game, or any co-op only or single only parts of the giant wasteland.  Just pure drop-in/drop-out whenever you want, wherever in the game.  Similar to that of Gears of War or Crackdown.

The game is entertaining and there aren’t any fundamental flaws.  The aiming sensitivity is all familiar, as are the controls.  Nothing feels out of place and is quite intuitive.  The only thing that could be commented on is driving the main vehicle of the game.  It really gives ‘turning on a dime’ a new definition.  Driving is also quite frustrating as every object in the environment is stronger than the car.  For a game as arcade as Borderlands, it really isn’t too forgiving when you drive over a pebble.

The AI in Borderlands is a little questionable.  I’ve seen it do some really stupid things.  It is forgettable though.  Mainly there are a few different ways an enemy will attack you.  A straight up charge, which you can easily just side-step out of.  They’ll sit back and shoot.  Or they’ll come out, shoot you, and run away to recharge their shields.

The greatest (and worst, but more on that later) part of the game is the amount of weapons and items.  The weapons have ‘bazillions’ of variations and you’ll rarely pick up the same exact weapon twice.  Although, many times the variations are ever so slight, it’s hard to tell the difference when using them.  There are six weapon classes, a good number of elemental powers available, and a many standard attributes for weapons.  This allows an unimaginable number of different combinations for each weapon.

Other items in your inventory include shields, grenade mods, and character mods.  All with, again, a ridiculous amount of different attributes and effects.  Making every encounter different.

The extreme variety in this game also becomes a bit of its downfall as well.  While the UI for stats and attributes is done well enough, it could be better.  You’ll also run into many situations where you pick up so many items, you literally have to stop playing the game and spend a good 5-10 minutes on organizing/selling/equipping weapons and items.  However, once you get used to things you’ll find yourself ignoring new pickups rendering the variety a bit pointless.  Although it doesn’t take away from the game, the overwhelming feeling is worth mentioning.

The biggest drawback to this game is the absence of a story line.  Some tell me there is a story line, but I have no clue what it is.  I honestly think the game is set on a unsettled planet of some sort.  Beyond that, I’m clueless  So it may be the absence of solid presentation.  After a while, (especially if you’re playing alone) you’ll start losing motivation to do…anything.  It doesn’t help when the majority of the game is just getting from point A to point B.  It makes the game very boring and feel extremely repetitive, even though it’s not.  Having a buddy to play with is almost a necessity considering how bad it gets sometimes.

While you many not always know why you’re doing whatever it is you’re doing, you’ll always have something…unique to look at.  The visual style of Borderlands is a good mix between something to the likes of Crackdown and Team Fortress 2.  It almost has that feel when you flip through concept art for other games.  When you run someone over, the globs of blood in the air are fun to look at.

In conclusion, Borderlands isn’t anything ground-breaking, however it’s an addictive game if you play with the right crowd.  It gets many things down perfectly, including the balance between shooter and RPG.  While the game can get repetitive, the leveling system and variety of weapons will easily get you back into it.  Borderlands is a definite buy if you have a buddy or two to play with.

Alright, so I’m a huge fan of South Park, naturally, seeing I live and grew up in Colorado. Hahaha, anyway… This is going to be as long as some of my other reviews, as it’s a XBLA game, but it will still be up to quality and I won’t be skimping on details. Obviously, this is a $10 game, not a $60 one, so take that into account.

Let’s talk Plot. Now, as you expected, there isn’t much there. You’re simple defending the town from an on-going attack by an unknown enemy. That’s…about it… You shouldn’t be expecting too much in this category, so let me make it clear, that there’s pretty much no plot.. Sorry, no compelling South Park RPG for you =].

Onto gameplay, one of the key factors of a good game. It’s pretty basic, at first. You build towers to defend your town. You go through levels, ranging from the South Park docks, Kenny’s house, to Downtown and The Elementary School. Instead of simply building towers, however, you can control up to 4 characters on your own, each throwing snowballs, filling up a meter use for each character’s “special ability”. Each ability differs, anything from giving your team a boost, making their snowballs more effective and stronger, to going into a rage and turning into a tornado-kind of thing and killing all enemies as soon as you touch them.

Add this with online co-op, a challenging and fun campaign, and a small sized, yet still time-consuming challenge mode, equals an overall fun experience. The game has a solid single player, having a decent running campaign and challenging challenge mode. The multiplayer is the exact same thing, only in up to 4 player co-op. This, is the game’s downfall. It’s whats stopping me from giving this game a 10/10. There’s no new variety online, although in this game I think it helps it’s case, it’s still disappointing not to see anything new.

Onto Achievements, a very important part of gaming in this generation, for myself at least. No Arcade game exceeds 200GS, as far as I know, so this one is no exception. With, as always, a total of 12 achievements, simply playing through the single player by yourself should score you around 9 of them, if you tackle the challenges. The rest, you more than likely need to hop online and get some help. Overall, it’s a 7/10 achievement game.

Onto the verdict, the whole game. While the game was short, it was fun, and well-lived. I’m definitely gonna be going back and playing co-op over and over. That said, it is one of the game’s problems… Lack of new content online. It was disappointing to see nothing new when I hopped in the lobby, although it is nice to choose characters and play on Insane. It’s also short, so if you don’t have a Gold account, then skip it. Otherwise, it gets a 8.5/10 and a BUY.

If you want more gaming news or to contact me, follow me on Twitter.

As we all know, Abbey Road was made available today for The Beatles: Rock Band. Also announced today, Queen added 8 legendary songs to the expansive DLC list available on Rock Band. You can pick up the following tracks for 160 Microsoft Points each, or $2 USD. You can also pick the whole pack for $1 less than Abbey Road, for 1280 Microsoft Points, or $16.

You can download the pack here

The following songs were added:
Under Pressure
Tie Your Mother Down
Killer Queen
I Want to Break Free
I Want it All
Fat Bottomed Girls
Crazy Little Thing Called Love
Another One Bites the Dust

For more gaming updates or to contact me, follow me on Twitter.

The Beatles: Rock Band wrote the book on band-based music games, crushing it’s pathetic competitor by making an original game, a true dedication to the greatest band of all time. Harmonix didn’t just model some sh**y characters into their Rock Band 2 engine, instead, they re-thought, re-built the game. It focuses on The Beatles, and that’s why it was so great.

I digress, this isn’t my review of the Beatles: Rock Band, no sir, it’s to tell all you Xbox 360 owners, that the rest of the groundbreaking album, is now available on Xbox LIVE, oh, and it beat PSN by 2 days =]. You can pick it up the full album, excluding tracks already released with the game, such as “Come Together” and “Octopus’s Garden”, for a cold $16.99, also known as 1360 MSP.

You can buy the album here.

Read on for the press release:

For more gaming updates or to contact me for any reason, follow me on Twitter.

New York – October 19, 2009 – Apple Corps, Ltd., MTV Games and Harmonix, the world’s leading developer of music-based games and a part of Viacom’s MTV Networks (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B), today announced the launch of Abbey Road (1969) as the first Beatles album to be available for purchase and playable as downloadable content in The Beatles™: Rock Band™ Music Store.

With “Come Together,” “Something,” “Octopus’s Garden,” “I Want You (She’s So Heavy),” “Here Comes The Sun” and “The End” already included on The Beatles: Rock Band game disc, players will now be able to play songs from and complete the entire Abbey Road album.

Available for Xbox 360 (Oct. 20) and PlayStation 3 System (Oct. 22)

Individual Abbey Road singles: “Maxwell’s Silver Hammer,” “Oh! Darling,” and “Because”
Price: $1.99 USD, £.99 UK, €1.49 EU (160 Microsoft Points for Xbox 360) per each individual track

The “Complete The Album Pack” features:

Abbey Road singles: “Maxwell’s Silver Hammer,” “Oh! Darling,” and “Because”.

The entire Abbey Road B-side 16 minute medley that includes: “You Never Give Me Your Money,” “Sun King,” “Mean Mr. Mustard,” “Polythene Pam,” “She Came in Through the Bathroom Window,” “Golden Slumbers,” “Carry That Weight” and “The End”.

Additionally, the following songs from Abbey Road can also be played as 1-to-3-song sets, based on how they were recorded / composed:

“You Never Give Me Your Money”
“Sun King”/ “Mean Mr. Mustard”
“Polythene Pam”/ “She Came in Through the Bathroom Window”
“Golden Slumbers”/ “Carry That Weight”/ “The End”*
“Her Majesty”

Price: $16.99 USD, £10.46 UK, €11.37 EU (1360 Microsoft Points for Xbox 360) for “Complete The Album Pack”

* No additional cost for 3rd song “The End” as it is already included on game disc

-Also available on Wii today, and PSN October 22nd.

Tuesday, October 20

Retail Games

• Astro Boy: The Video Game
• Backyard Football 2010
• Bakugan Battle Brawlers
• Borderlands
• Dreamworks Madagascar Kartz
• FIFA Soccer 10
• Lips: Number One Hits
• Way of the Samurai 3
• WWE Smackdown Vs. Raw 2010

Wednesday, October 21

Xbox LIVE Arcade

• Tower Bloxx Deluxe
• Panzer General: Allied Assault

For more gaming updates or to contact me, follow me on Twitter.

From October 19 through October 26 you can grab the VS mode addon for 240 points, rather than the normal 400.

Every year publications reveal their choice for Game of The Year. So far, 6 have been nominated. It’s kind of obvious MW2 will top the list when it comes out, but here it is anyway:

Read on to see the full list

Resident Evil 5: (Capcom) In Resident Evil 5, Capcom produced outstanding graphics and action packed gameplay that made Resident Evil 5 popular not only with fans of the series, but action game fans in general. Even though the game took a step back from the horror genre, sticking with the RE4 template, it was still well received and sold well. Resident Evil 5 also brought online multiplayer (other than co-op) to the series.

Resident Evil 5 Gameplay

Fifa 10: (Electronic Arts) Fifa 10 was recently released in Europe, and is heading to N/A on Tuesday. Honestly, it’s a soccer game, and a sports game, and it should NOT be on this list.

Batman: Arkham Asylum: (Rocksteady Studios) Super hero games are usually worse than movie games, which is saying a lot. This, however, well deserves the nomination of GOTY, as it had compelling gameplay, story, and was overall just a fun experience. The best part, it was entirely single player, so no quick schemed multiplayer added. It’s a definite buy, and more than deserves it’s place on this list.

'The Rookie' looking pretty badass

Halo 3: ODST: (Bungie Studios) It’s not surprising this is on the list, seeing it sold so well, and, the Halo series is one of the best selling and most popular console driven franchise of all time, and especially this generation. In my review, I gave the game a 6/10. We also talked about it in The openTRAY Podcast Episode #1. It’s a complicated answer to give when someone asks me whether they should buy it or not. Halo fan, yes. A person who loves H3 multiplayer, or who hasn’t played H3 yet, yes. If you paid for all the map packs, however, like myself, than no, just a rent. I don’t know if it deserves GOTY, but I do agree that I was a bit harsh on the review, simply because I knocked it down 1/2 points because of no matchmaking.

The next 2 games are PS3 exclusives, so I won’t talk about them much.

Killzone 2: (who gives a fuck)  I mean, really? Killzone? People still play that game? ROFL

Uncharted 2: (Naughty Dog) Uncharted is one of the very few reasons I would ever get a Playstation 3. From what I’ve seen, this game definitely deserves to be on the list. When I get some extra cash, I will be getting a PS3 along with both Uncharted(s), just to see what I’ve been missing.

So, it’s a tie at this point. PS3 has 2 exclusives and Batman [you can play as the Joker, although that may be a tie afterall], and 360 has RE5, ODST, and Fifa. I know that some of those aren’t exclusives, but come on…

Stay tuned for Modern Warfare 2 to take GOTY of 2009

Ezio realizes the variety of life (and death) comes from weapons.

First video footage of the upcoming game.  Click here to watch the HD version.

Gearbox and 2K Games aren’t leaving you any chance to get bored with Borderlands with DLC already announced for this year.  The game itself comes out on October 20th, so the DLC well be out within….2 months of the games release.  Sweet!

For 800 you’ll be able to take over The Zombie Island of Dr. Ned.

Okay…maybe not ‘galore’, but we really like this game.  EA announced this morning that Mass Effect 2 will be on store shelves January 26, 2010.  I know it seems like a long ways away, but…yeah, It’s a long ways away.

In the mean time get yourself down to a GameStop and put down $5 toward the game and you’ll get some cool in game items.

*Quick reminder:  Make sure you keep your save files from Mass Effect as they do carry over and change your game play experience in the sequel.

• Terminus Armor — “Increasing run speed and personal shields, and augmenting weapons with an additional magazine of reserve ammo.”
• The M-90 Blackstorm Heavy Weapon — “Generates a high-powered localized gravity well, accelerating particles to near-infinite mass.”

If let’s say you don’t have a GameStop near you, or feel like they’re out to get you and you end up pre-ordering elsewhere, you do still get a neat Inferno armor which gives you’re character “an increase in run speed and augmented damage from combat powers.”

Update: Thanks @jpasula for the armor omission catch.

So, in the past year, Activision shoveled out: Guitar Hero: World Tour, Guitar Hero: Mertallica, Guitar Hero: Smash Hits, Guitar Hero 5, Guitar Hero: Van Halen, DJ Hero, and now Band Hero….

That’s 7 Hero games in a 12 month span. Wonderful… I’ll give my full thoughts on the podcast this Saturday, but enough bitching =].

You can download the demo here.
[Exclusive to Xbox Live GOLD Members only]
For gaming updates or to contact me, follow me on Twitter.

IGN has our fix for Modern Warfare 2 and it’s new spec-ops mode.

Microsoft recently announced that sign-ups for the Twitter/Facebook and Last.FM/Zune Marketplace preview program are now open.

The preview program gives members of the Xbox Live community early access to these new features to test them out before it’s publically released later this fall [no release date, yet].

If you want a chance to sign up for this program, you better hurry. Follow this link – Sign up through Microsoft.com.

Major Nelson [in this Article], who released this information, highlighted the following on his blog:

• We’re looking for multiple thousands of participants, so your chances of making it in are good.
• This opportunity is open to all Xbox LIVE Members in regions where Xbox LIVE is available.
• Just completing the survey does not automatically get you access to the Preview Program. We’ll be making final selections from the completed surveys and send you an email if you are selected.
• While both Xbox LIVE Gold and Silver members can sign up, Priority will be given to Gold members in the selection process.

For more gaming updates or to contact me, follow me on Twitter.

A new walkthrough video was released today showcasing Splinter Cell: Conviction.  This is honestly some of the best game play we’ve seen so far.  It really highlights the different direction the franchise has taken.  It’s much more fast paced and very ‘instinctive’ as they put it.  It seems like the game no longer has that “let’s stop and think for a second” feel anymore.  Rather it’s just follow your sense.

I wouldn’t say this has turned into a shooter though, as you do need to do things in a stealthy manner…just without stopping.  I’m not going to lie, Sam Fisher reminds of Jason Bourne (from the movies, not the game).

Get down to your local GameStop and put down $5 for The Saboteur, and be able to play through the game with a kick ass Nazi knife.  Considering the nature of the game, you’d think the knife would be included in the game, but whatever, this game is worth pre-ordering anyway.

I asked Pandemic if the knife would be otherwise available.  Than answer was no.  The knife is only for people that have pre-ordered the game.  That begged the question if pre-ordering the game made it easier…having a Nazi knife and whatnot…

The game releases December 8th, 2009.

EA announced an iteration of Madden NFL for the arcade.  Don’t worry Madden owners, you didn’t waste your money.  Rather than a sports simulator, this XBLA title will be a ‘fun, pick up and play’ game.

5-on-5 game play with a unique art style and a fast paced tempo makes this sound pretty fun.  Reminding me of things like backyard football.  All 32 teams will be featured, but it’s not traditional football.

There are different rule sets.  While the press release was a bit unclear, it seems you’ll have 4 downs to make it 60 yards for a score.  First team to 30 wins.

You’ll also have ‘Game Changers,’  which sound like power-ups when described…

Take advantage of 13 unique “Game Changers” to break the game wide open on a single play. Add an entourage of lineman to get the sack, freeze an opposing player, turn off your opponent’s passing icons, and much more. No lead is safe in Madden NFL Arcade.

Coming from EA Tiburon, same developers as the full retail Madden, this seems like it may be worth a buy.  The 4 player co-op is what sold me though.  An arcadey 5-on-5 football with four player co-op…that sounds tasty.

We’ll see this on the marketplace around the holiday season for 1200MS Points.

Screenshots included, click to view.

Every couple of weeks we’ll try and highlight a game you may have missed.  Games that may have fallen through the cracks, or maybe weren’t worth a full $60 retail and have become a good pick up at a used game store.

In our first installment, we take a look at Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter.

Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter

Yes, I am a fan of the series and may be considered bias.  However, many people passed on this game based on experience with the installments on the original Xbox.

This game is a huge improvement, with a solid single player.  Everything is dead on in this game.  While the visuals may make it apparent that this was an early title on the Xbox 360, it more than makes up for it through intense game play.

While it’s a shooter at heart, there are some strategy elements.  Just enough where it doesn’t get annoying, but at the same time you need to get familiar with issuing commands.  If you’re a shooter fan and want a break from World War II, or Halo…this is a definite buy.

The online community has died out, and many of the multiplayer achievements may be unfeasible now, some may have seemed impossible even when the game released.  There are roughly ~600 points you can get by beating the campaign on hard.

If you get a friend to buy the game with you, there are some co-op missions you can beat for a few more points.

I purchased this game used from GameStop for $5.

Tuesday, October 13

Retail Games

• Brutal Legend
• Cars Race-O-Rama
• Fallout 3 (Game of the Year Edition)
• Magnacarta 2
• Rock Band Metal Track Pack
• Way of the Samurai 3
• Where the Wild Things Are

Wednesday, October 14

Xbox LIVE Arcade

• Axel & Pixel
• Sam & Max Season 2

*We apologize to our international readers, these are US dates.  If you want to help out and keep dates updated for your country, please get in touch with us and we’ll work something out.

For more gaming updates or to contact me, follow me on Twitter

Left 4 Dead 2 achievements have been released, thanks to x360a.org.  Nothing too dramatic here, except it doesn’t seem like there are individual campaign achievements for beating them on expert.  Full list after the break.

PRICE CHOPPER
20

Survive the Dead Center campaign.

MIDNIGHT RIDER
20

Survive the Dark Carnival campaign.

RAGIN’ CAJUN
20

Survive the Swamp Fever campaign.

WEATHERMAN
20

Survive the Hard Rain campaign.

BRIDGE BURNER
20

Survive the Parish campaign.

STILL SOMETHING TO PROVE
35

Survive all campaigns on Expert.

THE REAL DEAL
35

Survive a campaign on Expert skill with Realism mode enabled.

CONFEDERACY OF CRUNCHES
30

Finish a campaign using only melee weapons.

HEAD HONCHO
15

Decapitate 200 Infected with a melee weapon.

CLUB DEAD
15

Use every melee weapon to kill Common Infected.

CHAIN OF COMMAND
15

Kill 100 Common Infected with the chainsaw.

TANK BURGER
30

Kill a Tank with melee weapons.

SHOCK JOCK
30

Revive 10 dead Survivors with the defibrillator.

THE QUICK AND THE DEAD
30

Revive 10 incapacitated Survivors while under the speed-boosting effects of adrenaline.

ARMORY OF ONE
15

Deploy an ammo upgrade and have your team use it.

BURNING SENSATION
15

Ignite 50 Common Infected with incendiary ammo.

DISMEMBERMENT PLAN
20

Kill 15 Infected with a single grenade launcher blast.

SEPTIC TANK
15

Use a bile bomb on a Tank.

CRASS MENAGERIE
20

Kill one of each Uncommon Infected.

DEAD IN THE WATER
20

Kill 10 swampy Mudmen while they are in the water.

ROBBED ZOMBIE
15

Collect 10 vials of Boomer vomit from infected CEDA agents you have killed.

CL0WND
15

Honk the noses of 10 Clowns.

FRIED PIPER
15

Using a Molotov, burn a Clown leading at least 10 Common Infected.

LEVEL A CHARGE
15

Kill a Charger with a melee weapon while they are charging.

ACID REFLEX
15

Kill a Spitter before she is able to spit.

A RIDE DENIED
15

Kill a Jockey within 2 seconds of it jumping on a Survivor.

STACHE WHACKER
15

Prove you are faster than Moustachio.

GONG SHOW
15

Prove you are stronger than Moustachio.

GUARDIN’ GNOME
30

Rescue Gnome Chompski from the Carnival.

WING AND A PRAYER
30

Defend yourself at the crashed airliner without taking damage.

SOB STORY
30

Navigate the sugar mill and reach the safe room without killing any Witches.

VIOLENCE IN SILENCE
30

Navigate the impound lot and reach the cemetary safe room without tripping any alarms.

BRIDGE OVER TREBLED SLAUGHTER
30

Cross the bridge finale in less than three minutes.

HEARTWARMER
20

In a Versus round, leave the saferoom to defibrillate a dead teammate.

STRENGTH IN NUMBERS
15

Form a team and beat an enemy team in 4v4 Versus or Scavenge.

QUALIFIED RIDE
15

As the Jockey, ride a Survivor for more than 12 seconds.

BACK IN THE SADDLE
15

As the Jockey, ride the Survivors twice in a single life.

RODE HARD, PUT AWAY WET
20

As the Jockey, ride a Survivor and steer them into a Spitter’s acid patch.

GREAT EXPECTORATIONS
15

As the Spitter, hit every Survivor with a single acid patch.

A SPITTLE HELP FROM MY FRIENDS
15

As the Spitter, spit on a Survivor being choked by a Smoker.

SCATTERING RAM
20

As the Charger, bowl through the entire enemy team in a single charge.

MEAT TENDERIZER
20

As the Charger, grab a Survivor and smash them into the ground for a solid 15 seconds.

LONG DISTANCE CARRIER
15

As the Charger, grab a Survivor and carry them over 80 feet.

BEAT THE RUSH
15

In a Survival round, get a medal only using melee weapons.

HUNTING PARTY
15

Win a game of Scavenge.

GAS GUZZLER
20

Collect 100 gas cans in Scavenge.

CACHE AND CARRY
20

Collect 15 gas cans in a single Scavenge round.

SCAVENGE HUNT
15

Stop the enemy team from collecting any gas cans during a Scavenge round.

FUEL CRISIS
15

Make a Survivor drop a gas can during overtime.

GAS SHORTAGE
20

Cause 25 gas can drops as a Special Infected.

From Ocrober 12, 2009 through October 19, 2009 you can snag each of the Family Game Night games for 400 points, rather than their normal 800.  At $5 a game, it actually seems like a pretty solid deal.  The games include, “Sorry! Sliders”, “Boggle”, “Battleship”, “Connect 4″, “Boggle”, “Scrabble”, “Yahtzee.”

While “Sorry! Sliders” is discounted, it seems “Sorry!” is still at its normal price.  Not sure what the difference is, Sorry is Sorry.

Download them from your browser.

Update: Sorry! is in fact discounted as well.

Warner Bros releases a PR statement early today announcing the full track list for LEGO: Rock Band.  Keep in mind LEGO:Rock Band DLC will also be enabled for import.  Read more for the full list…

• All American Rejects, “Swing, Swing”
• The Automatic, “Monster”
• Blink-182, “Aliens Exist”
• Blur, “Song 2”
• Bon Jovi, “You Give Love a Bad Name”
• Boys like Girls, “Thunder”
• Bryan Adams, “Summer of 69”
• Carl Douglas, “Kung Fu Fighting”
• The Coral, “Dreaming of You”
• Counting Crows, “Accidentally in Love”
• David Bowie, “Let’s Dance”
• Elton John, “Crocodile Rock”
• Europe, “The Final Countdown”
• Everlife, “Real Wild Child”
• Foo Fighters, “Breakout”
• Good Charlotte, “Girls & Boys”
• The Hives, “Tick Tick Boom!”
• Iggy Pop, “The Passenger”
• Incubus, “Dig”
• Jackson 5, “I Want You Back”
• Jimi Hendrix, “Fire”
• Kaiser Chiefs, “Ruby”
• Katrina & The Waves, “Walking on Sunshine”
• The Kooks, “Naïve”
• KoRn, “Word Up!”
• KT Tunstall, “Suddenly I See”
• Lostprophets, “Rooftops”
• P!NK, “So What”
• The Police, “Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic”
• The Primitives, “Crash”
• Queen, “We Are The Champions”
• Queen, “We Will Rock You”
• Rascal Flatts, “Life is a Highway”
• Ray Parker Jr., “Ghostbusters”
• Razorlight, “Stumble and Fall”
• Spin Doctors, “Two Princes”
• Spinal Tap, “Short & Sweet”
• Steve Harly, “Make Me Smile”
• Sum 41, “In Too Deep”
• Supergrass, “Grace”
• Tom Petty, “Free Fallin”
• T-Rex, “Ride a White Swan”
• Vampire Weekend, “A-Punk”
• We the Kings, “Check Yes Juliet”
• The Zutons, “Valerie”

I’ve been waiting this game since the launch of the Xbox 360 where we saw an extremely little glimpse of a military unit going down an elevator on some sort of compound in space.  Then earlier this year we caught a glimpse of landsharks…yes, landsharks, which put this game on my buy on release list.

Today, Zero Point has done something pretty unique with their launch of an interactive ‘Vault’ on their website.  There isn’t anything in yet, but there will be an update in about a week.  It’s actually pretty cool.  Necessary, maybe not, but cool nonetheless.  Their bringing the game engine into your browser to show-off the game until the release.  Zero Point has kissed away the normal screenshots and trailers.

Simply register on their website and click on the ‘Play Now’ button on their banner at the top. You will have to install a small player to use the vault, but it’s nothing serious.

It’s pretty simple, call (201) 579-0724, and leave a voicemail asking a question regarding anything to do with the Xbox 360, and get a shot at getting an easy 1600 Microsoft Points! ($20)

Here’s a few details to keep in mind:

• Make sure it’s a question relating to the Xbox 360 or it’s games
• Include your name and gamertag [and spell out your gamertag!]
• You’re also allowed to tell a funny experience in gaming, as long as it’s associated with the xbox 360
• Don’t be so serious! Have fun with it.

The winner will be announced and message will be played next Saturday on the new episode of the openTRAY Podcast.

For more gaming updates, follow me on Twitter.

In openTRAY’s first podcast, iBlizz randomly rants at the stupidity of the world, Kyaizen gets lucky with all his invites, and somewhere between all that we get to gaming news and what we’ve been playing.

The official trailer for DJ Hero is here. I personally think this game is shit and will be avoiding this game entirely…

It’s an alright trailer, I suppose =p

Dropping October 27th to Xbox 360. Spin, scratch and mix 93 unique mixes. Featuring hot music from JAY-Z, Eminem, Queen, Black Eyed Peas, Jackson Five and Daft Punk. DJ Hero lets you show your skills and battle your friends, or go into Auto Play and let the game DJ your party.

Find out more about DJ Hero at: http://djhero.com/

A Guitar Hero 5 demo can now be downloaded from the Xbox LIVE Marketplace.  You can play three songs in Party Mode and friends can jump in and out of songs as they please.  The following songs are available to play:

• The Rock Show by Blink 182
• Kryptonite by 3 Doors Down
• A-Punk by Vampire Weekend

Download to your console.

As recently posted, Games on Demand has already received 2 brand new games: Rainbow Six Vegas 2, and Call of Duty 3.

Announced today, Microsoft will be adding 6 more games before the end of the month. Click to see the entire list of games being added to the service this month.

October 13: “Grand Theft Auto IV” (Rockstar Games): Set in the largest, most richly detailed interactive environment created, “Grand Theft Auto IV” tells the story of Niko Bellic and his journey through modern-day Liberty City. Searching for a mysterious figure who wronged him in the past, Niko becomes embroiled in a world of violence and corruption as he struggles to cope with his cousin’s mounting debt and the seedy underbelly of Liberty City. The epic story carries on with a new protagonist, story, weapons, music and vehicles in the much anticipated October 29 release of “Grand Theft Auto: The Ballad of Gay Tony”. Liberty City gets an overdose of guns, glitz and grime and you can get in on the explosive Multiplayer Unlocked event coming at the end of October.

October 20: “Midnight Club Los Angeles” (Rockstar Games): Race at breakneck speeds through the streets of Modern-day L.A. Drive the hottest real-world turners, muscle cars, luxury cars, exotics and superbikes on the streets today, all recreated in stunning detail. For heart pounding street racing with no track, no load times and no rules: Welcome to the Midnight Club.

“Army of Two” (Electronic Arts): When one man is not enough, it will take an army of two to fight through war, political turmoil and a conspiracy so vast it threatens the entire world. Get ready for the imminent release of the first blockbuster of 2010, “Army of Two: The 40^th Day”, by playing through the first game in the series. Players who keep a saved game from the original on their hard drive will gain access to two unique weapons, designed by fans for fans of the franchise.

“Sonic Unleashed” (SEGA): Join Sonic in his quest to save the world from Dr. Eggman. On a pursuit for domination, Dr. Eggman unleashes a slumbering beast from the center of the world. This causes a devastating tremor that splinters the world and triggers a mysterious transformation in Sonic. The world divided, and Sonic altered with new abilities and powers, the stage is set for a climactic battle.

October 27: “Dead Space” (Electronic Arts): Set in the cold blackness of deep space, the award-winning “Dead Space” delivers the ultimate in psychological thrills and gruesome actions. The atmosphere in “Dead Space” is soaked with a feeling of tension, dread and sheer terror. Players step into the role of engineer Isaac Clarke, an ordinary man on a seemingly routine mission to fix the communications system aboard a mining ship. However, it’s not long before Isaac awakes to a living nightmare filled with vicious genetic mutations inside a dead, claustrophobic silence. Trapped and cut off, you must help Isaac engage in a desperate fight for survival.

“DiRT” (Codemasters): “DiRT” blends death-defying off-road action, precision control and tricked-out intensity of street racing into a visually stunning motorsports masterpiece. Choose from a wealth of officially licensed cars and real-world locations, as you careen through gravel, dirt and mud, doing whatever it takes to bring the trophy home.

Taken from the Microsoft Press Releases

Now, if you’re a football fan, you’ve probably already dropped down $80-120 on an authenticate football jersey from the NFL Shop.  In which case, your wallet is probably trained to take a hit like this.

NFL jerseys from all 32 teams are on the avatar marketplace, for 320, or $4 a piece.  However, they’re all Jim Otto’s number.  Yep, you can’t change the number.  For $4, it sounds like a bit of a rip.  A true test of your NFL fanaticism.

Announced at E3, Forza Motorsport 3 is to have over 400 cars from 50 manufacturers. Instead of just copying the huge list, I’d thought I’d link it to you. Forza Motorsport’s Official Website.

So, let openTRAY know, is your “dream car” in the list? Leave a comment or reply to @openTRAY on twitter! Personally, it’s quite a list. This is a definite buy, and I love me some ferrari’s =]. I’m not much of a car guy, but for those of you that are, I’m sure this is quite the treat.

For gaming updates or to contact me, follow me on Twitter

Coming October 29, 2009, this is an expansion to Grand Theft Auto IV adding two expansions to Liberty City. One has already been released on Xbox Live on February 27th for $20, the Lost and the Damned expansion features criminal biker “Johnny Klebitz” and his biker buddies.

The all new expansion is called “The Ballad of Gay Tony”, featuring Dominican criminal “Luis Fernando Lopez” and his boss “Gay Tony”. It will be available for $39.99 as a disc, but I imagine the The Ballad of Gay Tony will also be available as DLC, as it’s counterpart already is. However, you can pick it up for $36.99 on Amazon.

To read more about either expansion, please click here or here. [All links provided by the Grand Theft Auto Wiki]

For gaming updates or to contact me, follow me on Twitter

Around 3 weeks ago, Valve submitted Left 4 Dead 2 to the Australian Classification Board, and was denied. The reasoning behind the denial was the game “contains violence that is high in impact and is therefore unsuitable for persons aged under 18 to play.”

This is especially shocking, coming from the country that has their own day dedicated to zombies! Valve’s own Gabe Newell said he was “a little surprised by the decision, and the company has appealed the board’s decision.” Valve held a press conference today in Sydney, where Newell revealed that an edited version of Left 4 Dead 2 has been submitted.

Australia has a rating of “15 years old and up”, and Newell says this edited version complies with the guidelines for the rating.

Hopefully everything turns out alright, because this game looks like a ton of fun.

For gaming updates or to contact me, follow me on Twitter

Content: SOUTH PARK LET’S GO TOWER DEFENSE PLAY!
Price: 800 Microsoft Points
Availability: Not available in Korea
Dash Text: (ONLINE INTERACTIONS NOT RATED BY THE ESRB) Play as Stan, Kyle, Kenny, Cartman or any number of your favorite South Park characters in SOUTH PARK LET’S GO TOWER DEFENSE PLAY! It’s the fast-paced action/strategy game, where you play to save the town of South Park. The game combines snowball-throwing action with tower defense strategy, and is designed for players of all skill levels. Unlock special content and new characters throughout the game for your in-game scrapbook. Play locally with up to four players or team up on Xbox LIVE in the story-based campaign or the extra-demanding Challenge levels.Unlock the full game of SOUTH PARK to access all the great gameplay features, including challenge levels and all 15 un-lockable playable characters. The full game features fast-paced and intense action/strategy with local and Xbox LIVE multiplay, leaderboards, achievements, and more!

Content: Lucidity
Price: 800 Microsoft Points
Availability: Not available in Japan or Korea
Dash Text: From the team that re-imagined The Secret of Monkey Island®, comes Lucidity, an addictive puzzle platformer set in the surreal childlike dreamscapes of the little girl Sofi. In this challenging puzzle platformer, it’s your task to keep Sofi safe as she drifts deeper into the strange new world of her dreams. Featuring stunning hand-illustrated visuals, a spell-binding original score and unique puzzle platformer gameplay, Lucidity will challenge your wits, test your reflexes and mesmerize your senses. Buy the complete game now to gain access to all of the game’s levels plus unlockable bonus content. This game requires the Xbox 360 hard drive for storage.

At E3, Microsoft brought the heat, and announced cool features like Facebook, Twitter, Zune Marketplace and Last.FM integration was coming to Xbox Live, mostly exclusive for us Gold Members. According to a Microsoft rep in New York, the public beta will start shoving out invites later this month.

With no official release date, the updates are expected to come sometime in November. SkyTV is already being launched this Saturday for people in the UK who have service. As far as we know right now, the beta will be U.S. only, and “will be for certain members of the Xbox community”. whatever that means. We’ll do our best to get our hands on it, and tell you how it all feels. I’m a huge Twitterer myself, so I’m hoping they add some functionality, although it may just end up being a mobile app kind of deal.

For gaming updates or to contact me, follow me on Twitter

Microsoft announced this morning availability of free DLC content for Forza Motorsport 3, that will be available on launch day.  The free content pack includes 10 cars hand picked by Turn 10, as well as two new tracks.

• ‘65 Alfa Romeo Guilia Spring GTA
• ‘64 Aston Martin DB5 Vantage
• ‘81 BMW M1
• ‘60 Chevrolet Corvette
• ‘69 Dodge Charger
• ‘57 Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa
• ‘80 Fiat 131 Abarth
• ‘67 Lamborghini Miura P400
• ‘71 Missan Skyline 2000 GT-R
• ‘65 Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupe

That’s alot of free cars.

Earlier today, Microsoft releases the news that two more titles will be added to the new service of “Games on Demand”, combining full Xbox 360  games and Xbox Originals.

The two titles that were added are the following:

Rainbow Six Vegas 2: Developed by Ubisoft, this Tom Clancy game heavily improves on the original,  adding more functionality in both the single player, co-op terrorist hunt, and online matchmaking. With more customizations, and more compelling gameplay, this is a game to own. Follow this link to buy: Rainbow Six Vegas 2

Call of Duty 3: The Call of Duty franchise has hit and misses. This one, is a miss. Developed by Treyarch, the game adds a lot of features of the online play, although I highly recommend staying clear of this title, and buying Call of Duty 2 [also available]. Follow this link to buy: Call of Duty 3

Microsoft continues to add games and convenience to Xbox LIVE. Both titles are $29.99 USD, and are available now.

For gaming updates or to contact me, follow me on Twitter

We really think Modern Warfare 2 has something to do with all these games being delayed. 

You can add another one to the list.  Alpha Protocol, which was supposed to be out…right now, has been delayed till next year.  Sega’s website for a brief period of time listed a release date for the Xbox 360 and PC versions as May 6, 2010.  However it has since been changed to ‘Spring, 2010.’

Announced today, Microsoft is making 5 hit games join the esteemed “Platinum Hits” collection.

The follow titles have been added as Platinum Hits:

[Click to read the games being added]

Grand Theft Auto IV: The hit game that was developed by Rockstar Games that was released on April 29th, 2008, is being added to the list. GTA IV takes place in Liberty City, following the narrative of Niko Bellic, an Eastern European immigrant with a war-torn past coming to America in search of the American dream. The dream turns against him, as he has to struggle with the underworld of Liberty City.

Streetfighter IV: This highly anticipated sequel was developed by Capcom and was released February 17th, 2009. The game combines some of the classic Streefighter-esk in a 2D environment, but having the models rendered 3D. This title is the game that was released latest out of the bunch.

Left 4 Dead: Valve’s second journey into the Xbox 360, this zombie hit sold well. With the sequel, Left 4 Dead 2 hitting store shelves November 17th, this game is getting a needed and obvious price drop. With new Left 4 Dead DLC recently being released, it’s good to see the game go down in price, seeing the Game of the Year edition is still $50 at most places.

Saints Row 2: THQ’s venture into Sandbox games, perhaps having a goal to triumph the mighty GTA series, Saints Row takes you into the world of Stilwater making your own character, battling rival gangs and even taking on a Corporation. This game was extremely fun, and is now going to be even more worth the money.

Star Wars: The Force Unleashed: Lucasarts has been making Star Wars games as long as they could. Many have been good, some have been less then stellar, but this one’s a hit. You take on the role of being Darth Vader’s apprentice, unveiling new revelations in the Star Wars universe. The time slot is supposed to be taken in between Star Wars Episode III: Return of the Sith, and Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope. With a new version of the game being released as disc and as DLC, it will make buying all content for the game somewhat easier, although you may just want to buy the upcoming version.

It’s been rumored that “local retailers” in the United States are offering “Buy 2 – get 1 free Platinum Hits” as a promotion since these new titles were added. Amazon recently had a similar offer, but has since expired. If I find anything, I’ll post it up on this post.

So, the Platinum Hits Collection is around 60 strong, with quite the selection. If you haven’t pick these up at a reduced price, starting at $19.99 MSRP.

For gaming updates or to contact me, follow me on Twitter

Gamestop has listed the wireless N adapter for $99, and will release November 3rd.  If you’ve got a wireless network running through you’re home that you want to make fully 802.11N, with the Xbox 360 stopping you…this should solve that for you.  This will be perfect for people with borderline poor signals as in general routers running 802.11N, especially on a 5GHz channel, perform much better in terms of range.

While the pricepoint seems a bit up there, it is what it is.  However, there are other ways to get wireless connectivity to your Xbox without the need for this adapter.  Maybe we’ll post a tutorial tomorrow, .

Tuesday, October 6

Retail Games

• Saw: The Videogame
• NBA Live 10
• NBA 2K10
• Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising
• Star Wars The Clone Wars: Republic Heroes
• Alpha Protocol

Wednesday, October 7

Xbox LIVE Arcade

• South Park: Let’s Go Tower Defense Play!
• Lucidity

*We apologize to our international readers, these are US dates.  If you want to help out and keep dates updated for your country, please get in touch with us and we’ll work something out.

There is nothing to be said.  This is just epic.  Modern Warfare 2 comes out Nomeber 10, 2009.  No, we can’t wait either.

Yes, we’re frozen as well…

So, with every year, you need some sort of Halo release, whether it be DLC or a full fledged game… Or content originally DLC put as a $60 game? Click to read my full review.

Trailer

Story

The story of ODST revolves around an Orbital Shock Drop Trooper called ‘The Rookie’. How cliché… Anyway, the event of the story takes place in between Halo 2 and Halo 3, after the Prophet of Regret’s carrier jumped inside the city of New Mombassa. The game starts off with you and your squad jumping into the Covenant controlled city below. Your objective is to land on the Covenant carrier, and stop them..? [Insert plot here] So, the ship jumps in the middle of the city, sending you and the other ODST members spinning out and crashing randomly into the large city below.

Following the blast, you wake up 6 hours later in your pod, in the side of a building. You look out and see a covenant ship overhead. In order to progress in the story, you have to find clues that will “unlock” flashbacks where you play the perspective of each of your squad mates. Throughout the city, you fight scattered covenant, seeing the effects of an invasion. In the way of audiotapes, you hear the story of a random citizen of the city, hearing the chaos and anarchy that the city withheld a day earlier, in the beginning of the covenant invasion.

So, that’s the story. There’s not much. It’s extremely average and disappointing. Although I was once hating the New Mombassa streets part of the game, the part where you’re searching for clues, finding audiotapes made it somewhat compelling, and made it interesting to play. Once you went into the flashbacks, it was MUCH more like the Halo we all know and love. But, I had no compassion whatsoever for the characters, and couldn’t care less what happened to them.

Gameplay

So, what sets this game apart from its past lives? Well, instead of health that solely consists of a recharging shield, you have something called “Stamina”, which acts as an over-shield. Under this shield, is simply a bar at the top of your screen representing your health. This makes it somewhat harder than any other Halo, meaning you can’t just run in guns-a-blazing. Well, kind of. You also can’t duel-wield weapons, so it’s obviously taking the superior approach at a game, the route of the original Halo. OH, and of COURSE! They brought back the pistol!!!! Well, kind of. It’s a silenced magnum… that can zoom in. The SMG is also seemingly improved, with an added silencer, making those the pretty much only different weapons different from Halo 3.

There’s also no radar.. if that even matters.. Onto the key difference of the game, that makes it “stand out”. And, that is, the VISR mode. It’s not so much night vision, as it’s like turning up the brightness on your T.V. and highlighting objects, enemies, weapons and allies. Allies get green, enemies red, weapons blue, and objects yellow. Oh, and those audiotapes I mentioned earlier are bright yellow.

Onto the second part of the first disc: Firefight. Firefight, as you probably know, is much like Gears of War’s Horde Mode. Don’t get confused, Epic wasn’t the first one to make gameplay like this, so don’t say it’s copying Gears, although it was more than likely influenced. Even if Bungie did copy Gears, they built upon it heavily, and it’s more than just 50 waves. It goes in Sets, Rounds, then Waves. [I could be getting this part wrong, the names that is] There are 5 Waves in a Round, 3 Rounds in a Set. The Sets are numbered, and I don’t know how far they go. The actual gameplay of Firefight is fun, frustrating, difficult, and enjoyable. It’s an actual challenge as you progress further, and having your team survive a set is extremely satisfying. But, be warned, personally, unless one of my friends really wants to play firefight with me, I’m probably never going to touch it again, and here’s why:

NO MATCHMAKING, [and that I have 1000GS in the game haha]. That’s right, unlike most co-op driven LIVE games, there’s literally NO choice for matchmaking. This means, you’ve got to have some friends who play the game, or resort to going on random forums looking for people to play with. This SUCKS. Normally I wouldn’t mind, seeing I usually have friends playing the game, now anyway, but the lag in the game I experience with people in Europe, is unbearable. And it’s neither of our connections, because we play CoD4 all the time with each other. So, with no matchmaking, this really, REALLY hurts the game.

That said, the gameplay is pretty well rounded and improved upon Halo 3.

Presentation

Halo has never been noted as a ground breaking graphics game, and Halo 3 was criticized heavily when it came out, saying it wasn’t living up to its competitors. ODST, having the prefix Halo 3, was built on the same engine, and there aren’t many improvements, aside from the obvious VISR mode. It is a bit more polished, but again, it’s the same graphics as Halo 3.

Voice work, this was appraised from the beginning, having some of the voice actors from Bungie’s own favorite Firefly to voice some ODST. Is the writing funny? Not really. Although it is cool to see some actual voice actors I’ve heard of in AAA [semi-good] game, it wasn’t that great.

Music, mm, everyone LOVES Martin O’Donnell and Michael Salvation, the audio directors for Halo. They did amazing in the original Halo, pass that, it’s alright. In New Mombassa it’s a king of drama, mystery kind of lonely music. That said, it’s alright. In the missions, it differs, but its same old Halo, then in some parts, it sounds like a terrible 80s show. Overall, the audio of the game is pretty good, though they don’t deserve praise.

Value

This part should be important, because it’s a complicated answer to give. If you’re a huge Halo fan, then you’ve probably already picked it up, and, you probably should. If you’re not however, read on. The question remains, is it worth the $60? There is a few factors to ring in. How big of a Halo fan are you? FPS? Do you have Xbox Live? I think if any of those is no or low, then this is definitely a pass. If you don’t have LIVE, skip this game, you’ll regret it if you don’t. So, what comes in the box? Well, the actual ODST game which consists of the campaign and Firefight, which as I’ve mentioned before, doesn’t include match-making. So, onto the second disc. It includes Halo 3’s multiplayer, in its entirety. With all past and present DLC included, along with 3 new mythic maps. Why they didn’t just include the campaign is beyond me.

If it wasn’t for the added 3 maps and the disc of simply Halo 3 multiplayer, this would be a terrible price. But, if you want those 3 new maps, you have no choice. So, it’s really up to you. Is a 4-6 hour campaign and a horde-esc mode with Halo 3 Multiplayer worth $60? I give the game 6/10, and say it’s a definite RENT if you’ve enjoyed the past Halo games.

One thing I should add, this game is a keeper solely for the Halo: Reach beta coming sometime next year. It will be made available on the ODST disc, so it’s not like you have to buy the game new.

Closing Comments

Although I don’t think the game is terrible, it would have been much more suitable as a $30 DLC, maybe a stand-a-lone disc, with another $10 map pack. It’s an average game, and I probably won’t play the actual ODST disc any more. If you’re a Halo fan, it’s pretty good value, or if you haven’t bought Halo 3 for some reason, then go ahead and pick this up.

Finally, I think it’s important, as any Xbox 360 review should be, to add summary of achievements. The achievements in this game, if you have 3 friends who are decent at the game, and you’re a semi-hardcore FPS fan, this is an easy 1000 GS. I got it in 3 days, but then again, I’m quite the achievement hunter.

Thanks for reading.

For gaming updates or to contact me, follow me on Twitter

While the Steelers pretty much have the game in the bag against San Diego tomorrow, there’s something else to keep an eye on during Sunday Night Football, a new Modern Warfare 2 trailer.  Don’t know exactly when the trailer will air, but it is confirmed to air during the game tomorrow at some point.

So set your TiVOs, or just watch the game like you normally do.  If not…just get on the internet an hour later and we’re sure you’ll find it somewhere.

Game starts at 8:30PM EST on NBC.

Think about it.  You’re the only survivor left, there’s a horde of undead between you and the safe house…what do you wish you have right now?  A baseball bat of course.

Pre-ordering Left 4 Dead 2 grants you access to a baseball bat in the game.  One of the new melee weapons introduced in the sequel.  If you know you’re grabbing the game, might as well pre-order it.  Not only for the bat, but you’ll get early access to the demo which should drop October 27.

This site has been down for almost 8 months now. Mostly due to lack of staff.  I can’t keep this place afloat myself!  I initially had no plans to bring this back up, however after getting in contact with a fellow writer, I was inspired to bring this back up with his help.  With an extra hand, and his connections, openTRAY should be flying higher than ever.

We also go the chat room back!  While I have no expectations of it being as active as it used to be, one can only hope.  If I remember correctly, we used to get a regular of 15-20 people a night.  Unfortunately, all those users have been deleted and you will need to register again.

Registration Link
Change Your Password Here
Enter Chat

Don’t expect to find people in there just yet though.

Joystiq got their hands on the full introduction to Prototype.  Violently setting the stage for the game which will hit shelves June 5.

Take-Two revealed today that Digital Extremes will be taking up the task of implementing the multiplayer aspects for Bioshock 2.  You will play as test subjects invoked by Sinclair Solutions, a plasmid vendor in the pre-collapse world of Rapture, battling other test subjects.  Unlockables will include plasmids and weapons.

With the multiplayer being a prequel experience, we will be able to see the many famous locations throughout Rapture before they fell to anarchy.  Including Kashmir Restaurant and Mercury Suites.

Digital Extreme has worked with Epic Games on Unreal Tournament and was also behind Dark Sector early last year.  Take that for what you will…but personally, I won’t be looking forward too much for Bioshock 2 multiplayer.

Check out the full press release here.

Looks like Epic is coming out with a mega addon that will include seven new multiplayer maps and a brand new campaign chapter. The add-on dubbed Gears of War 2:All Fronts Collection will include all of the previous multiplayer maps, Combustible, Flashback and Snowblind. Not to worry players who have bought the previous map packs, you can get the hydrbid add-on Dark Corners with only the brand new campaign chapter and the seven multiplayer maps.

When: July 28 2009

Where: Retailers and Xbox Live Marketplace

Price: 1600 Microsoft Points (Dark Corners), 3600 points or $19.99 USD (All Fronts Collection)

What: All DLC released maps including seven news ones, a custom theme, a strategy guide, a poster, and a brand new campaign chapter (retail)

A new campaign chapter, "Road to Ruin", will take players back to Locust Hollow. Marcus and Dom can get the job done guns blazing or silently (a new stealth element in Gears? We’ll see how this works out).

War Machine, a map returning from Gears of War will be included in the seven brand new multiplayer maps:

Allfathers Garden: Honor the sacred grounds of the Coalition founders in this explosive map, where powerful weapons catalyze fast and furious action at this COG landmark.

Memorial: Set near the Eternal Flame, which pays tribute to the fallen soldiers on the battlefield, a hard-fought battle ensues at the Tomb of Unknowns. Putting their flank formation and evasive skills to the test, players will fight to control the Boomshot.

Sanctuary: Once a peaceful ground for reflection and remembrance, all that remains of the Sanctuary is the chill of death. Feast your eyes on the arsenal of weapons available as you make your way through the tight paths and blind corners of the Locust-damaged temple corridors.

War Machine: In the abandoned train station that once served as a hub for travel, players will need to master the Longshot, Mulcher and Boomshot weapons to advance the fight while evading fire from the platforms above.

Highway: Take the fight deep into the Locust Hollow in the complex passages of this underground highway system brimming with enemy vermin. Stick together, separate the enemy and have an exit strategy ready or it’ll be a one-way trip.

Way Station: Sitting in limbo between death and "processing" are Locust way stations filled with fallen COG soldiers. Tread lightly and practice patience as it’s better to sacrifice firepower for stealth while navigating this minefield of hidden grenades.

Nowhere: Set in the middle of what was once a destination for weary desert travellers, the land is now barren and devoid of life. Pick off your enemies with the Longshot sniper rifle and make your way to the stairwell with a well-fortified team during this intense firefight.

Click here to read the official annoucment

Halo Wars fans save your lunch money (I know I will), cause a DLC is coming. Robot Entertainment announced in the Halo Wars website that a DLC called ‘Strategic Options‘ game add-on is on its way. It will come with four new multiplayer achievements and three new game modes. There is no word on new maps but lets keep our fingers crossed.

• Keepaway Mode: Supposedly a ‘Halo Wars adaption of CTF.’ It involves capturing Forerunner sentinels to earn points. Teams battle it out by capturing sentinels and winning by capturing three out of five free-roaming Forerunner Sentinels.
• Tug of War Mode: This mode focuses on having a better army that your opponent. Mixing your units, production buildings and managing your resources is essential to win.
• Reinforcement Mode: Sounds like survival mode. New units are supplied in each successive wave.

There is no word on the price yet and the touchdown date is said to be in the next coming weeks. Oh yes, here are the list of achievements to be added to complement the new add-on.

• One and Done: Score the winning point in a game of Keepaway against Legendary A.I.’s
• Pull Hard, Pull Deep: Win and never trail in a Tug of War game
• Freak on a Streak: Gain at least 15 population from a single wave in a Reinforcement game
• Living Loving Bug: Obtain a Scarab during a Reinforcement game

Source: http://www.halowars.com/

Images from Joystiq:  http://www.joystiq.com/2009/04/21/halo-wars-strategic-options-dlc-adds-new-multiplayer-achievem/

Starting in May, you’re local game retailers will have a Game of The Year edition SKU that includes all the goodies of a normal Xbox 360 Elite, plus two games.  Halo 3, and Fable 2.  All of the same price, $399…I’m just going to say $400.

So if you know someone that is on the fence of buying the 360, or you’re has broken down and is out of warranty, here is a way you can get a little value added.

It’s official folks. Lionhead Studios will be releasing a second DLC for Fable II called See The Future bringing in fresh new items like a potion to change your fury companion into different breeds. You can also expect a tougher version of the ‘Crucible’, an arena that tests your hero’s strength. It’s coming to the marketplace in May and it’s gonna go for 560 Microsoft Points.

Content: Halo 3 Mythic Map Pack
Price: 800 Microsoft Points
Availability: All Xbox LIVE regions
Dash Text: [ESRB: M (Mature) BLOOD AND GORE,MILD LANGUAGE,VIOLENCE] The long-awaited Mythic Map Pack drops into Xbox LIVE Marketplace. Investigate Orbital’s abandoned hallways – before it was evacuated, the Quito Space Tether was heralded as the “Civil Engineering Monument of the Millennium.” Witness Assembly, where Scarab hulls loom overhead, being decontaminated in preparation for the city-sized Lekgolo colonies that will breathe life into the massive metal husks. An excavation site surrounded by deadly Forerunner defenses, the mysteries of Sandbox are hidden high above, deep below, and right before your eyes. There are no refunds for this item. For more information, see www.xbox.com/live/accounts.

With recent games being extreme bandwidth hogs, it may be a good idea to get some basic optimization settings out of the way for stable Xbox LIVE performance.  While none of these will increase your internet speed, it will make sure that nothing on your end is interfering with Xbox LIVE.  If you have a bad internet connection…you have a bad internet connection, nothing anyone can do about that.

1.) Wire Your Console

A sure fire way to increase stability for any device is by wiring it to your router/modem.  As convenient as wireless connections are, you want performance more than convenience when it comes to gaming.  Wireless connections fluctuate based on many sources of interference.  Not to mention, in many cases, they are slower to begin with.

2.) UPnP

UPnP stands for “Universal Plug and Play.”  It’s a generic term used across many different devices and protocols.  It represents features and devices that are supposed to “just work.”

When it comes to routers, UPnP allows networked devices to open and close ports on request.  This should be enabled by default in most cases, and definitely for Xbox LIVE.  Although, watch out, it may cause conern for extremely security conscious people when it comes to their PC.

3.) DMZ

Every router acts as a firewall in a network.  Potentially blocking packets it deems unrequested or malicious.  Although uncommon, it’s not impossible for your router to block or limit Xbox LIVE through your network.

The DMZ zone in a router is a place that the router simply doesn’t protect.  It leaves whatever device you place in the DMZ zone completely unprotected.  Which is horrible for a PC, but perfect for a device like our Xbox 360.  Since there aren’t any viruses or worms going through consoles, placing your Xbox 360 in your routers DMZ will make sure your router doesn’t do anything to “protect” it, and limiting use with false positives.

4.) Ports

Although UPnP will most likely take care of any port requirements, it’s not a bad idea to manually open and forward all ports to your console.  Here are the following ports used by Xbox LIVE.

• TCP 80
• UDP 88
• UDP 3074
• TCP 3074
• UDP 53
• TCP 53

5.) DHCP Reservation

Although not vital for stability or performace, DHCP reservation is a great tool to use helping in organizing your network from the router’s perspective.  DHCP is the system in your router that assigns the local IP addresses.  DHCP reservation will allow you to set a certain local IP address to always be assigned to a particular device.

Now you may be wondering how to do all of this.  The process of setting yourself up with the tips above differ from router to router and it would be best to look up some of this information in your routers manual.

We know…it’s been a while since it’s been announced.  However, if you haven’t set your calendar yet, November 10th is the square you want to mark off.

The only thing we know about this Modern Warfare 2 is it will no longer bear the “Call of Duty” title.  Oh yeah…and it’s going to be kick ass.

Ever wanted to gift a friend 1600 points?  Give them that arcade game that they think is trash?  Well, now you can do so extremely easily through Amazon.com.  Amazon’s new Xbox LIVE Store allows you to buy Microsoft Points and Xbox LIVE Arcade game codes.

Yep, you simply checkout at Amazon.com and you get your codes emailed to you.  Then simply enter the code via the console or Xbox.com and you’re set.  Or give the code to a friend as a gift.

This is great for people who don’t like to disclose CC information to Microsoft, who has widely known billing problems.  You can purchase your subscriptions from Amazon too!

Check it out.

When the New Xbox Experience was being revealed late last year, the whole idea was to bring a more social feel to the Xbox LIVE community.  Instead, all we got was a new UI and a party chat system.  The Xbox LIVE Primetime channel didn’t make it during the NXE roll out in November, and we were promised it would see the day of light sometime during the Spring.

Well, it’s Spring and we are closing in on the May 15th launch of the Xbox LIVE Primetime channel.  As excited as we all are about this, we really don’t have many details as to what will be included.

Today a new piece of information was released from Honda.  Who will be putting up a brand new 2010 Insight to win from participating in the Primetime events.  This gives a good idea of what Microsoft meant when they said real prizes.

Content: FLOCK!
Price: 1200 Microsoft Points
Availability: Not available in Japan
Dash Text: Protect your cornfields and lock up your livestock, because FLOCK is here! Herd cute, cuddly animals through over 50 sandbox puzzles with the help of your UFO tractor beam! Flock together with a friend, and even create and share your own crazy levels online with the built-in level editor! With so much to do, the potential for fun is out of this world! Buy it today!

Content: Puzzle Quest: Galactrix
Price: 1600 Microsoft Points
Availability: Not available in India or Korea
Dash Text: Explore the entire Galactrix universe in the exciting return of the Puzzle Quest franchise with its signature addictive RPG/Puzzle hybrid gameplay. This game requires the Xbox 360 hard drive for storage.

Despite the controversy of the proximity to launch, and the price, Capcom said today that it will release the multiplayer DLC pack tomorrow.  The DLC add-on will add two new multiplayer modes, slayer and survivors. In Slayer, players will team up to go against Majinji, while in Survivors, players will have to run-stop-gun against each other. Both modes will support 1v1 and 2v2 play.

You’ll be able to download the versus add on for Resident Evil 5  for 400 Microsoft points tomorrow April 7, 2009 off the Xbox 360 Marketplace.

Yes, we all love Resident Evil 5.  The week it came out, I myself played it non-stop and broke my 1000/1000 virginity with it.  Why did we like this game so much though?  What about it makes me wanna play it again…and again?  Zack Scott has the answer for me…Boob Locator.

It’s not doubt that openTRAY has slowed down dramitcally lately.  I am the sole author here, and while the traffic this site gets is quite motivating, I don’t have the time to single handedly keep things rolling here.  Which is why I’d like to openly recruit new authors to help keep this place going.  I do have plans for it in the future, but they are useless if openTRAY dies.

So if you are interested in taking a very small time out of your day to help keep openTRAY afloat, visit this page.

This morning the LIVE team rolled out an update that didn’t add anything new.  Just a fix for some issues some people may have had.

This update addresses interruption issues that some Xbox LIVE users may have experienced when playing a limited number of Xbox 360 games.

The 21st edition of Madden NFL has been officially dated for April 14th.  No details have really emerged at this point, other than the screenshot we posted a couple days ago.  Who knows who the cover athlete maybe, rumours have Peyton Manning in the lead.

Nope, that’s not from the live game…that image is from Madden NFL 2010.  Yep, I had to take a second and let it soak in myself.  Without going on, it must be said that Madden ‘10, based on that screenshot, will be the most amazing looking sports game to date…visually.

About a week ago (I know…I’m late), Peter Moore released this screenshot on his blog.  Calling it the “the most detailed and comprehensive edition of Madden in the history of the franchise.”  Usually, we’d roll our eyes hearing that statement.  This time however, after seeing that screenshot…I’m actually feeling a little anticipation.

Moore went on to state that the dev team will be outlining and detailing all the new improvements in the weeks leading up to the NFL Draft.

Just one…more…day! Tomorrow is the day we can finally call “clear!” on Gears of War 2. A new patch being released tomorrow introduces a whole new ranking system, among many other bug fixes that we’ve been screaming for. In addition, a new map pack will be available for download via the Xbox LIVE Marketplace tomorrow for 800 Microsoft points.

Some of you probably can’t wait until tomorrow, so here is a nice long video from Joystiq that should keep you satisfyed for the next 12 hours.

Long time readers know what a big fan of Mass Effect I am. I’ve been going absolutely crazy waiting for details on Mass Effect 2 the past few months. Thankfully, Bioware showed of some extremely early footage from Mass Effect 2. Although you can’t really extrapolate anything, it sure is satisfying seeing something.

These videos aren’t exactly showcasing anything that we, as gamers would care about. It’s from the Game Developers Conference, although we can’t hear the speaker too well…we’re going to assume it’s some technical explanation for something.

Our zombie killing quota has been fulfilled by Resident Evil 5 the past week, and Left 4 Dead has overall been out of our systems for sometime.  That’s all about to change on April 21st when the Survival DLC hits the Xbox Marketplace.  The pack includes a whole new game mode, “survival.”  You’ll also be able to play versus on two more maps, Death Toll and Dead Air.

Oh, and all of this is for free….yep, you read right.  You’ll be able to download this massive DLC pack for Left 4 Dead on April 21st for absolutely free.

Let’s face it, games are so much more fun when you don’t have to conserve ammo, money, points, etc, etc…Resident Evil 5 is no exception.  There are many guides out there that tell describe the process to essentially being able to buy all weapons and all upgrades.  Most of them are hard to follow, so my goal is to make this as simple as possible.

What You Need: A friend who is wanting to make money also, at least one rotten egg (the more the better).

Process: Both of you clear out your “in-hand” inventory, one of you brings as many eggs as possible. and start a chapter.  2-2 is probablly the one you want.  So once you start, person A should have eggs, and person B should have nothing.

Person A will give ALL eggs to person B.

Now here is where the magic happens.  Both of you will quit out, but pay attention to what happens when you quit.  You get asked 2 questions, being able to answer “Yes”, or “No” using the A and B buttons.

Person receiving the eggs, will press “A” on both questions.
[ad#resevildupepost]
Person who gave the eggs will press “A”, then “B” on the second question.

You both should now have the eggs.  Rinse and repeat, alternating who recieves and who gives.  You should be able to purchase and upgrade all weapons with around ~1.2-1.3 million, rough estimation.

Microsoft has recently announced that the Days of Arcade promotion will bring us none other than Uno Rush this Wednesday.  Uno Rush is a fast paced twist on UNO, making gamers assemble their hands ahead of time as everyone’s turn is taken automatically.  Uno Rush will have avatar support, and will be up to four players via Xbox LIVE.

You will be able to download it for 800 Microsoft Points this Wednesday.

A new shipment of clothing has arrived to your console.  This time, it’s all about the western style.  The new clothing options allow you to dress your avatars up like cowboys or cowgirls via the avatar editor on the dashboard.  It’s a safe assumption this new batch of clothing was inspired by SXSW 2009.

For the Cowboys

• Black Cowboy Hat
• Rodeo Jeans
• Black Trench Coat
• Western Duster
• Cowboy Boots

For the Cowgirls

• Cowgirl Shirt
• Rhinestone Cowgirl Hat
• Denim Skirt
• Dungarees
• Cowgirl Boots

The ginormous update set to hit Gears 2 soon, you know…the one that adds the Snowblind Map Pack, the new ranking system, and a playable multiplayer…yeah, we get new achievements too!

Someone pointed themselves to the Xbox.com listing for Gears of War 2 and found themselves the new achievements.  They all have to do with either the new ranking system, or the Snowblind Map Pack.

• Rookie Gear (10) – Earn enough multiplayer experience to reach level 5 (Public only)
• Seasoned Gear (20) – Earn enough multiplayer experience to reach level 15 (Public only)
• Battle-Tested Gear (30) – Earn enough multiplayer experience to reach level 25 (Public only)
• Battle-Hardened Gear (50) – Reach level 50 and play a match on each of the 4 Snowblind Map Pack maps (Public only)
• Veteran Gear (75) – Reach level 100 and win a match on each of the 4 Snowblind Map Pack maps (Public only)
• Never Eat Red Snow (20) – Complete waves 1 through 10 on all Snowblind Map Pack maps in Horde (any difficulty)
• Icy Dead People (25) – Complete waves 1 through 50 on any Snowblind Map Pack map in Horde (any difficulty)
• Frigid Body Dynamics (5) – Play a multiplayer match on each of the 4 Snowblind Map Pack maps (any mode)
• The Weather Outside is Lethal (15) – Win a multiplayer match on each of the 4 Snowblind Map Pack maps (any mode)

Content: AFRO SAMURAI Demo
Price: Free
Availability: Only in Canada, United States
Dash Text: [ESRB: M (Mature) BLOOD AND GORE,DRUG REFERENCE,INTENSE VIOLENCE,PARTIAL NUDITY,SEXUAL THEMES,STRONG LANGUAGE] Discover why Blood is Beautiful in this prelude to Afro Samurai. Take control of Afro as he searches for Justice, his Father’s killer. Break your enemy’s guard with the brute force of the combo system, then learn to focus, and send them to the grave with precision and style. Take an arm, take a leg or take a life; the choice is yours.

According to a promo insert with the FEAR 2: Project Origin, a demo for Wanted: Weapons of Fate will hit the Xbox LIVE Marketplace March 5th.  Developed by GRIN, the game takes place a few hours after the events of the 2008 movie.  The game will feature bullet-time combat, more creative than we’ve every seen before.  Allowing you to curve bullets throughout the envirnment.  “It’s going to be the most realistic game, ever!”

Valve is looking to expand Left 4 Dead this spring by announcing some downloadable content launching sometime this spring.  The DLC will contain two new full campaigns for the versus mode, as well as an entirely new game mode, ’survival.’

Survival will be much like horde for Gears 2, or COD5’s Nazi Zombie mode.  Wave after wave of zombies, how long can you survive?

Obviously we’re looking forward to getting our hands on some fresh L4D content, and this next part is what makes it even more exciting….ITS FREE!  Yep, you’ll be able to bust some zombies in new locations and new ways for zero dollars this spring.

Originally when Gears of War 2 came out, you recieved a voucher code to download the Golden Lancer with all new copies of the game.  However, if you waited to by a used version (which no one blames you for) you didn’t get the marketplace code for the download.

Luckily for you, you can now download it for free on the Xbox LIVE Marketplace.

Update: It seems this was released on the marketplace as an error.  In order to keep this item exclusive to those who originally had it, Microsoft will be releasing a fix that will remove it from anyone who downloaded it from the Marketplace.

Straight from Major Nelson…

On Friday December 5th from 2:00 AM PST for up to 15–minutes, Xbox Live will be offline for scheduled maintenance. As a result, Xbox LIVE and the ‘My Xbox’ section of Xbox.com will be unavailable, and the Xbox forums will be in read only mode (you won’t be able to post.) The remainder of Xbox.com will be available with limited interruptions.

We’ve witnessed a few free Xbox LIVE weekends for silver members in the past.  Microsoft rolled out with the “Friendship is Free” program.  This will enable multiplayer gameplay for silver members only in the following games.

• A Kingdom for Keflings
• Aegis Wing
• Bomberman Live
• Hardwood Hearts
• Hardwood Spades
• UNO
• Small Arms
• Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix

Time to call up all your cheap friends and get them on the arcade.  It seems this will last all through December.

Although the Avatars are quite new, I was a bit dissapointed at the lack of clothing available to choose from.  Leading up to the launch we all got the impression that new clothes, shoes, etc, would pop up quote often.  That hasn’t been the case so far.

However, today Microsoft pushed some cool ski and snow items for your avatar.

Content: Brothers in Arms: Hell’s Highway Demo
Price: Free
Availability: Not available in Asia and Germany
Dash Text: [ESRB: M (Mature) BLOOD AND GORE,INTENSE VIOLENCE,STRONG LANGUAGE] Check out the free demo for the game that IGN praised as “A World War II the likes of which you’ve never seen”. Experience the amazing graphics and sound, compelling storyline, and new gameplay features that make the critically-acclaimed Brothers in Arms: Hell’s Highway more realistic than ever. Join Sgt. Matt Baker and the 101st Airborne Division as they begin the battle to open the infamous Hell’s Highway in a daring bid for a quick end to the war. Size: 1.32 GB

I think the next few months are going to be very tough in deciding what to buy.  The holiday season for the gaming industry is always very exciting.  Look at the releases this week, you could say that it’s starting…

• Dead Space
• Saints Row 2
• Blitz: The League II
• Golden Axe: Beast Rider
• Rock Revolution
• FIFA Soccer 2009

Of the many amazing things to come from the New Xbox Experience, one thing that I am hugely excited for is new marketplace that will be accessible from Xbox.com.  With another dev diary from the Gamerscoreblog, we can some nice screenshots and details regarding this new section to Xbox.com.

Once the New Xbox Experience launches you will be able to browse Xbox LIVE Marketplace on your PC (even using text search) – and if you see something you like, you can add it to your queue and even purchase it right there and then. As soon as you get back home to your Xbox 360 and turn it on, the content will begin to download. Think about it – by the time you finish getting out of your shirt and tie, or skirt, or pajamas, or pink fuzzy bunny outfit, you will have a new Xbox LIVE Arcade game to play or a new TV show to watch.

Microsoft has just announced that the New Xbox Experience will release worldwide on November 19. Originally announced during E3 2008, the New Xbox Experience revamps the entire service.  On November 19, your Xbox will be updated with a brand new OS.  The jump is as great as going from the original Xbox to the Xbox 360…this is going to be huge.  The NXE will add tons of new features, and will completely reshape the way you think about your console.  With the all new social tools, Netflix integration, avatars, and a sexy new user interface, November 19 will be a busy day.

How do I get it?

You won’t have to do anything.  Just sit back, and when the day comes around your console will automatically update itself when you sign in.

For all those fanboys out there, it’s pretty easy to get your hands on the golden Gears of War 2 hammerburst.  All you have to do is attend the midnight launch event at your local Gamestop and you will be given a code to download the in-game golden hammerburst.

The six minute video is an interesting look into the design, inspiration and creation process behind the Locusts including a detailed description of the new Tickers, Palace Guards, Kantus, and our friend the Skorge. It’s another well produced video that you should view … like right now. Pro-tip: Watch towards the end, when Cliff give real-life comparisons between RAAM and Skorge. It’s epic.

It’s an exclusive to Eurogamer for now…

So the other day Microsoft decided to life the media embargo on Gears of War 2, this led to tons of cool interviews and information blowing up the internets.  Here is what we’ve learned from all this so far…

One of the coolest things revealed was for everyone who likes to play locust…yeah…all 5 of you.  Gears 2 will feature Skorge as a playable multiplayer character.  However, it will be tweaked a bit in multiplayer to maintain the balance.  As such, the dual chainsaw staff will be taken out for multiplayer purposes.

For all you PC gamers out their, you’re probablly going to have to cry in a corner.  Bleszinski has yet again adamantly denied a PC version this time around.  He listed software pirating as one of many factors going into this decision.

Beyond these little two bits of info, a plethora of reviews for Act 1 have hit the tubes from those lucky enough to have been able to play it.  We have listed the ones worth reading…

• Videogamer.com
• IGN.com

A solid interview was also posted with Cliffy B from Addict Gaming.

As icing to the cake, a few new screenshots were released as well…

A great little section of Xbox.com just went live it seems.  It’s an awesome section showcasing the New Xbox Experience.  Now you can go behind the scenes at the New Xbox® Experience Web site to see what inspired the developers, view screen shots, and watch videos about the New Xbox Experience.

Check it out here!

Straight from Larry Hyrb himself….

On Monday, 9/29/2008 from 12:01 AM PST for up to 24 hours, Xbox Live will be offline for maintenance. As a result, Xbox LIVE and the ‘My Xbox’ section of Xbox.com will be unavailable, and the Xbox forums will be in read only mode (you won’t be able to post.) The remainder of Xbox.com will be available with limited interruptions.

This service maintenance is in preparation for the new Xbox experience which will be available later this fall.

Let me reiterate: When the service returns, you will not have any new features and you will not have the new Xbox experience update. That will happen later this Fall.

The Gamerscore Blog just broke our hearts by telling us the Fable 2 will not ship with online co-op.  However, they assure us that it will be available soon after launch via an auto update.  Don’t get all rioty just yet though.  The GSB is pretty optimistic and tells us that Microsoft Game Studios wants to get the update out within the first week of launch.  Fine by me.

Fable 2 releases October 21, 2008!

If there is one thing that is driving me crazy, it’s the election coverage.  If there are two things, its the election coverage and having to wait for the New Xbox Experience (NXE).  However, the Gamerscore Blog has been doing a nice job over the past 3 weeks keeping me sane.  They are slowly letting more information out of the bag that always makes us drool.  Following Major’s video last week, we get an awesome Flickr set of screenshots showcasing Themes and the Friends channel.

You can see the gallery below.  The Gamerscore blog reports that themes over the NXE will be highly dynamic based on many different things.  Many graphics will tie in directly to the theme you are using, and will change if you choose a new one.  It’s great the these ‘themes’ don’t simply control only the background.  They have a much more in-depth purpose.

Also on the Friends Channel, you’ll be able to see your friends’ Avatars rally when you host a LIVE party. You can see who is online and offline by what their Avatars are doing, too. Online? Your friends will emote and be able to wave you over to jump into their party. Offline? Well, they’re snoozing, of course.

Bungie has been known for their extraordinary ability to hype up games using very intricately planned and sublyminal marketing.  It’s been rumored for a while now that Bungie was going to announce something soon.  Well…here it is.  It’s a teaser, but it has definitely got me excited.

Yet another dev diary from Epic Games that keeps us sane while we wait for Gears of War 2 to hit stores on November 7.

007: Quantum of Solace will be released in North America on November 4 as per an official announcement by Activision.  Who knows how a second-class game will launch just 3 days before the major blockbuster, Gears of War.

Activision has also promised a $70 collector’s edition, with no details on what is included beyond the normal $60 retail copy.

Another cool bit is if you pre-order at Gamestop, you’ll be given a token to download a map that will be launched post-release.

At the same time, Best Buy is offering $10 off any Bond movie with the pre-order of the Quantum of Solace game.

Content: Duke Nukem 3D
Price: 800 Microsoft Points
Availability: Not available in Germany, Japan and Korea
Dash Text: [ESRB: M (MATURE) BLOOD AND GORE, VIOLENCE, STRONG SEXUAL CONTENT] Xbox LIVE Multiplayer 2-8, HD (High Definition). Unlock the full version for 39 levels of mayhem! Wreak havoc on your foes with weapons like Pipe Bombs, Shrink Ray, and Freezer. Impress your friends on the leaderboards, earn achievements, and take advantage of the painless death system – rewind 10 seconds or 10 minutes, the choice is up to you. All new User Clip recording, sharing and uploading have been added and best of all – online multiplayer with cooperative and DukeMatch for up to 8 players through Xbox LIVE! What are you waiting for? This game requires the Xbox 360 hard drive or the 512MB Memory Unit for storage. There are no refunds for this item. For more information, see www.xbox.com/live/accounts.

The ‘official’ list of achievements for Fable 2 has made it’s way to the internets.  Obviously, this is the treat we needed to keep ourselves calm since the game doesn’t come out till late October.  Anyway, these achievements have something unique…you don’t have to DO any of them to get them!  You can just watch someone do the action, you’ll get the achievment.

Fable 2 Achievements

Content: Frontlines: 4 Map Pack
Price: 800 Microsoft Points
Availability: All Xbox LIVE regions
Dash Text: [ESRB: T (Teen) BLOOD,LANGUAGE,VIOLENCE] Kaos Studios presents four all-new multiplayer maps for the hit first-person shooter Frontlines: Fuel of War. From the intense armor engagements of Wide Awake to the massive air battles of Hindsight, this map pack features some of the largest, most wide-open multiplayer levels your XBox 360 has ever seen. Looking for more close-quarters combat? Then take on the concentrated firefights of Infiltration and the vertical infantry combat of Sunder in two of the most high-intensity maps ever seen in Frontlines: Fuel of War. There are no refunds for this item. For more information, see www.xbox.com/live/accounts.

Well…it’s friday!  The Xbox Team has unveiled another little tid bit concerning the New Xbox Experience.  This time, the almighty Larry Hyrb briefly goes through avatar setup.  Everything looks much better than I had anticipated.

Call of Duty: World at War (5) hasn’t even hit shelves yet and Activision has already confirmed Infinity Ward to be working on “Call of Duty 6.”

In a half day presentation, Mike Griffith, CEO and President of Activision Publishing, also dropped hint at a 2009 release date in addition to the Infinity Ward confirmation.

Although I’ve pretty much met my lifetime quota of World War II games…I always get excited about co-op games.  A new trailer for Call of Duty: World at War shows us the game will feature 4 player co-op.  Video below..

I’ve had my Xbox 360 since launch…I’ve got to say, I though I was pretty well in touch with all the features it offered.  However, I was just emailed something pretty cool by a friend of mine that opened a whole new door to listening to music on my Xbox 360, which I do quite often.

Many times, I use my 360 strictly as a audio player.  Mainly because I have a godly sound system, .  As such, I love to keep the psychadelic visualizer the 360 has on full screen in HD, it looks beautiful.  That was that, what I just learned is that you can fully control many aspects of this visualizer with two controllers.  It turns out that every Xbox 360 built has some software called Neon on it…

Neon is much more than just a music visualiser. It belongs to a category of software which I call “light synthesisers”. What distinguishes a lightsynth from a visualiser is interactivity. Although Neon can function as a very competent visualiser, that’s just what it does when it’s not being used, just like the attract mode of a game. Neon is there to be *used*, so next time you’re playing some music, put the visualiser full-screen, pick up the controller and prepare to explore.

It’s absolutely crazy!!!  There is a full guide on this at the following link…

http://www.llamasoft.co.uk/x360manual.php

I feel like of dumb not knowing about this.

Content: Burnout Paradise Bikes
Price: Free
Availability: All Xbox LIVE regions
Dash Text: [ESRB: E10+ (Everyone 10+) LANGUAGE,VIOLENCE] Hold onto your handlebars; Motorbikes have hit the streets of Paradise City. In this second free update, we’re giving all Burnout Paradise owners the chance to explore the city on two wheels. There’s plenty of fun to be had along the way either offline, or while Freeburning online with your friends; so grab the free download and start pulling those wheelies!

Content: Mercenaries 2 Demo
Price: Free
Availability: Not available in Germany
Dash Text: [ESRB: T (Teen) LANGUAGE,USE OF ALCOHOL,USE OF TOBACCO,VIOLENCE] It’s your chance to destroy anything and everything – Mercs style! Check out the new Mercenaries 2 Demo!
Size: 1.22 GB

Content: FRACTURE Demo
Price: Free
Availability: All Xbox LIVE regions
Dash Text: [ESRB: T (Teen) ANIMATED BLOOD,MILD LANGUAGE,VIOLENCE] Defend the world against a genetically modified enemy force and unleash the power of terrain-deforming weapons and technology. Download the Fracture demo now!!

Keep your eye out for the following games as they hit shelves this week.

• Rock Band 2
• Star Wars: The Force Unleashed
• Pure
• Armored Core For Answer

Not a huge list, but Rock Band 2 will most certainly take the top spot this week.

Yeah, yeah…it’s late.  Late news is better than no news, right?  Don’t answer that!

Anyway, the fine folks at the Gamerscore Blog will be slowly teasing us with new updates regarding the New Xbox Live Experience.  They say they will do one post a week that will reveal something super sexy.

This week, they gave us a nice screenshot of the ‘Games Played’ section.  Here is how they explain the section of the dashboard.

Major Nelson has some bling bling on his avatar!

When you click on your Gamercard in the New Xbox Experience you will see some familiar options; your messages will be accessible, you will be able to edit your profile or update your Avatar, manage your account, switch profiles (if you have multiple profiles) and change the Theme (more on Themes in the coming weeks). From here you will also be able to see every game you’ve played on your Xbox 360.

The first card shows all of the Achievements you’ve unlocked and lists out your overall Gamerscore and the highest possible Gamerscore you could have based on the games you’ve played. To the right of that every game you’ve played will have its own card that fans out. If you’ve played 3 games (like this account has), you will have 3 cards. 500 games? All 500 will fan out on your screen. You can check out what Achievements you’ve unlocked per game and what you have left to work on.

- DirtyDiva

Looks pretty cool.  The only thing I’m worried about all this sexiness is, will it load fast?  The current dashboard setup hangs even with the primitive data it is handling.  Hopefully it will be smooth with the mass amount of data that will be displayed with this new interface.

This ‘one post a week’ thing gives us a bit of a timeline as well.  There are many things worth showing off in the New Experience.  If they are doing one a week, it’s safe to assume that we won’t see the update drop to our consoles within the next 5 weeks for sure.  10 weeks…maybe.  We’ll just see…

Content: NBA Live 09 Demo
Price: Free
Availability: All Xbox LIVE regions
Dash Text: [ESRB: E (Everyone)] Get your first chance to check out NBA Live 09 as you recreate the matchup from the 2008 NBA Finals with the Los Angeles Lakers and the Boston Celtics. Play with their current rosters or step back in time to play two different games based on the players performance in two of their classic matchups with the all new NBA Rewind.

Following recent price cuts in Japan, it’s time to show the US wallets some love.  Microsoft just dropped the bomb on US price cuts, and they are as follows.  Effective as of September 5, 2008;

• Xbox 360 Arcade $199
• Xbox 360 $299
• Xbox 360 Elite $399

Content: Beijing 2008 – Demo
Price: Free
Availability: All Xbox LIVE regions
Dash Text: [ESRB: E (Everyone)] Embrace the competitive spirit of the world’s most prestigious sporting event, represent your country and bring home the gold, Beijing 2008™ delivers an entertaining and immersive Olympic experience. The superior graphics capture the fine emotional detail of all 38 events where a fraction of a second becomes the difference between winning and losing. Innovative game mechanics challenge a player’s time, speed and co-ordination. Compete for glory with up to seven friends online while you strive to break records and lead your country to victory.

Mercenaries 2 definitely catches an eye this week, however there are some other titles hitting shelves.

• Viva Piñata: Trouble in Paradise
• Warhammer: Battle March
• Rapala Fishing Frenzy
• Infinite Undiscovery
• FaceBreaker
• NFL Head Coach 2009

AddictGaming seemed to have the scoop when it came to Fallout 3’s achievements.  Check out what they’ve uncovered.

We’ve all been searching for one, especially me. I hate having to research 3 highly reliable sources only to find they have different dates. Then there are always those sites that list release dates by the quarter…WTF!!! A quarter lasts 3 MONTHS!

So what I’ve done on Google Calendar, is simply listed all the games that are coming out within the next couple months…to some greater accuracy. Hopefully this calendar will grow and I plan to include Arcade titles as well.

I am the only one running this calendar, so missing games and wrong release dates are bound to show up. If that is the case, and you know the correct release date for a game that is or isn’t on there…if you could just let me know that would be awesome. You correct me enough times, I might just let you run the calendar…seriously. You can find the calendar at the link below.

Xbox 360 Release Calendar

We can be certain highly anticipated zombie shooter, Left 4 Dead, won’t cause any Xbox LIVE Crashes.  Valve has come out stating that Left 4 Dead will be getting dedicated servers.  It’s safe to say Valve knows what gamers want in the multiplayer department.  They haven’t said how many dedicated servers there will be, although they promise, “everyone is covered.”

Split-screen play is also being done properly, with two players able to play locally with others online from the same console. You’ll also be able to choose whether you want the screen split vertically or horizontally. Sounds like a small detail, but it’s a big indicator of just how serious Valve is about making co-op play as perfect an experience as possible.

Gears of War had a PC port not too long after it dropped on the Xbox 360.  The thing that made consolers mad was that Gears of War on the PC had a bit of extra pizazz to it than the console version.  Cliffy B, in a talk with IGN, came out saying that there will be no Gears of War 2 for the PC. Ev-uh!

Gears of War is a great franchise first and foremost for Xbox 360, and therefore we’re focusing on that platform for Gears of War 2. We’ve decided we’re not going to do a PC version this time around.

- Cliffy B

For anyone dying to get their hands on Gears of War 2, this little treat from IGN should satisfy you for now.  The official Achievement list has been released, and although anyone could’ve predicted most of them, it’s still nice to feed on something new for a change.

Before we get to the achievements though, details regarding the linked rewards were also mentioned…

• Complete Act 1 in Gears of War: Unlock Anthony Carmine multiplayer skin in Gears of War 2.
• Find 10 COG tags in Gears of War: Unlock Minh Young Kim multiplayer skin in Gears of War 2.
• Defeat RAAM in Gears of War: Unlock RAAM multiplayer skin in Gears of War 2.

How this will work is, Gears of War 2 will check your Gears of War achievements.  Then, if you have any of the “Complete Act 1″ [on X difficulty] achievements, Anthony Carmine will be available to play as in multiplayer.  I think it will be quite interesting to see how other game sequels utilize this concept.  Mass Effect 2, hint hint!

My headset died the other night, so today I walk into Gamestop to pick up something new.  Fo some reason, I’ve always had a bad impression over the first-party headsets.  I’ve also had a bad experience with the first party wireless headset…

Anyway, I look around to see if any third party ones are available.  Memories of my Logitech headset for the original Xbox came to, that’s when I saw the Plantronics X10 and X30.  I immediately dismissed the X30 due to the one ear design, I need a over the head design.

I saw that the X10 was the same price as the first party Microsoft one and picked it up.  I’ve got to say, outside of the box, it looks really badass.  Much more hardcore than the first party headset.  The voice quality was at or above par, and the short cable made this a total score, .

Content: NFL Head Coach 09 Demo
Price: Free
Availability: Canada and United States
Dash Text: [ESRB: E (Everyone)] In NFL Head Coach you take complete control over an NFL Franchise. You will have to manage everything from the teams personnel to the on field performance in order to succeed.

Anyone that was interested in this game, probablly picked it up with Madden 09 a couple weeks ago.  This game really has a select fanbase…

Well, there are two parts to this blatant rumor that are worth mentioning.  One is the the notion that Gearbox Software is behind the development for the next Halo installment.  Now, this is a bit plausible, and believable based on quotes from within Gearbox Software over the past months.  However, its still just a rumour.

Not to say that a Halo game from Gearbox wouldn’t be completely badass.  You’ve seen their logo plenty of times firing up some really amazing games.  Half-Life, Counterstrike, and my favorite…Brothers in Arms.  Truly an iconic development team over there, and if indeed they are working on a Halo title it shall be interesting.

Although, to be honest at this point Microsoft could poop in a bag, label it Halo 4 and still sell a decent amount of copi…bags.  Many people think that’s exactly what happened with Halo 3.  I’ll be frank, Halo 3 wasn’t all that great in comparison to the expectations that we had after Halo 2.  However, it still sold copies just because of the Halo name.  Gearbox will hopefully stop this from becoming a trend, and do something absolutely amazing with this project….provided it is theirs.

This page on their website makes it believable!

This rumour has quite a kicker though…from the OXM source Joystiq pulled, this next Halo game will be not for the Xbox 360…but the NEXT console.  It doesn’t seem real to already be looking at a new console.  With the New Xbox Experience still to come, the Xbox 360 still has many more years of life in it.  Which is why I want to not believe the Gearbox involvement in Halo as well, however the quotes that Joystiq pulled up…

big… ‘look at our line up and imagine something even bigger’ kind of big.

[via Xbox360Fanboy.com]

Many of you have come to know and love the XboxEmbassy.com chatroom.  Well, don’t worry its still there…it just had a bit a move.  You can now find that same chatroom here, at OpenTray.  You will notice a few new links in the menu at the top.  You can register, then use the whole site including the chatroom all with the same account.

There are many reasons for this move.  Mainly, the chatroom was more popular than the blog.  However, I wanted to spend more time here on the blog…so I wasn’t really doing much for the chat.  Now that the chat is here at the blog, I can focus some development resources on the chat itself while expanding the blog.

Speaking of expansion, the chatroom was primarily used by the Austrailian community.  Not to say I didn’t have a blast chatting with them, I don’t think its a bad idea to expose it to a more global community.  I felt that putting it as an addition to this blog would achieve that.  Also, its easier to keep track of one website rather than two, .

Another, more regrettable reason is, Xbox Embassy started out with a bit of a bad reputation due to some people’s actions.  A change in name, will hopefully help smooth that over a little bit.

So yeah, the chat is open to the public..just register, login and off you go!

Quicklinks…

• Register
• Login
• Change Password
• Chatroom

All of this can be accessed via the big black horizontal menu, and you can change your password via the Prefrences link.

Sexy much! SPARTANS!!!

There it is, the official box art for Halo Wars straight from Ensemble Studios.  Drawn by the same guys that did Halo 2, and Halo 3.  Thats totally badassery right there.  The game is slated for release early 2009.

Gears of War 2 has one of the sickest logos!

The guys over at Xbox360Fanboy.com got a chance to chat with Cliffy B of Epic Games during X08.  An interesting tid bit came out…the much sought after achievement in Gears of War, “Seriously”, will be making its return in Gears of War 2 even more impossible.

The Seriously-esque achievement in Gears 2 will require you to get 100,000 kills…yes…100,000.  Thats quite the GOW2 hours you are going to have to commit.  However, it was noted that these kills will come from ALL gears play, including Single Player and the much anticipated Horde gametype.

What is also nice is a notifier will randomly…notify you of your progress toward the achievment.  No more having to guess how many of your 20,000 kills actually counted towards the achievement.

Bethesda Softworks has announced release dates for Fallout 3 in the U.S. and Europe. Those of us in the States can pick up the game starting October 28, while our friends in Europe will have to wait until October 31.

Microsoft has announced that it has partnered with Rock the Vote to bring several new political features to Xbox Live just in time for the last leg of the U.S. presidential race. Some of the new features include letting gamers register to vote, participate in special online forums and take part in presidential polls. The new features are set to go live starting August 25, the first day of the Democratic National Convention. Xbox will also be promoting the Rock the Vote message at both the Democratic and Republican conventions while also “educating delegates about creating a safer entertainment environment on Xbox 360 and Xbox LIVE.” Specifically, the press release is referring to the Xbox 360’s “industry-leading” parental controls.

The press release also makes mention of Xbox Live’s 12 million members, noting that if Xbox Live were a state, “it would rank as the country’s seventh largest, giving it approximately 20 electoral votes.” An impressive statement, even though Xbox Live’s 12 million members aren’t all located in the United States.  Even beyond that, only about 40% of XBL are over the age of 18, or so it would seem.

All of it sounds pretty neat but, frankly, we’re holding out for some presidential candidate “Game with Fame” sessions, or at least some video chat town hall meetings.

Its safe to say that my gamerscore is quite disappointing. However, in my defense…I lost my gamerscore just a year ago when I created this account. Starting from 0 is tough. That is no excuse though, considering my old gamertag only had 7000 as well…over the course of 3 years.

So in a effort to boost my gamerscore, I started an account with Gamefly and have built my queue with the following titles known for easy gamerscore.

• Avatar: The Burning Earth
• College Hoops 2k6
• King Kong
• NBA 2k6
• Madden NFL 06
• Kameo: Elements of Power
• X-Men: The Official Game

Of course, I did add a few other titles that I actually want to play such as Condemned: Criminal Origins, along with its sequel.  I also took up Alone in the Dark, which is fairly new but I passed on buying it.

Rockstar’s Table Tennis was another game I’ve added to my queue.  Although this game has some easy achievments, its also a very fun game to play.  I may even buy it later on.

Hopefully, in a month or so I will stop being ridiculed about my embarrisingly low gamerscore.  If there are any other games that come to mind when thinking of gamerscore, please let me know.

Was it a glitch in the game, or is Tiger Woods really that good? Based off of a user video that posted last year showing a glitch that allowed players to hit of off the water in the Tiger Woods PGA TOUR® 08 video game, a new video showcasing the real-life Tiger Woods walking and hitting a golf ball off the water became an instant hit on YouTube.com – getting more than 500,000 page views within 48 hours after posting.

Content: SOULCALIBUR IV Demo
Price: Free
Availability: All Xbox LIVE regions
Dash Text: [ESRB: T (Teen) MILD LANGUAGE,PARTIAL NUDITY,SEXUAL THEMES,VIOLENCE] Demo version of SOULCALIBUR IV. Especially suitable for the players out there who are still undecided in purchasing the final product!
Size: 695.20 MB