Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

Just wanted to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays! Sorry it has been such a long time between posts, but I am trying to gain readers. That, coupled with finals for school, stole all of my time!

Just in case you are wondering, I will be on a few games over break:
Rock Band
CoD4
Halo 3
Team Fortress 2
Assassin's Creed
Mass Effect

Shoot me a FR if you want to play!

Mass Effect

As you all can see from the photo, I happened to get Mass Effect early from a local K-Mart that broke the street date. Not much to say so far other than the game is amazing. Look for updates here a bit later on!

Metal Gear Solid 4 Slips to Q2 2008

In an official release, Konami stated that the upcoming title Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots has been delayed until quarter 2 of 2008. See image for the official release.

Game Informer Reviews Mass Effect - 9.75

Game Informer's upcoming November issue features something special, an exclusive Mass Effect review for your viewing pleasure. What did the highly anticipated game of the year contender recieve? A 9.75, not too shabby at all. With an opening stating "Not since Star Wars made its theatrical debut in 1977 has there been a universe so full of wonder and awe," Mass Effect looks to tighten your wallet even more on November 20th. Along with Assassin's Creed in late Nov, the month looks to be shaping up nicely for gamers!

New Halo 3 maps on the way...

Says Frankie:
"Work is progressing on new maps for future downloadable content, with the design and art teams vigorously engaged in the process. More entertainingly however, the ad-hoc test team of Bungie staff is enjoying these new maps greatly. My favorites are what I have already nicknamed Jodrell Bank and Moonbase Alpha.

I “invented” a game type on Jodrell Bank which is actually just Team Slayer with Swords and Snipers. Thanks to some unique geographical features of that map, it works great. Moonbase Alpha, on the other hand is best suited to objective games, like CTF and Assault, but it has some natural deadlocks that make Slayer interesting and Infection terrifying.

Which reminds me of one more downloadable map. The scariest map of all time. Dark, frightening and surprisingly enormous. One of the scariest things that has ever happened to me (and this in a lifetime fraught with terror) was racing away from a marauding gang of zombies in Infection atop a Mongoose, only to have one leap out of the darkness ahead and unseat me with a throaty scream. I call that level John Carpenter’s Prince of Dorkness. It’s not as catchy as Jub Jub, but it’s every bit as accurate."

Can't wait to see images! Check BNet for this story and more (it was in the most recent weekly update).

Strange Countdown at Capcom Stirs Rumors

A strange timer has appeared on Capcom's website. The timer looks to end Wednesday morning around 9am. There have been whispers about an announcement of Okami for Wii, Lost Planet 2 (Ew), or Dead Rising 2. Guess we will find out soon enough! Stay tuned for more information when the time comes!

Halo 3 Earns $170 Million on Day 1 in US sales

(From MajorNelson.com)

"Xbox 360 Exclusive “Halo 3” Registers Biggest Day in US Entertainment History with $170 Million in Sales

Microsoft today announced that the Xbox 360 exclusive game “Halo 3” has officially become the biggest entertainment launch in history, garnering an estimated $170 million in sales in the United States alone in the first 24 hours. The Xbox 360 title beat previous records set by blockbuster theatrical releases like “Spider-man 3” and novels such as “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.”"

Halo 3 Reviews are in!

Halo 3 is set to launch tomorrow night, and the reviews have started to pour in.

(From Gamerankings.com)

GameSpy		9/23/2007	5 out of 5	100.0%
IGN		9/23/2007	9.5 out of 10	95.0%
GameSpot		9/23/2007	9.5 out of 10	95.0%
Game Informer		10/1/2007	9.75 out of 10	97.5%
TeamXbox		9/23/2007	9.7 out of 10	97.0%
Eurogamer		9/23/2007	10 out of 10	100.0%
Worth Playing		9/23/2007	9.6 out of 10	96.0%
Pro-G		9/23/2007	10 out of 10	100.0%
1UP		9/23/2007	10 out of 10	100.0%
Gamer 2.0		9/23/2007	88 out of 100	88.0%

Bungie.net Halo 3 features activated!

I was browsing around Bungie.net to find that the Halo 3 features have been turned on. You can now browse screenshots, see fun random facts (like in the pic to the left (look above the world map)) as well as download videos to your xbox 360 (to be viewed in Halo 3).

*Be careful though, when browsing through random profiles someone could have taken a screenshot of the last frame of the game, so browse with caution!

Bungie.net
Halo 3 main page

New Halo 3 short arrives on the interwebz, Commercial coming Friday

UPDATE: The second commercial has leaked, check it out!


The new Halo 3 short entitled "Museum" has hit the internet. The latest in a huge line of marketing for the upcoming Halo 3, this short depicts a retired soldier talking about a battle he was in along side the Master Chief. Not too bad. The newest (and 2nd) Halo 3 TV commercial (Other than Gamestop's commercial) is set to debut Friday around 9am PST. Look here for the video when it arrives!

Sonic 2 this week on the XBLA

Only one game this week for the arcade but it is a good one. Sonic the Hedgehog 2 will go live this Wednesday coming with 2 player local and online coop, gamers rejoice.

New iPod marketed towards gamers?

At the Apple conference this afternoon Steve Jobs announced the new lineup of iPods. One of the many redesigns is the addition of more screen space. The reason for this move? Gaming. Jobs says he wants to bring more gaming to iPods, the first series of which begins with Vortex, an EA Sudoku game, and a third unannounced title.
See Gizmodo for more info.

Call of Duty 4 Beta

Finally, after waiting for 5 days, I received my Call of Duty 4 Beta code in an e-mail. Not much to say now, but I'll post my impressions in the near future for all of you who are wondering if this game is worth the $60.

New and Improved Site!

After 6 months of a somewhat boring look (and not many visitors) I have decided to give the blog a name change and face lift. Formally Gaming Unlimited, the blog is now called 360 Unlimited. As of late the news stories have been slow coming but you should see an increase in stories posted soon! I have also added a poll to the right to see how you all like the new look, so go vote!

Halo 3 Goes Gold

Much like Willy Wonka's golden ticket, Halo 3 has gone gold. Bungie Studios has confirmed that the next game in the stellar franchise is indeed headed off to be manufactured. With a bit over three weeks until launch, one has to ask "why so early?" Certainly Bungie does not need three weeks to get discs shipped around the world right? Wrong. With over a million pre-orders it may just take three weeks to print and ship copies of the game to world consumers. With the launch of Halo 3 aiming to be one of the biggest media launches of all time Microsoft needs all the extra time it can get to finalize preparations for September 25th.

"This is a huge milestone for us and a big cause for celebration at Bungie and Microsoft Game Studios," said Harold Ryan, Studio Head at Bungie Studios. "This is the game we've always wanted to make and certainly the best game our studio has developed. We can't wait for gamers to get their hands on it on Sept. 25."

Congratulations Bungie Studios on finishing your fight.

Manhunt 2 cleared for release...

And on what day is this once AO, now M rated game scheduled to terrorize homes? Why October 31st, Halloween of course! Is their a more suiting day for the horror/action genre to release a game?

The official word is that the guys at Take 2 edited Manhunt enough to earn it a "M" (for Mature) rating from the ESRB.

"Manhunt 2 is important to us, and we're glad it can finally be appreciated as a gaming experience," founder of Rockstar Games Sam Houser states. "We love the horror genre. Manhunt 2 is a powerful piece of interactive story telling that is a unique video game experience. We think horror fans will love it."

So get your pre-orders in and prepare for a good old fashioned Manhunt! (2)

Flame on! Halo 3 bring flamethrower and incendiary grenades

From the guys/gals at IGN


"August 10, 2007 - It's one of the most infamous screenshots in Xbox history. An early screen grab showed Master Chief wielding a flamethrower. That awesome weapon never made it into the original Halo or Halo 2, much to the chagrin of fans. Good news Halo faithful, Master Chief will finish the fight packing the ultimate Covenant toasting device. The flamethrower has made its way into Halo 3. You may now call in sick the week of September 25.

Along with first details on the flamethrower, Bungie also revealed a new incendiary grenade, the firebomb. With these two weapons -- featured in both the campaign and multiplayer -- gamers can set the Halo universe on fire."

Source

Microsoft Launches New Service Site

My 360 just got sent in for repairs a few days ago, so imagine my excitement when I found out I could see just what was happening with it at Microsoft's newest service site! Located Here Microsoft allows you to register your name and serial number and continue on to see where exactly your dead 360 is at in the repair process.

Grand Theft Auto IV Delayed Until '08

"Take-Two is reducing its fiscal 2007 guidance primarily to reflect the movement of the launch of Grand Theft Auto IV for the PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system and the Xbox 360™ video game and entertainment system from the fourth quarter of fiscal 2007 to fiscal 2008, due to additional development time required to complete the title. The title is now planned for release in the Company’s second quarter of fiscal 2008"

*This does not surprise me in the least bit. For a game that was a mere 2 months away we had only seen 2 videos and no walkthroughs. One press event got to see a short demo, but other than that zilch. This will give Rockstar time to finish the game. Not to mention it will allow me to spend that $60 on another one of the great games coming out this year.

4 Player Coop Announced for Halo 3

In a not so surprising move, Bungie finally unveiled that their will in fact be 4 player coop for Halo 3 over Xbox Live. Not only that, but the 3 other players are not replicas of Master Chief! Player 1 will still play as the man himself, player 2 as Arby, player 3 and 4 both as two new elites complete with backstories! Head over to Bnet to see all of the bios. This just adds more to the long list of features continuing to add replay value to the final game in this great franchise. See you on Live September 25th!

Ubisoft Announces FarCry 2

Paris- FRANCE – July 19, 2007 – Today Ubisoft, one of the world’s largest video game publishers, announced that it will launch Far Cry® 2 in Spring 2008 for PC. Far Cry 2 is being developed in Ubisoft’s Montreal studio.

The original Far Cry® won PC Gamer’s Action Game of the Year Award in 2004. Since then the combined installments of the Far Cry® brand has gathered critical acclaim and numerous awards, and sold over 3 million units.

“Far Cry marked the beginning of a new era for shooters. An era of gorgeous graphics and of advanced artificial intelligence,” declared John Parkes, EMEA marketing director at Ubisoft. “We are confident that Far Cry 2 will have the same impact again on the FPS genre landscape.”

Check www.farcrygame.com regularly for more news.

Source

UPDATE: Peter Moore resigns from Microsoft; becomes head of EA Sports

"Microsoft Corp. today announced that Don Mattrick, a former president at Electronic Arts Inc. (EA), will lead the Interactive Entertainment Business (IEB), which includes overseeing the Xbox^® and Games for Windows^® businesses. Peter Moore, who currently serves as corporate vice president of IEB, has decided to move his family back to the Bay Area for personal reasons and has secured another opportunity in the video games industry."

*It was a good few years Peter, you did some great things. Give us some big exclusives!

Source

E3 Night One

A lot of goings on at the first night of E3, kicking off with the Microsoft keynote. I have linked or posted videos to some of the most important things shown, including a new Halo 3 themed Xbox 360.

Halo 3 360:


Halo 3 Campaign trailer:


Assassin's Creed Demo


Mass Effect Trailer

New 4th SKU for the 360?

This image was taken at Microsoft's E3 rehersal for their E3 keynote tonight at 8:30pm PST. What you may notice is what looks to be a gray Xbox 360 along side the other 3 consoles. Know their is debate whether it is actually gray or just in a shadow, but for sure the question remains; Gray or not, why are their 4 360's?

A past issue of Official Xbox magazine had speculated about an "Ultimate" 360. Could this be it? HDDVD support, WiFi, HDMI 1.2, HD sound, etc?

Or could it be a new lower priced SKU with the new chipset?

Finally, what about an IPTV 360? Or a combination of the Ultimate with IPTV?

All questions should be answered at the actual keynote tonight at 8:30pm PST. Check back here at that time for updates!

PGR 4 Cover Art Revealed

Bizzare has released new box art for Project Gotham Racing 4. As you can see, in the reflection you can see a motorcycle. This is a good sign that we will get to use more than just cars in the upcoming game.

Get your own 1' Master Chief statue!

(From Xbox360Fanboy)

"Japanese action figure manufacturer Kotobukiya and Bungie have partnered up to offer up one big and highly collectible Halo 3 Master Chief statue. Available this October for the gotta have it price of $99.99 is a one foot tall Master Chief ARTFX figure featuring energy sword, dual magnums and our Chief in the "let's get the heck out of hear" classic pose. Yup, it's expensive and a little excessive, but how can you pass up something like this? It's not like you actually have something more important to spend $100 on ... really. More Master Chief statue photos available after the jump."

Major Nelson Car Update!

I showed Major the Supra I made for him and he liked it, but wanted the paint job on an Aston Martin (His favorite series). So here is the Aston I have designed. Final version.

Condemned 2: Bloodshot First Details

IGN has a great interview with the developers of Condemned 2: Bloodshot.

See Here

Halo 3 BR and Carbine replicas....

Halo 3 Merchandise train rolls on with scale replicas of the BR and Carbine

For $19.99!

"Earlier this year, Corgi International and Microsoft entered into a partnership to bring a comprehensive line of replica collectibles spanning the vast universes of Halo, Halo 2, and the hotly anticipated Halo 3.

An updated Gamestop listing has revealed that Master Replicas plans to release a BR55 Battle Rifle and a Covenant Carbine. Both replicas will be scaled and they will be available on September 3, 2007 for $19.99 each."

SOURCE: http://news.teamxbox.com/xbox/13759/Halo-Replicas-Master-Replicas-Meets-Master-Chief/
http://www.gamestop.com/product.asp?product%5Fid=322284
http://www.gamestop.com/product.asp?product%5Fid=322285


For $20 I don't know how great they will be, but as a Halo fan i'll probably pick both up.

PICS: http://achievementjunkie.com/2007/06/18/halo-3-scaled-replica-weapons-on-the-way/Halo 3 Merchandise train rolls on with scale replicas of the BR and Carbine

The Cost of Exclusivity

A few days ago it was confirmed that the episodic content for GTAIV will be exclusive to the Xbox 360. This is a big move in the console war with GTA being one of the biggest selling franchises of all time. One may ask though, 'how much does it take to sway developer Take 2 into staying exclusive with MS?'
Try $50 Million.

"This was revealed in Take-Two's second quarter fiscal 2007 results conference call. When asked for details on the move by analyst Evan Wilson, of Pacific Crest Securities, Take Two's CFO Lainie Goldstein disclosed both the sums involved and prospective release dates:
'The first 25 is for the first episodic content package that's supposed to go out and that is in March of '08. That's why it moved into current because it's in the next 12 months. The second 25 will be for the second episodic, the episode, and that will be later in fiscal '08.'"

*Good to see Microsoft is not scared to shell out some cash to get 360 users exclusive content.

SOURCE

My Major Nelson Forza 2 Car (UPDATED)

Just e-mailed these final pics to Major Nelson. They will most likely be up on his Flickr site soon!

(Click Image for Full Screen!)





Just e-mailed these final pics to Major Nelson. They will most likely be up on his Flickr site soon!

(Click Image for Full Screen!)

My Bungie Forza 2 Car

All three final Halo 3 packages

Regular Vanilla Edition:

Includes Halo 3 for Xbox 360 and a manual. And obviously hours, days, weeks and months of hi-intensity Halo joy.

Halo 3 Collector’s Edition:

• Collectible Metal Case
• Halo 3 for Xbox 360
• Bestiarum: A hard cover, bound collection of information and art covering the species, cultures and civilizations of Halo 3.
• On the Interactive Xbox 360 Bonus disc (included in both Collector’s and Legendary editions):
  • Hi-Def Halo: Bungie’s graphics and audio engineers have created a simple to use, Halo-themed calibration tool to make the most of your Home Theater experience.
  • Art Attack: Exclusive Halo 3 Gamer Pics and Dashboard theme, a vast gallery of concept and production art (complete with musical accompaniment) and a fully playable version of a classic Halo-themed mini-game.
  • Featurettes: A series of short films covering a range of subjects, from making your Network play nice with Multiplayer, to the challenges of building the biggest Halo ever.

Halo 3 Legendary Edition:

Inside the Halo 3: Legendary Edition

• Fully sculpted Spartan helmet: The most collectible piece of Halo merchandise ever conceived. An accurate model of the Spartan Mjolnir Mark VI helmet.
• Halo 3 for Xbox 360
• Legendary Disc: Found only in the Halo 3: Legendary Edition, this Disc is a DVD disc that will play in your 360 or on any DVD player and features a wealth of rich, unique and exclusive content. Contents include:
  • Halo Cinematics Reloaded – completely remastered, hi-res versions of the Halo and Halo 2 cinematics with 5.1 audio and complete with optional “Director’s Commentary” track featuring Marty O’Donnell, Joseph Staten and Jason Jones.
  • Bestiarum – an expanded digital guide to the creatures, cultures and worlds of Halo 3, with art and assets exclusive to this interactive edition.
  • The Cortana Chronicles – Jen Taylor, the voice of Cortana, takes us on a tour of the worldwide Halo fan community ,where she meets Halo fanatics from near and far, obscure and famous alike.
  • Plus: All-new, exclusive Machinima episodes from Red Vs. Blue and This Spartan Life and a novel “mockumentary” voiced by Sgt. Johnson himself, David Scully.

• On the Interactive Xbox 360 Bonus disc (included in both Collector’s and Legendary editions):
  • Hi-Def Halo: Bungie’s graphics and audio engineers have created a simple to use, Halo-themed calibration tool to make the most of your Home Theater experience.
  • Art Attack: Exclusive Halo 3 Gamer Pics and Dashboard theme, a vast gallery of concept and production art (complete with musical accompaniment) and a fully playable version of a classic Halo-themed mini-game.
  • Featurettes: A series of short films covering a range of subjects, from making your Network play nice with Multiplayer, to the challenges of building the biggest Halo ever.

Xbox 360 prices may be cut by Christmas

From Kotaku

"Microsoft is starting to realize that it's going to take a lot more than a couple of pinatas to expand their Xbox audience. Worried that the 360 will get "pigeonholed as a hard-core machine", Microsoft is looking at this holiday season to see what can be done. Though he declined to say for sure whether or not Microsoft will reduce the cost of the Xbox 360, David Hufford (a director of Xbox product management), sees the potential for making it more affordable for the consumer:

We are well aware that the sweet spot of the market is really 199 bucks... (The Wii, at $250, makes a)strong value proposition. When mom walks into the store and sees she can get a console with a game for $250, she sees it as a $300 value. They've done a good job.'"

SOURCE

Assassin's Creed hits stores this November

SAN FRANCISCO--Today Ubisoft, one of the world’s largest video game publishers, announced the worldwide launch for the highly anticipated and critically acclaimed Assassin’s Creed will be November 2007.

The Assassin’s Creed franchise will make its debut on the PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system, the Xbox 360™ video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and PC. Assassin’s Creed is being developed by an all-star team from Ubisoft’s world-class Montreal studio. As a testament to its pre-launch following and buzz, the latest Assassin’s Creed gameplay trailer, released on May 23, exceeded more than 1.3 million downloads via GameTrailers.com in less than a week.

“Assassin’s Creed is going to be a huge launch for Ubisoft this year along with the added prestige of being the start of this exciting new franchise that is bringing something completely new to the market,” said Tony Key, vice president of marketing, Ubisoft. “We’re confident that Assassin’s Creed will exceed expectations as a ‘must-have’ title this holiday season and will achieve both critical and commercial success.”

The game is set in 1191 AD, when the Third Crusade was tearing the Holy Land apart. Shrouded in secrecy and feared for their ruthlessness, the Assassins intend to stop the hostilities by suppressing both sides of the conflict. Players will assume the role of the main character, Altair, and will have the power to throw their immediate environment into chaos and truly experience the art of a master assassin.

In 2006, Assassin’s Creed received the Game Critics Award: Best of E3 2006 for “Best Action-Adventure Game” and swept the “Best PS3 Game” category across numerous video game Web sites.*

Assassin’s Creed will be available in North America at the MSRP of $59.99 with the Limited Edition priced at $69.99 – ESRB rating is pending. For more information, please visit www.assassinscreed.com.

Halo 2 Challenge presented by Xbox.com and Gamestop

Win Big in the Halo 2 Challenge!

Master Chief wants you! Dust off your needlers, fuel up your warthogs, and recharge your overshields because the Xbox LIVE®

Halo® 2 Challenge is here—with two new never-before-seen maps and two ways to win! Register and start playing for your chance to win an Xbox 360 Elite prize package!

It's time to prove yourself worthy of the title Master Chief. Before you start dual-wielding weapons, you need to register. Registration starts on June 7 and ends on June 25, 2007.

Win with the sweepstakes or in the online tourney.

Need another reason to register? There are also two new maps available. Download "Desolation" and "Tombstone" for only $4. Start playing them now through the Halo 2 game.

Halo 2 Challenge Tournament
First, compete in the Online Tournament from June 11 through July 25, 2007. After a 15-day leaderboard qualification round, the top 64 ranked players on the "H2 Challenge" Rumble Pit playlist will advance to the live bracket round. Matches during the tournament will be played on the new maps, so get them now and practice.

• First place prizes: Top three finalists with the highest scores after Grand Final play will receive an Xbox 360 Elite game console with an accessories package including an additional Xbox 360 Wireless Controller (black) and two Xbox 360 Play & Charge Kits.
• Runner up prizes: The remaining five finalists not eligible for a Grand Prize will receive a 12 month Xbox LIVE Gold Membership subscription.

Play & Win Sweepstakes
Second, enter for your chance to win through the Halo 2 Play & Win sweepstakes. Register now and get one entry for every day that you play Halo 2 online between June 11 and June 25.

• Grand Prize: Two winners will receive an Elite Pack (console, 120GB HDD, wireless controller, headset, HDMI cable, Xbox LIVE Silver Membership, and One-month subscription to Xbox LIVE Gold).
• Second Prize: Five winners will receive 12-month Gold Subscription Cards to Xbox LIVE.
• Third Prize: 25 winners will receive 3-month Gold Subscription Cards to Xbox LIVE.

The Play & Win promotions from Xbox.com are an easy way to jump in and interact with the growing Xbox LIVE community. It's easy to enter and you could win some great prizes. Look for more exciting Play & Win promotions in the future.

SOURCE

Another "WTF" Ad by Sony Marketing.

WARNING: Contains some nudity, not safe for work....

Harmonix asks YOU for song submissions for "Rock Band"

On the Rock Band official website Harmonix is asking the people for song submissions for the new game, Rock Band. So go ye the people and submit your favorite songs with the best guitar parts, vocals, or just plain great songs.

New Army of Two Screens

Check out Team Xbox for new screens from the upcoming "Army of Two" game.

HERE