Xbox 360

Xbox 360 fans will have something wonderful to do this weekend; EA Sports' FIFA 07 Demo has officially hit Xbox Live Marketplace. The behemoth measures in at almost 830MB, so you might want to start downloading it and then go see The Departed in the meantime. You won't be disappointed. Then, between the soccer title and the previously released taster for Need For Speed: Carbon, you'll come home to demo heaven. Some details from EA: Fluid control: Improved fundamental controls plus enhanced A.I. enables you to enjoy a truly virtual recreation of international football. Take complete control as the ball and players react to the slightest touch for unprecedented responsiveness. Real-time analysis: Monitor how each player performs in the game by viewing passing, shooting, and defending stats. Advanced team management: Utilize all-new fully detailed player styles, with a complete list of attributes, and an advanced player editor. Make the tough calls that decide the match: Pull weak players, switch formations, and control your defensive line with the touch of a button. Advanced Challenge Mode: Undertake 80+ challenges to test your skills and earn achievement points. Challenges range from winning a key match to using a substitute to score at the last minute.

by Mark RentonEpic's Rein claims Xbox 360 Gears Of War is superior to PS3 versionWhen it comes to the next-gen battle of Xbox 360 vs. PS3, Epic's VP Mark Rein takes offense to Sony's PS3 claim that next generation starts when Sony says so. "Sony says the next generation starts when they say so. I say, that’s bull____. Gears of War is the first second-generation game for Xbox 360 and it looks very fine. You will never see launch titles that look this good," fumed Rein as quoted by Gamasutra. He's also miffed the stories floating around that Gears Of War lasts only 10 hours. Rein countered, "Someone said that at TGS but they were wrong. If you’re on the development team and you’ve played it 30 times then sure, you can get through it in ten hours but for first time players it’s going to be at least 12 hours."

Early adopters of Xbox 360's Xbox Live Vision Camera did not get the Totemball that was supposed to be included, which caused many a gamer to openly weep. Microsoft has now righted this wrong, and Totemball is now available as a free download on XBLA for anybody who wants it. Of course, if you don't have the camera it's going to be pretty much useless to you. But here's all the information straight from Microsoft: With Xbox Live Wednesdays in full swing, the game is available as a FREE DOWNLOAD from Xbox Live Arcade, starting Wednesday, October 4, at 0800 GMT (1:00 A.M. Pacific). Anyone with a Gold or Silver membership can download the game at no charge to the Xbox 360 Hard Drive or Memory Unit. When the ancient Ptolmec tribe simultaneously discovered gunpowder and barbeque, the explosive results scattered their musical totems across the jungle! Now Pterry the Pturtle must roll over mountains, cross islands, scale pyramids, and battle giant pinball games to retrieve the lost totems and bring music back to the party.

by Joel BarishXbox Live Vision finally gets its Totemball The early adopters of Xbox 360's Xbox Live Vision Camera did not get the Totemball that was supposed to be included, which caused many a gamer to openly weep. Microsoft has now righted this wrong, and Totemball is now available as a free download on XBLA for anybody who wants it. Of course, if you don't have the Xbox 360 camera it's going to be pretty much useless to you. Here's all the information straight from Microsoft: Playing with Xbox Live Vision just got a little physical now that TotemBall is coming to Xbox Live Arcade. The gesture-based game uses Xbox Live Vision to control the characters in the game. Help Pterry the Pturtel uncover all the musical totems while grooving to your own "totem" beat. With Xbox Live Wednesdays in full swing, the game is available as a FREE DOWNLOAD from Xbox Live Arcade, starting Wednesday, October 4, at 0800 GMT (1:00 A.M. Pacific). Anyone with a Gold or Silver membership can download the game at no charge to the Xbox 360 Hard Drive or Memory Unit.

by Rob GordonXbox 360 partners with Burger King Snagging Xbox 360 games for $3.99 a pop is the sort of idea we can get behind here at Xbox Today. Naturally, there's a small catch; they're all Burger King branded games and are sold at that price with a value meal. Still, we're sure you get your full four bucks worth of game. The games feature such iconic BK characters such as The King, Brooke Burke and the always-creepy Subservient Chicken. Sadly, it appears that none of the 360 titles will include Herb. Here's the official line from BK: BURGER KING restaurants invite guests to give and get the gift of games this holiday season with three ground-breaking Xbox/Xbox 360 video games available exclusively at BURGER KING restaurants nationwide. For a limited time only, starting Sunday, Nov. 19, the BK® Xbox Game Series – a collection of three authentic Xbox video games – will be available at participating restaurants for a recommended price of $3.99 per game with the purchase of a Value Meal.

by Rob GordonXbox 360 teams up with Burger King Xbox 360 games for $3.99 a pop is the sort of idea we can get behind here at Xbox Today. Naturally, there's a small catch; they're all Burger King branded games and are sold at that price with a value meal. Still, we're sure you get your full four bucks worth of game. The games feature such iconic BK characters such as The King, Brooke Burke and the always-creepy Subservient Chicken. Sadly, it appears that none of the 360 titles will include Herb. Here's the official line from BK: BURGER KING restaurants invite guests to give and get the gift of games this holiday season with three ground-breaking Xbox/Xbox 360 video games available exclusively at BURGER KING restaurants nationwide. For a limited time only, starting Sunday, Nov. 19, the BK® Xbox Game Series – a collection of three authentic Xbox video games – will be available at participating restaurants for a recommended price of $3.99 per game with the purchase of a Value Meal.

by Nathan BronfmanBanjo Kazooie returns on Xbox 360 In 2007, Xbox 360 will see the return of everybody's beloved 3D platforming title Banjon-Kazooie. The Rare title had last been seen back in 1998 on the Nintendo 64 console. It was quite a popular title, and at the 1999 Interactive Achievement Awards, Banjo-Kazooie won in the "Console Action/Adventure" and "Art Direction" categories. Below is a description of the title courtesy of Microsoft: The beloved franchise from Rare returns as gamers reunite with Banjo, Kazooie, Gruntilda, and a cast of new and returning characters for a new, exclusive adventure only for Xbox 360. Expect sharp wit, hilarious humor, and next-generation visuals. The official title will be announced at a later date.

by Joel BarishGears Of War and Texas Chainsaw Massacre collide Gears Of War will launch on Xbox 360 on November 7, 2006. That's a long time away for Xbox 360 gamers who need their GOW fix right now. Thankfully, Microsoft Game Studios and New Line Cinema have teamed up to give gamers in four major cities the chance to play the game first after checking out The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning. Here's the scoop straight from MGS: Fueled by rabid fan interest and anticipation, Microsoft Game Studios today announced that gamers will get their first chance to play Gears of War on Wednesday, Oct. 4 after pre-release screenings of New Line Cinema's The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning in four major cities, marking the first time in entertainment history that a major motion picture and video game have been previewed together.

by Craig Schwartz Halo Wars is going to be an Xbox 360 RTS exclusive, and the website is now up and running as well. Shockingly, there's already 3163 posts in their new forum, and the site has only been up for less than twelve hours. We suspect there might be an eensy bit of interest in this title. According to the FAQ, "'Halo Wars' is the next big real-time strategy game from Ensemble Studios, creators of Age of Empires. Designed exclusively for the Xbox 360, 'Halo Wars' allows you to take charge of the human UNSC armies and see the Halo universe from a totally new perspective." Why is Halo being turned into an RTS, you wonder? "Warthogs are cool. Scorpions are cool. Controlling lots of Warthogs and Scorpions and sending them into battle is really, really cool. We’ve been big fans of Halo for years at Ensemble Studios, and when we sat down to discuss our next project we thought Halo would be absolutely perfect as an RTS on the Xbox 360. "

By Nathan Bronfman Black Xbox 360 pops up yet again The mythic Black Xbox 360 is turning up in more places than those ebony colored helicopters that my paranoid co-worker insists are tracking his every move. Personally, I believe in the onyx 360 more than those nefarious helicopters...but only slightly. The latest appearance comes from a Samsung/Microsoft event in Seattle. Eyewitnesses say that this unconfirmed 360 (see here and here) was used to show off the connectivity between Samsung monitors and the Microsoft's console. Here's the lowdown from QJ.NET: However, when Microsoft was asked to comment, the company's PR dismissed the rumor and concept of black 360s being in production saying, "This is pure speculation and not based on any confirmed announcements from Microsoft." But, if seeing is believing, and there are pictures to prove the existence of the smoked black consoles, Microsoft's gonna need a better statement than that to put a stop to the rumors once and for all.

by Joel Barish Resident Evil 5 Xbox 360 exclusive no mo', PS3 gets it too Xbox 360 will not be the only next-gen console to get Resident Evil 5 after all; the Capcom title will be on PS3 as well. Just as quick as the RE5 Xbox 360 exclusivity rumor had begun, it was mercilessly squashed. "Just to be clear, this is a multiplatform simultaneous launch on PS3 and Xbox 360," explained a spokesperson for Capcom to the website Next Generation. Previously, Xbox Japan boss Takashi Sensui had fueled the rumor fire by replying "All I can say is we are very good friends with Mr Inafune [the game's producer], when asked about Resident Evil coming solely to 360. Looks like he was just being a big tease after all. The release date for the title on PlayStation 3 and Microsoft's console have yet to be announced, but according to Capcom's fiscal year report at Capcom's Investor's Relations page, Resident Evil 5 is expected to be released before March 31, 2007.

EA has proclaimed that NBA Live 07 has shipped today for Xbox 360 as well as regular old Xbox, PSP, and PC. This will be a window of next-gen exclusivity for Xbox 360 until the PlayStation 3 version comes out later this year, so take advantage of that window of opportunity while you can! Here's the official horn-tooting from Electronic Arts: The chance to play with complete control over all of the dazzling passes, signature dunks, jump shots and free throw routines of your favorite NBA stars in the world’s best-selling* basketball video game became a reality today after Electronic Arts (NASDAQ:ERTS) shipped NBA LIVE 07 to stores throughout North America. Developed by EA Canada, NBA LIVE 07 features NBA superstar Tracy McGrady of the Houston Rockets on its cover, and it is available on the Xbox 360™ and Xbox® video game systems from Microsoft, PSP® (PlayStation®Portable) system, mobile and PC. It will ship to stores in North America on the PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system on September 27th.

by Joel Barish Xbox 360 exclusive or PS3 in Resi 5 as well? There's a wonderful rumor floating around the Xbox 360 world today: Capcom may giving 360 an exclusive on Resident Evil 5. This would be a complete 180 from when the company first announced the title and stated that the latest RE would be coming to both Xbox 360 and PS3. Right now, it's no more than whispers and supposition. The title was a no-show at the Tokyo Game Show, even though the game is slated for PS3 and 360 for a March 2007 release. Hence, chatter started that the reason for the absence was that an Xbox 360 exclusive deal in the making, to be announced next week. GamesIndustry.biz talked to Xbox Japan boss Takashi Sensui, who seemed to relish in the talk. When asked directly about the rumor, he coyly responded, "All I can say is we are very good friends with Mr Inafune [the game's producer]."

By Nathan Bronfman PS3 doesn't like Xbox 360 HD-DVD competition nor 1080P Most Xbox 360 owners are content with the fact that Microsoft is offering their HD-DVD as an add-on accessory, as opposed to Sony's strategy of including Blu-ray in every PlayStation 3. Choice is king with Xbox 360, contends Microsoft, while Sony insists that mandatory Blu-ray on PS3 is the only way to go. Obviously, you know where we stand on this. Sony's Dave Karraker, senior director fo corporate communications for Sony Computer Entertainment America, thinks otherwise. From Gizmodo: It's unfortunate that Microsoft's external HD-DVD drive will not enhance the experience at all for the gamer. Sony realizes that to truly take gaming into the next generation requires a larger data format for both games and movies. PS3 uses the Blu-ray format for gaming, giving developers 50 GB of high-definition storage on a single disc, while Microsoft's 9 GB DVD gaming format is an obstacle for storing HD content. Furthermore, Microsoft's announced HD games patch is really just a compatibility feature -- upscaling lower-resolution content does not make it Full HD (1080p), something that PS3 can do out of the box."

By Nathan Bronfman Black Xbox 360 resurfaces on Best Buy ad Rumors of a black Xbox 360 have been around almost since the time Microsoft's console was originally announced. It seems like pure contrarianism, but a lot of gamers really want a black 360. Of course, there's probbaly some bizarro world out there in the universe where all Xbox 360s are black and they dream of white ones with a hint of green. But now on Gamespot, real Best Buy ads are surfacing that show an Xbox 360 that's truly, no doubt about it...black. Multiple websites have caught pictures of the Xbox 360 in the wild. Xboxic has a screenshot of a rectangle ad showing the mystic beast here, while Club Skill snagged a shot of a leaderboard ad with the same ebony console here.

By Nathan Bronfman Spring: PS3 and Xbox 360 Armored Core 4 SEGA of America, Inc. today announced that it will publish Armored Core 4, the newest addition to FromSoftware's mech-based combat franchise, Armored Core. From the developers of the acclaimed title Chromehounds, Armored Core 4 is scheduled for release on the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and the PLAYSTATION 3 computer entertainment system, in spring 2007. "FromSoftware is a very talented team that specialize in developing mech-based combat games," said Scott A. Steinberg, Vice President of Marketing, SEGA of America, Inc. "Building on the success of Chromehounds, we believe that Armored Core 4 will deliver an action-packed experience that will not only cater to the diehard fans, but will attract new fans to the mech-based combat genre."

By Nathan Bronfman Xbox 360 HD DVD Player priced, dated, 1080p support Microsoft made some news today when they announced pricing and availability details for the Xbox 360 HD DVD Player as well as 1080p support. There's never a dull moment at the Tokyo Game Show, I tell you. Here the brief details from Microsoft's announcement: Microsoft announced pricing and availability details for the Xbox 360 HD DVD Player in Japan. The accessory will launch on Nov. 17, 2006, priced at ¥19,800 (estimated retail price), and will come with an Xbox 360 Universal Media Remote. “Xbox 360 and the HD DVD Player together deliver the most powerful and affordable games and movie system for Japanese consumers,” Moore said. “The freedom to choose their entertainment experiences is extremely important for consumers as they enter the next generation.”

By Jake White The Xbox 360 Classics never die Microsoft is releasing a new budget line for Xbox 360, and we welcome cheap titles with open arms here at Xbox Today. The four titles announced so far in the Classics line are: Perfect Dark Zero, Kameo: Elements of Power, Condemned: Criminal Origin's and Peter Jackson's King Kong: The Official Game of the Movie, according to Boomtown. "The Xbox 360 Classics program allows new gamers to always have access to the greatest games at a great price," explained Richard Teversham, EMEA Director of Marketing and Platform, Xbox. "Xbox 360 will have a ten million unit head start by the end of 2006, and there will be plenty of new console owners eager to jump in to the best-selling Xbox 360 games. Not only does the Xbox 360 Classics program offer games at a great value, it ensures that the platform's best games are available to new customers. When a title becomes an Xbox 360 Classics game, it doesn't go out of print, so gamers who pick up an Xbox 360 can try the greatest games at an amazing price. And if you missed playing a game the first time around, now is a great reason to pick it up."

By Craig Schwartz Over 30 games for Xbox 360 at TGS The Tokyo Game Show is right around the corner and Xbox 360 will be well represented. According to the Microsoft list (via Fok!), there's going to be at least 29 titles at the show. And we've already noticed a few games that aren't on the list but we know are going to be at the show, so consider this a work in progress. Sadly, still no Halo 3 yet, but that's to be expected. Here's the full list o' games: A Ressha de Gyouku HX (Artdink) Chikyuu Boueigun X (D3) Culdcept Saga (Bandai Namco) Dead or Alive Xtreme 2 (Tecmo) Dead Rising (Capcom) Forza Motorsport (Microsoft) Full Auto (Sega) Fuzion Frenzy 2 (Hudson) Gears of War (Microsoft)

By Joel Barish Kingdom Under Fire: Circle of Doom Coming to Xbox 360 Good things come in threes, and there's no exception in this case for Xbox 360. First came Crusaders and Heroes; now comes word that Kingdom Under Fire: Circle of Doom is coming as a 360 exclusive. And it appears they're going the RPG route instead of the usual RTS route. Change or die, since we're bringing out ancient quotes today.