Gamernode: Latest Xbox 360 News

RRoD accounts for 60% of warranty claims?

RRoD is an acronym that literally sends chills up and down the spines of faithful Xbox 360 owners.

Otherwise known as the Red Ring of Death -- a condition in which the normally green LEDs on the front panel of the Xbox 360 turn into a ghastly red ring--which basically means the game console is unquestionably dead and has gone to game console heaven.

The actual figure of failure rates for the game consoles have been heavily debated among gamers and Microsoft. While it seems that every 360 owner knows at lease three or four people with machines that have given up the ghost, Microsoft claims that the failure rate is much lower and hovers in the neighborhood of only 3%.

But according to a survey held by a company called SquareTrade, who deals with selling additional warranty services for elect...

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World in Conflict deploying to consoles this fall

One of the PC gaming gems of 2007 was World in Conflict, a RTS game from Massive Entertainment. Their twist on the traditional strategy gameplay along with an alternative history scenario storyline involving an evading Soviet Union attacking and devastating the U.S. earned World in Conflict plenty of awards and critical acclaim. The game also cracked GamerNode's 2007 PC Top Ten list in #8.

So while we PC gamers enjoyed World in Conflict for a few months, Xbox 360 and PS3 owners will be able to enjoy the game come this fall. According to Shacknews, the game will be redesigned and enhanced for consoles, including new single player and multiplayer content.

But PC gamers won't be left out, all of the new content and features will be repackaged for a PC expansion pack and more details on said exp...

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Rockstar sets GTA IV 360 record straight

Thanks to the comments from Microsoft's Don Mattrick, who claimed the multiplayer experience for GTA IV would be unique to the Xbox 360, Rockstar has come forth to set the record straight. As stated directly from RockStar, both the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 will contain multiplayer portions for GTA IV. Those worried that the PlayStation 3 version of GTA IV will lack multiplayer support can breathe a sigh of relief.

What has not been addressed is what exactly those multiplayer components will be, and if they will differ from system to system. This could explain why Microsoft said their version of the multiplayer is special, but I can't imagine it being that much better than the PlayStation 3. RockStar started their GTA reign on Sony's machine, after all. They won't provide anything less t...

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Lost Odyssey packaging fires up gamers

Lost Odyssey has hit North American store shelves but from the looks of it something has hit the fan as well. First indications from gamers who have purchased the Xbox 360 RPG title say that the four-disc game is horribly packaged. Three of the game discs are stacked together on one hub with the fourth disc placed inside a cheesy paper sleeve.

The way the discs are packed is sure to start another avalanche of returned damaged discs as was recently demonstrated by the Halo 3 Limited Edition which caused numerous scratched game discs due to the faulty packaging of the DVDs.

But gamers are also upset because the Lost Odyssey editions for Japan are far superior to the North American versions not because of different content but because the boxes feature a multiple page DVD holder that keeps all...

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Banjo 3 still "on target" for 2008 release

A Microsoft spokesperson has confirmed that the Xbox 360 installment of Rare's bear-and-bird franchise is indeed on track for a 2008 release, most likely arriving just in time for this year's holiday rush.

"As announced at E3 last year, the next installment in the popular Banjo franchise is still on target for 2008. We share the excitement of Banjo fans worldwide as anticipation 'builds' for the game's release later this year."

At last week's D.I.C.E. Summit, Microsoft Game Studios' Shane Kim was quoted as saying, "I'm super-excited about what they're doing with 'Banjo.' I think 'Banjo' is going to be a big hit for us this holiday."

Should we share in Mr. Kim's excitement? Rare's most recent bright and colorful platformer, Kameo: Elements of Power, was released to mixed reviews and many fee...

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Prototype trailer

Who doesn't love a game where you play as a super-powered shapeshifting mutation of a man who can run along the sides of buildings, leap incredible heights and distances, turn his own body into a Swiss Army knife of bladed weaponry, and, oh yeah, consume other people to augment his abilities? I do.

For the rest of you who share those interests, here's some new footage of Radical Entertainment's Prototype, due in mid-September for the PC, Xbox 360, and PS3. Enjoy.

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EA retains NFL gaming license till 2012

Electronic Arts announced today they've secured an extension to its NFL license, which covers teams, stadiums and players, till the end of the 2012 season. The new contract's financial terms were not disclosed and EA renewed the license, which was originally set up back in December 2004.

EA noted the continued success of its Madden franchise (generated more than $2 billion in retail sales) and the company mentioned that the 20th anniversary is approaching soon. Many people enjoyed Madden NFL 08 (GamerNode awarded a 9.0 out of 10 for the game) and over 1.8 million copies of the game were sold during its first week in retail, so apparently EA is doing something right.

EA also noted of the two spinoffs NFL arcade titles the company released too, including NFL Head Coach and the hilariously medi...

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Marvel Universe Online officially canned

Do you remember when Microsoft announced it was cozying up with Marvel to deliver a MMORPG (created by City of Heroes and City of Villains developer Cryptic Studios) grounded in the latter's universe consisting of iconic heroes and villains specifically for its Xbox 360 and PC?

Well, it's no longer coming.

The project's cancellation was officially confirmed by Microsoft's Shane Kim at last week's D.I.C.E. Summit.

"Microsoft and Marvel have decided to discontinue that project," said the head of Microsoft Game Studios. "It was a mutual decision."

Kim didn't delve deep enough into the matter for us to know the exact reason why the project was canned, which raises a few questions.

The game was never discussed after it was announced, so is there a possibility that development never reached a point...

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Microsoft to lower Xbox 360 price in Japan

You can't fault Microsoft for trying, but at this point it is reasonable to believe that the Xbox 360 should throw in the towel when it comes to Japan. Microsoft just can't seem to gain any substantial foothold when going against the heavyweight home country of Nintendo and Sony. 

In its latest attempt to draw in some of the Japanese crowd, Microsoft has lowered the price of the Arcade version of the Xbox 360 to around $260 dollars US. The Arcade version of the Xbox 360 has no harddrive, but comes packed with several XBLA titles, which Microsoft is obviously hoping will appeal to the more casual audience.

"US computer giant Microsoft said Monday it was launching a cheaper version of its Xbox 360 in Japan in an attempt to make inroads into the game-loving nation that has shunned the console....

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Microsoft talks Crackdown 2, what's the hold-up?

A lot of people enjoyed Crackdown for its free-form sandbox-style gameplay, massive city environment and awesome visuals (Chris enjoyed it by giving the game an 8.8 out of 10); so much that Crackdown ended up selling over 1.5 million copies six months after its release. But hope for a sequel has been stagnant especially since it has been quite a few months without a peep.

Over on Wired's blog Game | Life, Shane Kim, vice president of Microsoft Game Studios, revealed some more details on why Microsoft remained mum about Crackdown 2. Simply put, Microsoft is thinking of producing the sequel but series developer Realtime Worlds may not return.

Kim elaborated that Microsoft owns the Crackdown intellectual property, but Realtime Worlds is "pursuing a different path from a company perspective." So...

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Microsoft touting Xbox 360's longevity in 2008

Microsoft has a lot of faith in the Xbox 360's longevity, according to some recent comments on CNNMoney.com. Alan Bowman, general manager of Microsoft's entertainment/devices division for Asia/China said that in addition to games, the demand for high-definition TVs will boost the Xbox 360's popularity during the ongoing year.

Despite a less than stable economy, Bowman added that the Xbox 360's support for high-definition gaming will turn the tide. "If people are going to buy HD TVs, they're going to want to put content through that."

Since its launch in November 2005, Microsoft has sold over 17.7 million Xbox 360 units, which currently puts the console in second place behind the Wii. According to Bowman, while the Xbox 360 has been trailing in sales behind the Wii, sales of accessories, game...

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Video killed the GTA IV radio commercials

Of all the great aspects the GTA series, I feel that one of the most entertaining would have to be the satirical commercials that play over the airwaves of Liberty City, Vice City, and San Andreas radio stations. They are always the perfect ambience to the many missions taken on by upcoming...er...criminals. Giggle Cream! It makes drive-bys funny!  

Anyway, GTA IV looks to continue that trend, but in a higher-tech format. A pair of video commercials has been released on Rockstar's official *re-launched* GTA IV website. Hopefully they'll actually be tied into the game somehow, rather than just being used for marketing. Check out the ads for Whiz Wireless and the Steinway Beer Garden below.

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Upcoming free & premium PGR4 DLC detailed

Courtesy of this post on their official site, Bizarre Creations announced some upcoming downloadable content for Project Gotham Racing 4. The DLC will be released on Thursday, February 14th and in two flavors: the Free Challenge Pack and the Premium Challenge Pack.

Noted by the title, the Free Challenge Pack will be free and will include a new car (2007 Peugeot Flux), two new game modes (Tourist Mode and Free Roam Cat and Mouse Mode, detailed below) and ten additional achievements (listed below).

The Premium Challenge Pack will cost 400 MS points and will include everything in the Free Challenge Pack, along with seven new cars (listed below), three new bikes (2007 Yamaha YZF-R1, 1995 Aprilia RS 250, and 1998 Aprilia RSV 1000 Tuono R) and a new World Challenge Arcade Mode (detailed below).

Her...

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More Guitar Hero, Call of Duty, Tony Hawk and MUA

FiringSquad is reporting on a recent Activision financial conference call and they revealed several new games that are in-development for its coming fiscal year, which begins on April 1st till March 2009.

First, Activision is planning two new Guitar Hero games. No other details were revealed other than that the company is trying to keep the two games a big secret. This may be related to this story of a suspected new Guitar Hero game that was mentioned today. The entire Guitar Hero franchise, since its release in 2005, has sold over 14 million copies worldwide combined.

Next, Activision is planning two new superhero games due later in its fiscal year (most likely this fall). The games will be a new Spider-Man game and the sequel to Marvel Ultimate Alliance. I'm especially happy about the Marv...

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Legendary on track for summer release, loses "The ...

Gamecock Media Group and Spark Unlimited have announced today that their upcoming mythological FPS, Legendary: The Box -- scheduled for release on both the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, as well as the PC -- is being pushed back a little bit. Rather than the previously "official" release of Spring, Legendary will instead arrive on all three platforms this summer.

Said Rick Stults, Console Chief for Gamecock Media Group:

"I'm happy to report that the team on Legendary is well on target for a simultaneous multi-platform launch this summer. It's no easy feat to pull this off on a game of this caliber, but Spark Unlimited is a talented group."

Added Spark Unlimited CEO Craig Allen:

"This is the project we want to be working on and it's shaping up to be something amazing. Legendary is the type of ga...

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Reasoning behind required HDD for Burnout Paradise...

With the recent revelation that it's required for you to have a hard drive when you want to go online with Burnout Paradise for the Xbox 360, the response from the Xbox 360 user base has been split between "well, duh, all 360 owners should have a hard drive," and "I don't want to spend more money!" But the reasoning behind the required hard drive may be for the good after all.

MTV Multiplayer is reporting that downloadable content for Burnout Paradise will be required for all players, therefore it'll be stored on the 360's hard drive, and therefore that's why a hard drive is required for online play. So even if you don't want it, it appears everyone will be getting Burnout Paradise DLC.

EA went on to say in a released statement with MTV, "It's our intention to extend the life of Burnout with...

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Xbox 360 HD-DVD player takes a price cut

If you've been eyeballing that HD-DVD player add-on for your Xbox 360, the time may be just right to jump in and get yourself one. According to Larry Hryb, a.k.a. "Major Nelson," the 360 accessory will drop in price from $179.99 to $129.99 in the US, Australia, New Zealand, and Canada.

The ongoing promotional regarding five free HD-DVD movies with the purchase of the 360 unit is still in effect and can be seen here.

There was no explanation regarding the price drop of the HD-DVD player, but it probably can be surmised that the move by Microsoft is an attempt to move the HD DVD units off the shelves in order to eke out some portion of market share against their Blu-ray competition, which many have deemed the winner.

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Mass Effect DLC detailed, new aliens and planet!

BioWare officially announced the first round of downloadable content for their critically acclaimed and smash-hit RPG Mass Effect. Titled Bring Down the Sky, the DLC pack will be released through Xbox Live on Monday, March 10th at 2AM PST for 400 Microsoft points.

Bring Down the Sky will introduce a new planet and a new alien race called the Batarians; the Batarians hijacked a mobile asteroid station and put the nearby world of Terra Nova in its crosshairs. As expected, Commander Shepard and crew will have to do what they do best - eradicate them!

The DLC will contain around 90 minutes of new gameplay and will offer an additional achievement worth 50 points.

Since its release, the game has sold over 1.6 million copies--excellent news for a brand-new franchise. I'm sure fans will be pleased.

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Faith and a .45 debut trailer

From the developers of Total Overdose and Chili Con Carnage comes yet another action-packed gunslinger's tale.  Faith and a .45 will tell the story of a pair of depression era lovers who are on the run and trying to survive a powerful oilman's hunt, and if the developer's track record for making enjoyable games is any indicator, it should be something worth looking forward to (not to mention that it has such an awesome title). The game has no release date or publisher at this time, but will be coming to the PC, Xbox 360 and PS3. Check out the debut trailer:

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BenHeck's Elite 360 laptop wows (and possibly woos...

Ben Heckendorn is a fairly amazing modding guru. Last October, we showed you the Access Controller, which Ben designed to make one-handed gaming a realistic possiblility. That was impressive, but this time the man has outdone himself.

The following is a video of BenHeck showing off his newest invention - the Xbox 360 Laptop. No further introduction is necessary; just behold the magnificence of this creation. Mr. Heckendorn, I salute you.

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