GamerNode: Latest Xbox 360 News

Microsoft Cancels Yahoo Bid

For the past three months both Microsoft and Yahoo had been in negotiations in which the outcome could have had huge ramifications for the internet community.

For those not following the news, Microsoft was attempting to buy Yahoo to integrate it into the Microsoft empire, and give Redmond Washington the leverage to become a powerful force online.

Unfortunately or thankfully, based on who you speak to at Yahoo, Microsoft pulled out its offer to purchase Yahoo after the price became too steep. This happened even after Microsoft had increased the offer by five billion dollars. Yahoo still wasn't satisfied. Wisely, Microsoft decided to step out of the deal as explained by Steve Balmer.

"After careful consideration, we believe the economics demanded by Yahoo do not make sense for us, and it is ...

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GTA IV sold 6 million copies worldwide

To no one's surprise, Take-Two Interactive announced today that Grand Theft Auto IV has sold over 6 million copies worldwide with an estimated retail value of $500 million earned within the first week of the game's release. Of the 6 million copies, 3.6 million copies were sold on its opening day earning about $310 million.

Ben Feder, CEO of Take-Two, said, "Rockstar's goal is to make each new title in the Grand Theft Auto franchise even better than those that preceded it, and Grand Theft Auto IV is a smashing success on that score. Grand Theft Auto IV makes full use of the power of next generation technology, and offers players an experience unique in the interactive entertainment medium. This game sets a new standard in the industry, with critics hailing it as both an artistic and technolo...

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Mirror's Edge gameplay footage

Holy cow, I was pretty blown away after watching this trailer. Mirror's Edge is an upcoming open-world action title from EA DICE where you play Faith, who practices parkour. The gameplay seems so fluid and I'm a big fan of the "bodily awareness" thing too, so leaping over fences and traversing city buildings with ease sounds so cool. Also don't forget the neat unarmed combat system. It looks like EA is trying some new things here.

Expect this game later this year for Xbox 360, PS3 and PC.

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What's the real cost of the 360 120GB HDD?

Upgrading a PS3's HDD to 120GB is as easy as going to an online store and selecting the proper 2.5" drive and buying it. Cost? Around $70-$80. If you want to upgrade your Xbox 360's HDD, you'll be facing a price tag of $179. 

Ouch.

So why the big difference in price? Microsoft says that it's because of special things and magic it has to add to the hard drive before they sell it to you. But iSuppli, a company that likes to track down the real costs of products did a little sleuthing to figure out how much Microsoft's pricey 360 drive might actually cost.

According to iSuppli, the main drive itself probably is either a Toshiba or Seagate that is pre-loaded with software and other tidbits. Cost of the basic unit is probably around $75. Add another $5 for packaging and other frills and the total ...

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Want free Rock Band tracks? Settle for a dollar ea...

For anyone who has torn through Rock Band forward and backward, but has yet to pick up any downloadable content, this news is for you. Beginning today, select tracks will be available to download for the low, low price of 80 MS points. That's just a dollar, and half off the regular price of Rock Band DLC.

Xbox Live's Major Nelson reports that this promotion is the result of a Harmonix, MTV, and McDonald's(?) tag team marketing effort that will continue until June 1st. Two tracks will be discounted each week, for a total of eight by the end of May.

Here is the official schedule:

5/6/08-5/12/08 :Crushcrushcrush - ParamoreRock 'n Roll Band - Boston

5/13/08-5/19/08 :Shockwave - Black TideSugar Magnolia - Grateful Dead

5/20/08-5/26/08:We Care A Lot - Faith No MoreAll the Small Things - Blink 18...

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Prototype delayed till 2009

A few thrilling gameplay video montages later and Prototype, Radical Entertainment's upcoming open-world action game seems to still entice gamers on its mysterious storyline and zany powers wielded by the game's main character Alex Mercer.

Unfortunately, Sierra Entertainment announced today that Prototype has hit a snag and will now ship in 2009 for Xbox 360, PS3 and PC.

The representative said, regarding the game's delay, "Since its announcement, Prototype has been regarded by many as groundbreaking and taking the open-world genre in new directions, and in the simplest explanation possible, we need more time to deliver the game the team initially set out to create."

It's interesting to note that last month, the multiplayer component for Prototype was cut in order for the developer to comple...

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Gamer finishes GTA IV in 17 minutes. Cheat or bug?...

Rockstar Games has a Grand Theft Auto IV Hall of Fame listing for all those dedicated gamers who have completed 100% of GTA IV-not a small feat by any means as the entire game is reported to have over 100 hours of SP game time.

Enter a gamer by the screen name of ninjaraiden2003 who had his finish time officially logged onto Rockstar's website. Did he do it under a respectable time of less than 80 hours? 50 Hours? How about 20 hours? No, keep on going down. According to the posted time, he finished the game in 17 minutes and 15 seconds.

Now three things come to mind when I read this. One, we've got a cheater here. Two, he somehow got his hot little hands on a copy of GTA IV and played the game almost to the end, and finished the last part of the game when the Rockstar Social Club went up, o...

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Quick fix for "problems" regarding GTA IV

What do you do when the most anticipated game of the year has problems? I guess nothing. Rockstar has made no statement concerning the claims that Grand Theft Auto 4 causes freezing problems on both PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 consoles.

This is the second time in as many months that Rockstar has released a game with these problems. I kind of wonder what goes on during testing. Are there even consoles at Rockstar? Do they play more than 5 minutes? Or do they only have one of each system and believe if its ok on one it should work on all, even though both Sony and Microsoft have gone through numerous hardware variations already?

I experienced freezing problems on my Xbox about a year ago. It got bad enough that I had to send it to Microsoft and I received another console. I did learn a l...

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Crytek thinking of developing console games?

Adding to the ongoing mess that is the debate of the "decline" of PC gaming are some comments from Crytek president Cevat Yerli. Crytek is well-known for its two PC-only FPS: Far Cry (2004) and Crysis (2007), along with pushing PC hardware to its limits.

When asked about the current state of the PC gaming industry, Yerli made some comments that may irk the PC gaming crowd, especially with a prominent stance of saying console shooters trail behind PC shooters -- assuming that Crytek remains a FPS developer.

"...We are suffering currently from the huge piracy that is encompassing Crysis. We seem to lead the charts in piracy by a large margin, a chart leading that is not desirable. I believe that's the core problem of PC Gaming, piracy. To the degree PC Gamers that pirate games inherently des...

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Peter Jackson team takes control of Halo

Revealed by a number of job openings in Microsoft Game Studios, Bungie will no longer create further Halo titles. Don't cry just yet! MGS has created a new division to create future Halo games, with Bungie watching over like some divine entity.

So, who is directing the first game produced by this development team? Why, Peter Jackson, of course! Not pleased with the Halo movie being shelved indefinitely, Jackson has taken charge of the next game, and is hard at work designing the future installment of the Halo franchise by working with Microsoft and Bungie.

This raises plenty of questions, namely "What game is being produced?" An answer to this may have been given as well. With speculation that the game would be the mysterious and elusive Jackson game announced in '06, dubbed "Chronicl...

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Portal rejected by Microsoft for Xbox Live Arcade

Portal, the eccentric puzzle-brain buster game included with The Orange Box, was offered to Xbox Live Arcade but was shoved down the black hole of rejection by Microsoft. It turns out that Portal couldn't meet certain parameters in order to qualify for a spot on XBLA.

Doug Lombardi, marketing director at Valve said they were looking forward to Portal being on Microsoft's download service but was hitting some snags.

"We'd love to do that. Right now it's something we'd love to do. I'd love to sell Portal on Xbox live. [But] the platform holders aren't doing that right now. There's a size limit and all kinds of other things."

The present size limitation of Xbox Live games is 150MB.

"We've asked [Microsoft], we said we were open to it. So it's a decision for the platform holder and how they want...

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Prototype gameplay montage

While everyone is gearing up for Grand Theft Auto 4, news about other games is being overshadowed by that mega-release (which, of course, drops tonight at midnight).

Well here's a look at another game set in New York City, or at least copy thereof. Although this video of Radical Entertainment's Prototype isn't as graphically impressive as one might expect, the title is certainly looking good, concept- and gameplay-wise. Check it out:

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Lost Odyssey DLC available to all today

Japanese gamers have been hoarding their Lost Odyssey DLC for a long time now. However now us Americans and Europeans can download a piece of DLC today for 200 Microsoft Points.

The DLC contains a new dream sequence and a few new items. Namely, the Killer Machine ring and the Memory Lamp. The former allows for extra protection against weapons imbued with magic while the latter allows players to relive previous dreams.

[via X360 Fanboy]

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Ninja Gaiden 2 dated for June 3

Today, Microsoft announced that Ninja Gaiden 2, exclusive to the Xbox 360, will be on store shelves June 3rd of this year.

They also revealed that Europe will be seeing the game a mere three days later on June 6th. The game will go on sale for the expected $59.99 here and €44.49 in Europe.

Microsoft said:Ryu Hayabusa returns in this action-packed sequel to ‘Ninja Gaiden', on a mission to avenge his clan and prevent the destruction of the human race. Universal themes of vengeance and honour are played out from Tokyo to New York and to the netherworld as a series of dramatic events create a truly compelling story.

Players must become the ninja, utilising a revolutionary combat system that demands skill and mastery of a massive arsenal of weapons. "Ninja Gaiden II" features unique ac...

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Modder adds motion control to his Xbox 360

A modder has taken it upon himself to add motion controls to his Xbox 360 controller. Specifically, he bestows upon his controller the gift of tilt and motion sensitive capabilities.

The modder said, "The mod uses a two-axis accelerometer that measures the left/right and up/down tilt, which is determined by measuring the force of gravity on the axis. The only part of the left analog stick that works after the modification is the button."

Certainly cool, but there's just one question: is this really needed? Wii motion control certainly adds to the experience and is fun and unique enough. However, those games are specifically designed and built around the Wii remote.

The 360's games are designed to be played with standard control methods. There is the case of the PS3, but no one I know actual...

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No Gears 2 demo, says Epic

It looks like Epic Games will not be offering a demo version of Gears of War 2 prior to its release this November. This is the same route the developer took when the first Gears game was released back in 2006.

Associate producer Tanya Jessen revealed this decision to the gaming press:

"[There are] no plans for a demo. The reason being that it's been such a fast turnaround. A two year production cycle, for a game of this caliber, is really short.

Our focus is always on putting out the best possible game we can. Whenever you do a demo, you have to basically ship a whole separate product. As far as our plans after we ship, I can't really speak to that."

To add to that, I think it's safe to assume that anyone who hasn't been living inside an anorexic's refrigerator for the past two years know...

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Web of Shadows um... web of site

Two days ago, during New York ComicCon, Activision and Marvel announced a new Spider-Man game coming to the PS3 and Xbox 360 (and DS and PSP and PS2 and Wii and PC... I heard it will be coming out on the ColecoVision also). Shortly after the announcement a trailer popped up and the official site went live.

Going to the site and clicking on your region immediately loads up the trailer, which was slightly annoying but easy enough to stop. The whole site isn't up yet, but there are two things to note. The first is a counter in the upper right. At the time of this writing it ends in about 9 days. It seems that is when the next trailer will be arriving... maybe.

What I find interesting about this game is that the community gets to decide what goes into it. The site actually says "Membership g...

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1 million CoD4 map pack sold

Activision just made a whole lot of money. Their popular first-person shooter Call of Duty 4 recently came out with a new map pack--downloadable on the Xbox Live Marketplace. Everyone knew it was going to be a hot commodity, but just how hot was it?

Just over 1 million map packs were sold in just nine days since release. The map pack sold for ten dollars a pop for those of you who play CoD4 on the Xbox 360. That's $10,000,000 bucks straight into the pockets of Activision.

Let's talk about some more numbers. Xbox LIVE members played 30 million sessions and logged over 30 million hours of gameplay! That's 1.9 billion minutes played in the first nine days just on the Xbox 360! It looks like the juggernaut that is CoD4 still has steam in the engine.

For those of you who are PS3 CoD4 players, exp...

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Silent Hill 5 gets a name and a release date

Silent Hill fans have been waiting for a solid addition to the series for almost four years now (five if you are in the "I hated Silent Hill 4" camp). Hopefully, the upcoming Silent Hill 5 will be the game we've all been waiting for, and restore a lot of lost faith in walking mannequins and hissing pocket radios.

Silent Hill: Homecoming is now scheduled for a late September release in Europe, with no official word on a U.S. release date.

The press release also reminds us that this "'next generation'" game will have pretty graphics to look at, along with an all-new soundtrack composed by Akira Yamaoka. What is most exciting, however (at least to anyone who has ever wished they could absorb the story without wrestling with the infamously awkward controls of Silent Hill games of yore), is th...

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Shane Kim cornered by Games Radar

Anytime gamers get to pose questions to anyone on the Microsoft staff the Red Ring of Death will inevitably come up.  Games Radar is pretty well known for their 10 questions feature.  They round up someone in the gaming industry and users submit questions, from which Games Radar selects 10.

This time it was Shane Kim on the chopping block.  For those who don't know, Shane Kim is the Corporate Vice President of Microsoft Games Studio, aka the software side of the Microsoft's gaming contribution.

The readers of Games Radar didn't hesitate asking him hard hitting questions.  Oh no! "What steps are you taking to ensure that the next iteration of Xbox isn't rushed to market like the Xbox 360 was? Has Microsoft learned anything from the $1 billion write-off?"

Talk about bringing out the big guns.  ...

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