GamerNode: Latest Xbox 360 News

New Halo game to be unveiled at E3?

Many people are saying that this year's E3 wont be as spectacular as previous ones because for one reason or another many developers and publishers are staying away from the convention this year. One company that we know will make a presence however is Microsoft on the sides of development and publishing. Since late Spring the internet was able to uncover most of the E3 2008 lineup that Microsoft has been planning to show except for two titles that still remain a secret to date.

Speculation has risen that one of these two new games is a new Halo game. Whether this new Halo game is the one Peter Jackson was supposed to be manning, or the rumored 3rd-person prequel is still anyone's guess. According to a rumor on Sarcastic Gamer, the fourth installment is already in development:

"A very good ...

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Viva Pinata 2 dated and detailed

Microsoft Game Studios and Rare Ltd. have divulged some new information regarding the upcoming sequel, Viva Piñata: Trouble in Paradise. The candy-filled critters will find their way onto European Xbox 360s on September 5th of this year, which likely translates to September 2nd for gamers on this side of the pond.

The game will feature over 30 new species, cooperative play options, and added gameplay modes. Players will also be able to check out the wilderness outside of the confines of the garden this time around. Both an arctic and desert environment will be open for exploration, and the exotic inhabitants of those areas can be lured back to the garden using accommodations from home, such as snow and sand patches.

The first Viva Piñata game was somewhat of a sleeper hit in 2006, and the se...

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Rumor: Xbox 360 20GB cancelled. 360 60GB in

Recent leaks of store ads indicate that the Xbox 360 Premium model (20GB) is going to have a price cut from $349 to $299. But an insider source says that this is only part of the story.

Apparently, a new 60GB Xbox 360 model is coming and this will mean the end of the Xbox 20GB version.

According to the stealthy communication:

"At E3 Microsoft will make an official announcement that we are dropping the 20GB pro console to $299... As we launch the 60GB SKU throughout July, the 20GB SKU will DISCONTINUE. You will see the new SKU on your 7/1 price list."

If the rumor is true and more storage is available for the Xbox 360, we wonder if this is all that will be different about the new version of the machine. This would be an incredible time, during E3, to release a more dependable iteration of the X...

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Microsoft possibly exploring new avenues for Halo

File this one under the duh category, but Microsoft is still exploring what would potentially be the next Halo game after Halo Wars.

A marketing survey conducted by Microsoft asked participants to rate how likely they would be in buying the next Halo game if it fit one of the descriptions.

The gaming community would be better off without some of the suggestions seeing the light of day while others do offer an predictable choice. The list includes: "A Halo LEGO Game A Halo MMO game A Halo racing game, using vehicles from the Halo universe A more family friendly Halo game A 3rd-person Halo action-adventure game A Halo arcade game A new Halo shooter where you don't play as Master Chief Halo Wars (an RTS game set in the Halo universe) - [This one's definitely out this year] A Halo sq...

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Rumor: Xbox 360 price taking a dive soon

A hot rumor has been floating around about new "evidence" that the Xbox 360 may very well be headed for a price drop.

Some see this as making sense as the E3 convention draws near and Microsoft may take the opportunity to either unveil or announce a new price point or newer model of the less-than-dependable 360.

A forum user on the High-Def Digest forums uploaded a scan of a Kmart weekly ad that supposedly shows the Xbox 360 at a new price of $299. The ad is slated for circulation on July 6, a week before E3. If the rumor and ad are correct, that would mean a $50 price drop of the Xbox 360 20GB model.

So far, the cheapest interation is the Arcade version of the 360 clocking in at $279. We'll have to wait until E3 to see if Microsoft gives us any details on whether we'll have a cheaper Xbox o...

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Halo 3 KIA greater than population of Earth

Yes sports fans, it's true. The total enemies killed in Halo 3 now exceed the total population of Earth.

This little fact was uncovered by a Halo forum member when he noted the tally of kills posted on the official Bungie website and then went on to the government census bureau to get some statistics for comparison.

For you number crunchers out there, Halo 3 KIA amounted to 6,743,784,316. As for the population of our little blue planet, it clocked in at a mere 6,705,451,100 humans.

Of course, some would argue that killing Covenant baddies doesn't really count and only human kills would really be legitimate.

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Cliffy B says no upgradable weapons in Gears 2

Gears of War fans have dreamed about making their Lancer rifle and other weapons better. Wouldn't it be great to be able to upgrade with better ammo or a more powerful chainsaw? With the coming of Gears of War 2, some of us hoped that upgrades for the weapons would be possible.

But those dreams have been fragged by Cliff Bleszinksi, lead developer for Gears, as he stated flatly that this would not be happening in Gears 2.

Cliffy B said, "We're not really that kind of game. We're not going to allow you to bling out your gun. The Lancer's a Lancer, Gus is Gus, and Marcus is Marcus. Those are the identities we're sticking with."

Then he switched gears, so to speak, to say a few words about how Gears of War 2 is shaping up.

"Just the other day I was driving in this icy level with a tank and power-...

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Dead Space has "strategic dismemberment," grav gun...

This new gameplay clip of EA's Dead Space explains just how we can expect to combat the Necromorph invasion aboard the Ishimura when the game is released later this year. According to the narrator, "the only real way to take these creatures out is to completely tear them apart, rip them to shreds, and make sure you finish the job." It looks and sounds great. What's more is that the game will include a "telekenisis gun" that will allow you to use your enemies body parts against them, a la Half-Life 2's gravity gun. It honestly looks like a complete rip of the concept, but I am in no way complaining. Check it out:

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Castle Crashers gets rated!

I'm not sure how long this knowledge has been available to mankind but I'm going to say at the very most only 2 weeks. I just popped over the ESRB site to see if anything I'm looking forward to has a rating and I was adequately rewarded for my efforts.

It seems that everyone's favorite and oft-delayed XBLA game has a rating! That's right kids, Castle Crashers has been officially rated by the Entertainment Software Rating Board. That means someone not on the dev team has actually played it. I'm slightly jealous of that person.

We already knew the game was complete, but I assumed that like most XBLA games it would be months before it got through Microsoft certification. Now that the game is rated it should mean that the certification process is over... right?

Using my deductive reasoning I...

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Next Halo 3 map revealed, another remake

Bungie has finally figured out what it takes to keep fans happy. Additional content is always great, but it is even better when the nostalgia factor is thrown in. The Halo following is incredibly loyal, with players dating back to 2001 when the original Xbox was released. We love all the maps we've played with over the years, and sometimes we want to revist those late nights with two TVs, three couches, oatmeal cream pies, and cold pizza. For some it was rough. Maybe they sold their Xbox, or couldn't find a big enough following to set up an old LAN for friends. It's sad but it happens.

Luckily, Bungie has recognized this and has been making sure to include fan favorite remakes of old Halo/Halo 2 maps for Halo 3. The poster children for this design movement are Blackout and Avalanche, remak...

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Info on Gears of War 2 and host advantage

The original Gears of War is still one of the more popular games being played on Xbox Live to date, and those that stuck around with it after Halo 3 came out love every second of it, for the exception of one thing, host advantage. If you are one of the many games who play Gears of War online, you know what I mean. If you are a guest to the host server, there is a second delay that gets your teeth crunching and stomach to lift when you wonder whether that shotgun shot registered as a hit or not.

They call this host advantage because even though the guests of the server have this problem, the host plays the matches flawlessly, giving him the advantage over other players. In Gears of War 2. CliffyB hopes to annihilate this problem, so all players can have a flawless, seemless experience onlin...

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Forza 3 to have 2 discs plus 400 cars

With the Microsoft information leak still fresh in our minds, one portion of news stands out amongst the others. Along with the Microsoft Avatars, and numerous games mentioned, one of the biggest titles in this leak was Forza 3.

Remember, this is a rumor.

Sources say Forza 3 is going to come packed with over four hundred cars, one hundred tracks, and realistic car deformation. But the biggest shocker has to be Forza 3 is going to ship with two disks instead of one. Along with Lost Odyssey, Forza 3 may be another game to suffer from the storage limitation of the Xbox 360 disk.

While this may not seem important to some, try to imagine Forza 3 with two disks. How does one separate an experience like Forza where the majority of the decisions are up to the player?

Tweak a car, run a race, compet...

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M$ wants Xbox 720 to be first next gen machine

Some have questioned the wisdom of Microsoft launching its Xbox 360 so soon in order to get a lead on the competition. That was in November of 2005. The debut of the game console proved to be rather dubious as there were less than enough machines to go around.

People have accused Microsoft of launching a game machine that was not fully ready to be released. Case in point: the ubiquitous occurrences of the dreaded Red Ring of Death, which stops the Xbox 360 dead in its tracks.

Robbie Bach, boss of the Entertainment and Devices Division at Microsoft, not only defended his company's former position, but also added that he would love to see Microsoft launch its next Xbox ahead of the competition once again.

All we can say is that if Microsoft plans on being first to launch again, we hope they'll...

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Apparently, 360 owners don't care about the RROD

Xbox 360 fans are loyal. So loyal, in fact, that they've cared little about the Red Ring Of Death (RROD) issues that seem to be an ailment for almost every 360 out there. Or so Microsoft says.

Microsoft's Entertainment and Devices Group leader, Robbie Bach, stated in an interview with VentureBeat that the RROD issue, while costly, did not disrupt customer loyalty. He stated that, throughout this whole process, preference, willingness to recommend, and satisfaction has not faltered.

"The number-one complaint I get from people is that it is taking you too long to fix the console," Bach stated, and although some have gone through three or four consoles, they still remain loyal to Microsoft's services, happy to hear that Microsoft is aiding those who are suffering. All still according to M...

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New Bad Company trailer mocks, blows up Snake

Gotta love it when one game pokes fun at another. In the latest Bad Company trailer, the guys poke fun at one of gaming's most beloved characters, Solid Snake. Check it out below, and feel free to post your positive (or negative) fanboy reactions for all to see.

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Xbox 360 making a motion sensor controller

Unless you live on the far ends of the Earth, you know that the Nintendo Wii has proven itself a successful console because of its innovative and unique motion sensoring system.

Even though the Wii doesn't have an overflowing library of great games yet, what makes playing the Nintendo Wii fun for many people is the intuitive Wii Remote.

We reported a few weeks back that Sony was looking into creating a similar motion sensor control for the PS3. So what is stopping Microsoft's Xbox 360 in doing the same thing?

What once was considered pure rumors, SeattlePi.com is confirming that there is indeed a Wii-mote equivalent coming out for the Xbox 360. Microsoft is calling the project "Newton". With more and more Family Orientated disc-based games hitting the 360, as well as the huge array on XBLA...

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Last Remnant getting Xbox 360 release first

Square Enix recently had an event in Japan showcasing all of the Xbox 360's upcoming RPG lineup for the next couple of months, as was written about previously on GamerNode. Now the list wasn't all too big, but some of the games did look fairly interesting. With Microsoft struggling in Japan to secure a name for themselves there, they would need to appeal to the Japanese audience. What better way to show how much they care than with a special event dedicated to RPGs for the 360 from the leader in RPG design?

Now the interesting thing about this whole news post is a game called The Last Remnant. Originally shown in TGS last year, it was advertised to be multiplatform (360/PS3) with a simultaneous release date, plus the added bonus of it being sold to Japan, North America and Europe with a ver...

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Square Enix Announces Xbox 360 RPG Line Up

We've mentioned earlier how the RPG genre isn't the best on the Xbox 360, so we won't bore you with the obvious details.

Square Enix, being smart, is attempting to make themselves the premiere provider of RPG content on the Xbox 360 and with their lineup for Microsoft's console now revealed, it looks like they are making a decent attempt.

The three games to be released in the 2008 to 2009 window are Star Ocean: The Last Hope, The Last Remnant, and Infinite Undiscovery. Star Ocean will be another installment in the popular franchise, while The Last Remnant is the first in a new IP Square Enix is developing. The same can be said for Infinite Undiscovery which is a team crossing project between Square Enix and tri-Ace Inc.

RPG fans finally have something to look forward too. Here's hoping they ...

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Microsoft squashes Xbox 360 Blu-ray rumors...again...

The idea of a Blu-ray equipped Xbox 360 just won't die. It seems like every week a new insider from Microsoft is leaking the same information, only to be squashed by the higher ups at Microsoft.

This week is no different with the latest speculation being that Microsoft was going to announce an Xbox 360 equipped with Blu Ray in order to take the steam away from Apple's WWDC (World Wide Developers Conference).

As Robbie Bach has said, "That is so far out that there isn't anything to talk about." As everyone knows now this rumor has been proven false and Bach nailed it. What is funny though is how people believed that Microsoft would announce a new Xbox 360 to counter Apple. Apple and Microsoft are not in direct competition when it comes to console games or consoles. There is no reason Micros...

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Rumor: Metal Gear Solid 1 coming to XBL Arcade

I guess it's only fitting that this rumor surfaces mere days before MGS4's release. According to Ripten's sources, the seminal MGS game is set to hit Xbox Live Arcade.

They say this due to a report coming in from a reliable individual noticing the game on a "certain pre-release network." They didn't say much more except that there are some problems in the conversion process.

I would assume so--the original MGS' filesize was over 1GB. It must be quite a painful process to shrink the game in order to meet XBLA's current file limit of 150MB.

Remember this story is a rumor right now. Ripten isn't exactly known for being the most reliable site but let's keep our fingers crossed anyway. I know I'd want to see this game hit XBLA. I haven't played a single MGS game and what better way to start than...

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