Every week on Inside Xbox, Nelson & Natalie recommend a game for you to Pick Up & Play!
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Recent Reviews
Review: Spectrobes: Beyond the Portals
The information age has had an unfortunate effect on novelty. We are so aware of everything that's out there that we can't possibly look upon a thing without drawing comparisons to things similar to it, supposed things that are "better" than this derogative... - Read the full review
Valve and Microsoft will be relasing the download-only version of Portal, subtitled Still Alive, over Xbox LIVE Arcade this Fall, and now we've got the cute little achievements to drive us back into Aperture Science's labs.
The following 12 achievements are quite different than the retail version counterpart. You'll need to find all of the hidden room, complete the entire game without getting shot by a sentry gun, take a sentry out with its own rocket and more. There's even one that's my personal favorite: you will be rewarded for failing. Trap yourself so badly to the point that GLaDOS has to assist you ... and you'll see that lovely "achievement unlocked" pop up appear. Nice.
At long, long last, LittleBigPlanet is done. No, really. Media Molecule confirmed their title has gotten to Gold status and that it's going to be on North and Latin American shelves on October 21st.
As if you weren't already dead set on getting your Sackboys as soon as possible ... now there's an even more enticing reason to pick up the game right off the bat. Especially if you're a "rare item" whore. During the launch week only, a free, limited edition Sackboy Spacesuit outfit will be available for download. But that's not all, those that jump onboard during the first week will also nab a special "I was there week one" in-game t-shirt that your character can wear.
Those that were left out in the cold during the last round of PlayStation Home closed beta invites...cheer up! Sony have sent out yet another batch of email codes to registered PSN users that downloaded the Home theme all those weeks ago.
Be sure to scan over your various emaila ccounts, spam filters, etc. for a note. Best of luck! Oh, and if you're left out this time - yet again - fret not ... there's still more to come.
Are you excited for Microsoft's Mii Avatar program? It sure looks nifty based on the few times we've seen it, but how does it REALLY work? You, know, what will the experience be like when you, the gamer, get the New Xbox Experience loaded up in a few months?
Major Nelson gives us a detailed walkthrough of the character creation process and yes, it really does look, sound and appear almost exactly like the Mii interface. Though, with that nice, shiny HD polish. Can't wait!
<a href="http://video.msn.com/?mkt=en-US&playlist=videoByUuids:uuids:af0e0dcd-5cff-43a2-bd32-4841fe6a89d1&showPlaylist=true&from=msnvideo" mce_href="http://video.msn.com/?mkt=en-US&playlist=videoByUuids:uuids:af0e0dcd-5cff-43a2-bd32-4841fe6a89d1&showPlaylist=true&from=msnvideo" target="_new" title="Avatars in the new Xbox experience">Video: Avatars in the new Xbox experience</a>
Plus one for GameStop Managers Conference rumors! The fabled console remake of the Game Boy Advance's Kingdom Hearts is on the way to North America at long last.
Hitting the PlayStation 2 on December 2nd, Kingdom Hearts RE: Chain of Memories is a full 3D remake of the classic title that originally released, wait for it, 5 years ago. Players will take control of both Sora as well as Riku, with voice acting being done by the Kingdom Hearts 1 and 2 cast.
Kingdom Hearts RE: Chain of Memories will retail for $29.99. Full release after the jump.
Bungie has announced, via their weekly update, that the new title update for Halo 3 is launching next week, on September 23rd.
The title update brings a few new features, such as a new set of achievements (including one that doesn't go live until September 25th, Halo 3's one year birthday), an overhaul of Bungie.net, and an updated set of playlists.
Luke Smith warns that some people might have problems when pulling down the patch, and suggests that clearing the hard drive cache will remedy the issue.
Go to the System blade and select Memory. Press Y on the HD symbol and
then press X, X, LB, RB, X, X. If you did this properly a message will
appear saying: Do you want to perform maintenance on your Xbox 360
storage device. Selet the "yes" equivalent and then boot up Halo 3)
Episode 33 is here with content galore that you will enjoy listening
to. Here is the rundown of what you will find on The Post Game Report:
Our community guest host is Soldier X25, who tells us his secret about his massive gamerscore.
The
Forum Frenzy is in full effect with topics created by the
Talkingaboutgames.com community. This week Finster and JVB took turns
picking two very interesting threads who were authored by JoeSetsFire
and Distraub
You
can let the gang know how you feel by calling 206-666-2041, by
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or by leaving a review on iTunes.
AUDIO Download the audio, or grab the RSS feed and become a regular listener.
Hankering for some information on a new Grand Theft Auto game? Fantastic, Nintendo Power are happy to oblige! Though, mentioning Nintendo, you can already guess that this is the new DS-exclusive GTA, dubbed Chinatown Wars, and not something for the consoles. But hey, GTA is GTA, right? Correct.
In the November issue of Nintendo Power, the first ever details on the new game which was announced at E3 are unveiled, and damn it all if it doesn't sound completely awesome. Chinatown Wars is not a watered-down handheld experience, oh no. Rockstar are going all out by creating a full 3D, open-world experience (with an isometric camera angle) that will be rated "M" for Mature.
Rockstar have apparently modeled a large portion of the new Liberty City, though it won't be identical to the GTA IV version, naturally. The DS engine is said to be able to produce real-time day and night cycles/weather effects, as well as "lots of pedestrians, cars, etc. on screen." Though, the art style is being changed to cell-shaded ala Crackdown. However, it's reported that this means there is no issues with pop-in, framerate or texture quality.
Hmm, could it be, another Microsoft rumor that pans out as true? Certainly could be, that's for sure. Last week word broke that Microsoft Europe would be holding some sort of big event where they were to announce a whole buch of things like that recent price drop (whoops!), as well as new Bungie and Rare titles. All of that goodness came, apparently, straight from a Microsoft source.
Today has brought forth another whisper, and this time it's about one of the Xbox's best racing franchises: Project Gotham Racing. After installment number 4 was all finished and out the door, Activision came in and swiped up developer Bizarre Creations. They retained the right to use "elements" of the game (like "Kudos") for future titles, Microsoft retained the right to the Project Gotham Racing IP. That's fantastic, but what if there's no one to develop the games? Cue Microsoft's only other in-house racing team: Turn 10 Studios, developers of the ForzaMotorSport series.
Rumor from a "reliable source close to the development studio" has it that Microsoft have tasked the Forza 2 crew with creating PGR5 (something that's has been buzzing around for months) ... probably for release sometime next year. What's more, apparently the game is to be announced "within the next two weeks." Huh. This might just be the kind of announcement perfect for a Microsoft event, no? Like the one rumored to happen, say, next week? Interesting. Turn 10 could do some amazing stuff with Project Gotham if Forza 2 was any indication as to their future creations.
After years upon years of what seemed like constant waiting and being told it would just be another three months, thank you, Spore finally charges onto the market with a whole bunch of fire nipping at its heels. The flood of penis monsters, the anti-piracy software debacle, the threats of TV tie-ins, it seems like the game the world was finally ready for came into a world that wasn't all that interested anymore.
But game politics are only interesting to guys who play with spreadsheets all day. People who actually play games will see that it took that long to make because there are a lot of variables that needed to reconfigure and whatever. I mean, there is so much going on, you almost wish that you had a lot more control.
Find out what makes Spore almost worth the wait after the jump
Are you a Call of Duty 4 fans that hasn't upgraded to the Vareity Map Pack yet? This week's PSN update is for you, then! Infinity Ward's award-winning FPS now has its first map pack available at a cheaper price for 1 week only.
Rock Band's newest full album, Megadeth's Peace Sells...But Who's Buying?, is up for grabs, as are demos for EA's Mercenaries 2: World in Flames and LucasArts' Fracture. A ton of videos for the AST Dew Tour and NBA 09 The Inside: Life round out this week's offerings.
Air drumming fans, unite! It's time to rock out on your Wii at long last. That is, if you're not too embarrassed. Nintendo have announced that Wii Music, which debuted at E3 to much skepticism, is launching on October 20th.
With more than 50 songs on the disc, players can air mimic to the likes of official Nintendo themes, classical music as well as "popular" tunes of the day. You can also tweak existing music to make your own songs and send them via the Wii Message Board to a friend for their own use.
Players can improvise jams on the fly with more than 60 instruments. You
will find rock favorites like the electric guitar; orchestra standards
like trumpet, saxophone and clarinet; and even international instruments
like steel drums, marimba and sitar. Players simply select their
instruments, and then move their Wii Remote™
and Nunchuk™
controllers as though they were playing the real thing. Wii Music
turns players' movements into great music,
even if you've never picked up an instrument
before.
It's probably worth noting: should this follow in the footsteps of WiiFit or the Wii itself, expect to be able to find a copy in stores around the day after never. Ok, let's hope it doesn't take that long. Full announcement after the jump.
Fallout 3 is almost here. Can't get enough multimedia? Good, because Bethesda are shoving more your way. Launched today was the full version of the official Fallout 3 website, PreparefortheFuture.com , and within it you'll find a plethora of videos and gameplay clips to enjoy.
In case you are the impatient type, I've included 2 of the 3 brand new videos after the jump, including one below to tease them out. You'll be treated to V.A.T.S., Jimmy and the Fatman (my particular favorite), and That's Right Abe. Get to lookin'. Fallout 3 releases October 28th.
Review: Spectrobes: Beyond the Portals
The information age has had an unfortunate effect on novelty. We are so aware of everything that's out there that we can't possibly look upon a thing without drawing comparisons to things similar to it, supposed things that are "better" than this derogative... - Read the full review
Episode 33
