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How to unlock a one billion point Achievement

by Griffin McElroy { Nov 11th 2009 at 3:45PM }

As a congratulatory message to their Microsoft peers, the Interactive Entertainment branch recently sent the Windows team the banner you see above shortly after the latter launched Windows 7. It's a cute little example of how these two companies okay enough with the crap. We need this Achievement. Do you understand us, Microsoft? We need it. Knowing "the big one" is out there, but that it will be eternally inaccessible to us? Do you know what that would do to our psyche? It would end us, Microsoft.

We'll make you a deal -- we'll create our own Microsoft-branded operating system, and then you go ahead and pass one of those novelty-sized Achievements our way. How do you feel about "Doors XL?" No? How about "Glass-covered Portals 2010?" Or "Panes: Professional Edition?" Get back to us on this one, okay? We need it.

Audiosurf, PGR and other games added to Zune HD with latest update

by Griffin McElroy { Nov 11th 2009 at 10:50AM }

Okay, so the Zune HD didn't get off to the greatest start as a portable gaming platform, but we're willing to let bygones be bygones should the device's most recent patch be as amazing as it sounds on paper. A recent press release has announced that firmware update 4.3 adds six free games to the Zune Marketplace: PGR: Ferrari Edition, Lucky Lane Bowling, Vans Sk8: Pool Service, Piano, Checkers and Audiosurf: Tilt.

The press release does explain that, yes, you'll have to watch a short ad when you start these free games up. So what? It's Audiosurf on a mobile device, and it lets you make rollercoaster tracks out of your own songs. If we had to watch The Adventures of Pluto Nash start-to-finish every time we loaded the game, we'd still be thrilled.

Rumor: Project Natal launch details leaked

by JC Fletcher { Nov 11th 2009 at 9:40AM }

MCV reports that Microsoft has been showing Project Natal off to UK publishers this week, and filling them in on the launch plan. According to the site's unnamed sources, Microsoft plans to release the peripheral in November 2010, at a sub-£50 ($84) price point that could go as low as £30 ($50) when sold by itself. That price happens to match the price predicted by Michael Pachter last month.

MCV's sources say that Microsoft will have 5 million cameras ready for launch, with a "great launch line-up" of 14 games. While a November launch of a major video game item seems plausible even in a year overloaded with spring releases, this information remains unverified and, therefore, suspect. And we're tempted to say that the price is too good to be true. If it does turn out to be $50, our expression of delight may be the first thing the fancy camera sees.

Xbox 360 Wireless N Networking Adapter out this week in North America [update]

by JC Fletcher { Nov 10th 2009 at 1:30PM }

After the item mysteriously appeared in a UK supermarket this weekend, Microsoft has finally offered a North American release date for the Xbox 360 Wireless N Networking Adapter -- and it's right now. Or, rather, "this week," as the announcement puts it. The new version of the official Wi-Fi adapter will retail for the same $99.99 that the first version commanded (though Amazon has it for $87.99 right now, and the old one at $76.49).

The Wireless Adapter N adds support for the 802.11n protocol, which should allow for higher-speed wireless connections. It also adds a second antenna, which allows for symmetry. Given its high price, it may cause buyers to suffer like the 802.11g did.

Update: We've confirmed with Microsoft that the original 802.11b/g adapter will only be available while supplies last -- at a new price of $80.

This is Modern Warfare 2's official launch party

by Andrew Yoon { Nov 10th 2009 at 12:00AM }

It seems a bit silly to have a launch party for a game that pretty much "launched" already. NYC became host to the official Modern Warfare 2 launch, where enthusiasts were able to wait on line for their chance to play the game. After the festivities, they could walk one block away to GameStop to buy a copy of the game at midnight -- and no sooner.

Funnily, a good percentage of people waiting on line already had a copy of the game. Why bother going to the launch event, then? Perhaps the swag proved too enticing: XL Modern Warfare 2 t-shirts and the chance to oogle at IGN's Jessica Chobot were more than enough reason to wait on line for upwards of an hour.

Considering this is arguably the biggest game release of the year, the event ended up being a bit underwhelming. Other than the dozens of Xbox 360 demo kiosks (with nary a PS3 in sight), Activision didn't offer much else to see or do. For the sake of this blogger, a more "ridiculous" marketing budget would have offered a far more spectacular launch party, one filled with fireworks, ninjas and dedicated servers.

XBLM Deal of the Week: Saints Row 2 DLC

by Griffin McElroy { Nov 9th 2009 at 3:15PM }

Though that other open-world crime drama just got a huge booster shot in the form of the release of Ballad of Gay Tony, Volition's Saints Row 2 is getting a helping hand from its ol' pal Microsoft. Major Nelson recently announced that the game's DLC pack, "Ultor Exposed," is the Xbox Live Marketplace Deal of the Week. The pack, which offers three new missions, a new co-op mode and a playable character modeled after real-life porn star Tera Patrick, has had its price cut to 560

($7). That's a 30 percent discount from the add-on's usual 800

($10) price point.

With that, we'd like to welcome the naughty folks who ended up here after searching Google for "porn star Tera Patrick." Welcome! Sorry, there's no images of your erotic quarry to be found here, but take a look around, anyways! You might just like what you see.

Microsoft hiring for Project Natal and Halo

by David Hinkle { Nov 6th 2009 at 5:00PM }

A variety of new job listings have emerged on a Microsoft employment site, including positions for Project Natal and -- perhaps more interesting -- positions for a new Halo game. These listings for Halo, likely for Halo: Reach, call for designers, AI developers and animators -- even a multiplayer game design lead.

As for Project Natal, some listings point to "a large franchise," whereas others quote "an excellent next-generation" project -- which could be just about anything. We confirmed with Microsoft's Larry "Major Nelson" Hryb that the listings were legit, though he couldn't provide us with any more info beyond that.

[Via HotBloodedGaming]

343 Industries worries 'constantly' about Halo oversaturation

by Richard Mitchell { Nov 5th 2009 at 7:00PM }

Speaking to Joystiq, Microsoft's Frank O'Connor, creative director of 343 Industries, said that he worries "constantly" about the possibility of the market being oversaturated with Halo. When asked about the amount of Halo products out there (namely ODST, upcoming books, more comics, Halo Legends and the recently released encyclopedia), O'Connor said, "I worry about that constantly."

Regarding the various Halo products, O'Connor said, "All of that stuff has existed in the past, and it exists because of one simple reason, which is demand. We wouldn't make it if we weren't continually being asked for it." He added, "We obviously turn down almost infinitely more stuff than we actually produce, but when we produce it there's a good reason and a good plan and a strong demand."

As an example, O'Connor noted Halo Wars Risk, saying that the two games "had a natural connection" and that board game manufacturers actually received requests for a Halo strategy game. Still, he said that 343 has also had requests for things that "don't make any sense." Even if there is a demand, said O'Connor, "If it doesn't actually make sense and it's completely crazy, we won't do it."

Keep an eye out for the full interview later this week.

Rumor: Footage of canned Shadowrun reboot

by David Hinkle { Nov 4th 2009 at 9:45PM }

Before 2007's Shadowrun released and Microsoft subsequently closed the doors on FASA, the studio was apparently working on Shadowrun: The Awakening -- a game with a full single-player campaign and unique 3D gameplay engine developed in-house. Some footage (teleport past the break to give it a look-see) managed to make its way online over at Unseen64, showing off a few environments and some character animations. As Unseen64 would tell it, the story goes: FASA brought a new art director in which, through a series of unknown events, lead to an eventual cancellation in favor of the multiplayer-driven experience that was the 2007 game.

As it stands now, Jordan Weisman managed to snag the rights to the Shadowrun IP (among others), so the possibility of seeing this resurface as an actual thing isn't entirely impossible -- though Weisman is trying to let some of the negativity surrounding the brand die down a bit before revisiting it.

[Via StrategyInformer]

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Microsoft's layoffs conclude early, over 5,000 let go

by Ben Gilbert { Nov 4th 2009 at 3:19PM }

With this morning's confirmation from Microsoft that another 800 people have been let go, the layoffs that began all the way back in January of this year have completed. Affecting everyone from Games for Windows Live to Rare to a quarter of the Massive team, we're sure that the folks still working at The Big M are glad that pendulum blade has stopped swinging above their heads. "We are eliminating around 800 positions ... and have completed our reduction plan sooner than we had anticipated," the company said in a statement to PaidContent.

Unfortunately, as with any business in a down economy, the statement also notes that "continuing to manage our businesses closely ... can mean additional headcount adjustments." Considering a company representative already told TechFlash that more than the announced 5,000 number had been let go over the last 10 months (though no specifics were detailed), we're wondering just how many more people will be affected by "headcount adjustments." We contacted Microsoft for more information, but were given the same statement that PaidContent received. It's been reprinted in full after the break.

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Wal-Mart offering $100 gift card with purchase of Xbox 360 Arcade

by Griffin McElroy { Nov 4th 2009 at 1:15PM }

Black Friday isn't the only day in November where prices are eviscerated and sweet deals are distributed like confetti at a Flaming Lips concert. Wal-Mart has begun posting ads for a batch of sales being offered this coming Saturday morning -- one of which will be particularly intriguing to the prospective holiday console buyers among you. While supplies last (and we assume they won't last long), anyone who purchases a $199 Xbox 360 Arcade bundle will receive a $100 gift card to boot.

A free Benjamin's worth of Wal-Mart products? That's enough to buy a couple of games for your new system! And it's only $35 short of the price of an Xbox 360 120GB hard drive! Or, you could buy two Xbox 360 Arcade bundles, and then have enough in gift card money to get a third one -- plus another $100 gift card -- for free! It seems we've beaten the system, as it were. Wal-Mart, consider yourself outfoxed.

[Via Engadget]

Xbox Live Rewards pilot program launches, gives points for purchases

by Griffin McElroy { Nov 3rd 2009 at 2:20PM }

A number of Xbox Live subscribers recently received invitations to a promising pilot program which grants them bonuses for a number of their usual online activities. Earlier today, Microsoft revealed exactly how the six-month trial program, which is appropriately titled "Xbox Live Rewards," operates. Basically, users can earn complimentary Microsoft Points by renewing their subscriptions, purchasing Marketplace content, taking part in surveys, or doing a number of other activities which are clearly laid out in this helpful chart.

Okay, so the number of points you can accumulate using the Rewards program isn't really enormous, and according to the invitation's fine print, you can't spend the points you earn until the first three months of the trial are up. Still, you get free Microbucks for doing stuff you'd probably be doing anyways, so it's hard to complain about that. Of course, we know in our hearts that someone out there will find a way.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in!]

First Halo Waypoint programming revealed

by JC Fletcher { Nov 3rd 2009 at 9:20AM }

Even if you're not in the Halo Waypoint preview, you can get an early look at what's going to be available when it launches for real on Thursday, November 5, thanks to a weekly schedule we received from 343 Industries. By Thursday's launch, you'll already be able to watch a "Spotlight on Louis Wu" and a "Halo in Five Minutes" presentation, as well as page through some Firefight screens from the community.

Other content up this week: "Welcome to Waypoint," which serves as an introduction and overview to the service, some Firefight strategy from Prima, and, on Saturday, a full episode of Halo Legends called "The Babysitter." See the full schedule after the break.

Gallery: Halo Waypoint

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Alan Wake dev wants to avoid including game's ending in press copies

by Xav de Matos { Oct 31st 2009 at 10:30PM }

According to a Remedy managing director Matias Myllyrinne, the studio wants to discuss the possibility of leaving the ending of its upcoming thriller Alan Wake off discs sent to press with its publisher, Microsoft. "I think we're going to be insanely careful about how much of the story we reveal," Myllyrinne told G4TV. "I'd like to hold it back, [I] don't want anybody to spoil it for the audience. That's just my personal feeling."

Using the twist ending of The Sixth Sense as an analogy, Myllrinne says he'd prefer players be able to piece together the secrets of Bright Falls on their own before having them spoiled by others. Although admirable, his analogy can only mean one of two things: Alan Wake is dead or he's Haley Joel Osment. Either way, we're already terrified.

Happy Halloween! You're banned from Xbox Live.

by Griffin McElroy { Oct 31st 2009 at 6:00PM }

We hope your recent forays into piracy merely involve you donning a hook and eyepatch for a debaucherous costume party, or else you likely received a message from Microsoft like the headline of this post. The company recently dispatched a wave of bans to owners of modded Xbox 360s who've been playing pirated copies of games. A Microsoft spokesperson confirmed to IGN that "we have taken action against a small percentage of consoles that have been modified to play pirated game discs."

The spokesperson went on to explain that this batch of console bans wasn't conducted on any particular time frame, and that the company was merely following up on its standing policy against piracy. In other words, Microsoft isn't trying to ruin your Halloween weekend -- it just, you know, worked out that way.

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