Joystiq http://www.joystiq.com Joystiq http://www.joystiq.com/media/feedlogo.gif Joystiq http://www.joystiq.com en-us Copyright 2008 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/Gamerpick: Xbox Live Rock the Vote polled, Obama aheadhttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/08/29/gamerpick-xbox-live-rock-the-vote-polled-obama-ahead/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/08/29/gamerpick-xbox-live-rock-the-vote-polled-obama-ahead/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/08/29/gamerpick-xbox-live-rock-the-vote-polled-obama-ahead/#commentsFiled under: , ,


The get-kids-voting people behind Rock the Vote recently spread out beyond the limitations of MTV's core demographic and decided to enlist the Xbox Live community, long known to be an e-bastion of enlightened political discourse. So, being the politically (and mathematically!) astute bloggers we are, we took a look at the live poll results, as presented by MyGamerCard.net.

As of press time, Democratic-nom Barack Obama had a commanding lead over Republican oppollnent John McCain, with 4,623 gamerpics in circulation versus just 2,076 - a nearly insurmountable lead of 2,547 gamerpics. That's fine, but what's the real story here? How the pundits and the pollsters - clouded by the corruption and cynicism of a two-party election system - have ignored the dark horse in this election: Gears of War skull face guy, who right now controls a most impressive 87,626 of The People's votes. Ignore the political machine and vote your conscience!

[Via Cheap Ass Gamer]

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]]>Barack-ObamaJohn-McCainRock-the-VoteXBLXbox-LiveChristopher Grant2008-08-29T12:30:00+00:00Zombies!!! coming to Xbox Live Arcade???http://www.joystiq.com/2008/07/30/zombies-coming-to-xbox-live-arcade/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/07/30/zombies-coming-to-xbox-live-arcade/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/07/30/zombies-coming-to-xbox-live-arcade/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,


Hopefully that's enough punctuation in one headline for you. Apparently an eager gamer had sent in some ideas on how to turn their Zombies!!! game, which pretty much keep them rolling in brains and entrails, into an Xbox Live Arcade title, and was told "that they were already underway with this very project." We decided this was something we needed to look into ourselves, given our love of tabletop gaming.

We caught up with Todd A. Breitenstein of Twilight Creations in the extremely slim booth congregation at Comic-Con's gaming portion and he said, "I can neither confirm nor deny the existence of such a project... but do you think it would be cool?" A tile-flipping game was an escape from ravenous zombies plot? Heck yes, we would. While we enjoy getting our game on in Catan, Carcassonne, and even Ticket to Ride, we'd also love to see some good old-fashioned killing of the undead happening as well. Maybe they could even include their flipside game Humans!!! in the deal.

[Thanks, Barry!]

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]]>HumanstabletopTodd-A-BreitensteinTwilight-CreationsundeadXBLXbox-Live-ArcadeZombiesKevin Kelly2008-07-30T08:00:00+00:00PSN boss disses Xbox Live's interface, game delistinghttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/07/03/psn-boss-disses-xbox-lives-interface-game-de-listing/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/07/03/psn-boss-disses-xbox-lives-interface-game-de-listing/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/07/03/psn-boss-disses-xbox-lives-interface-game-de-listing/#commentsFiled under: ,

No sooner does Sony (briefly) improve the PS3 user interface with the much-talked-about version 2.4 firmware update, than some at the company feel cocky enough to start badmouthing the competition's interface. Speaking to Next-Gen, PlayStation Network Director of Operations Eric Lempel took the bait, comparing Sony's redesigned PlayStation Store to Microsoft's Xbox Live Marketplace. "I think if I look over at the competitors' UI they may have some issues just displaying content," Lempel said, "and scrolling up and down lists isn't the easiest way to find things." Tell that to McSweeny's, why don'tcha?

Lempel also pointed out that the PlayStation Store interface has "a lot of room with virtual shelf space to put a lot of things," a not-so-subtle jab at Microsoft's recently announced plan to de-list some Xbox Live Arcade games. "Depending on what type of UI you have you can accommodate a lot of titles," Lempel continued, "and specifically with our new store redesign which launched back in April we have a great ability to merchandise a wide variety of titles." That's all well and good, assuming your PS3 is currently working.

[Via X3F]

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]]>console warsconsole-warsconsolewarsinterfaceMicrosoftPlayStation-NetworkPSNSonyXBLXBLAXBLMXbox LiveXbox Live ArcadeXboxLiveXboxLiveArcadeKyle Orland2008-07-03T16:57:00+00:00Microsoft brings Chobot, 'IGN Strategize' to XBLhttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/06/25/microsoft-brings-chobot-ign-strategize-to-xbl/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/06/25/microsoft-brings-chobot-ign-strategize-to-xbl/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/06/25/microsoft-brings-chobot-ign-strategize-to-xbl/#commentsFiled under: ,

Not to be trumped in the online flesh-and-blood female host arms race by Sony and Qore's Veronica Belmont, Microsoft has announced a partnership with IGN to bring its popular "IGN Strategize" segments to Xbox Live, hosted by IGN host/celebrity Jessica Chobot (who may or may not lick a 360 controller).

Larry Hryb, Xbox Live's "Major Nelson," made the announcement this morning via his Twitter feed. A brief preview clip of himself and Chobot chatting has subsequently hit the "Inside Xbox" section of Live. IGN Strategize will soon join the other regular Inside Xbox segments and focus on tips, tricks, and strategies, hence the name.

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]]>BreakingNewschobotigninside-xboxmajornelsonpsnqoreveronica-belmontXBLxbox-liveRandy Nelson2008-06-25T16:00:00+00:00Sessler constructively rants about Xbox Live bigotshttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/06/12/sessler-constructively-rants-about-xbox-live-bigots/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/06/12/sessler-constructively-rants-about-xbox-live-bigots/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/06/12/sessler-constructively-rants-about-xbox-live-bigots/#commentsFiled under: ,


In the latest Sessler's Soapbox, a regular video diatribe by G4TV personality Adam Sessler, he expresses his severe distaste for the bigotry and homophobia found on Xbox Live. Having actually spent time at GDC discussing this very issue with Sessler and his wife -- she's a lovely and charming woman by the way -- let's just say that Sessler is actually quite restrained regarding his feelings on the issue in the video we've placed after the break.

Although we joke about it in the picture above, Catan is one of the rare Xbox Live games where civility can be found. However, we understand that trash-talking is part of the competitive Xbox Live experience, so might we suggest the Shakespearean Insult Generator for those compelled to disparage others. And parents, please control your children online.

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]]>adam-sesslerbigotryhomophobiaracismsesslerxblxbox-liveAlexander Sliwinski2008-06-12T19:25:00+00:00Raiden Fighters Aces demo on Japanese Xbox Livehttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/03/25/raiden-fighters-aces-demo-on-japanese-xbox-live/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/03/25/raiden-fighters-aces-demo-on-japanese-xbox-live/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/03/25/raiden-fighters-aces-demo-on-japanese-xbox-live/#commentsFiled under: ,


So, you say you're a fan of unscrupulous activities and/or top-down shooters? Boy, have we got news for you! A demo for Raiden Fighters Aces has just been dropped onto the Japanese Xbox Live Marketplace. And just in time, the old "imaginary Japanese XBL account" trick is back in full effect.

So, what can you expect? Well, a decidedly old-school, top-down shooter experience for starters. But, perhaps more noticeably, the most aggressive soundtrack we've ever heard in a game. Seriously, it's the sonic equivalent of being repeatedly gut-punched by Ving Rhames. This doesn't seem like the kind of thing that will come stateside, so you may want to give it a whirl while you can.

[Thanks, SidearmS]

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]]>demosraiden-fighters-acesxblxbox-liveJustin McElroy2008-03-25T19:00:00+00:00Disney Channel programming launches on Live Marketplacehttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/02/16/disney-channel-content-launches-on-live-marketplace/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/02/16/disney-channel-content-launches-on-live-marketplace/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/02/16/disney-channel-content-launches-on-live-marketplace/#commentsFiled under:


We were planning on accompanying this post with a poll asking how many of our readers regularly watch Hannah Montana, but we're pretty sure we can guess the results of that questionnaire -- half of our readers would fess up to watching the pre-teen pop queen, and the other half would be bold-faced liars.

Fine, you don't have to admit it -- but if you have a friend (wink, wink) with an Xbox Live account, that friend (nudge, nudge) can now download episodes of Hannah Montana as well as a plethora of other Disney channel programming on Live Marketplace. It's just like having that dreamy Zac Efron live inside of your Xbox 360 hard drive, ready to serenade you at your behest, just one ashamed button press away from your Veteran career on Call of Duty 4.

[Via Gamerscore Blog]

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]]>disneyhannahmontanamarketplacesuitelifeofzackandcodyxblxbox liveXboxLiveGriffin McElroy2008-02-16T18:00:00+00:00Sony touts 52 million PSN downloadshttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/02/15/sony-touts-52-million-psn-downloads/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/02/15/sony-touts-52-million-psn-downloads/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/02/15/sony-touts-52-million-psn-downloads/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Boy, you guys must really hate going to your local game retailer. Sony today announced that it's PSN Online Store has racked up an impressive 52 million downloads since launching with the PS3 back in November '06 (and expanding to the PSP in November '07).

For context, Microsoft's Xbox Live Marketplace reached to 50 million download milestone back in August '06, roughly five months faster than Sony's network (when staggered launch dates are taken into account). Sony's current mark of 2.9 million registered PSN users also pales in comparison to the 7 million Xbox Live users as of last September, though Microsoft's head start likely played a part in that lead.

Still, Sony's online service is going in the right direction, growing from 6.6 million downloads in Dec. '07 to 7.9 million in Jan. '08. And with the PS3 starting to outsell the Xbox 360 in the American marketplace, could the much-predicted Sony turnaround finally be coming to pass?

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]]>DLCdownloadsPSNPSN storePsnStoreXBLXbox LiveXboxLiveKyle Orland2008-02-15T18:30:00+00:00Oops: Euro Katamari demo for Xbox Live Silver members onlyhttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/01/31/oops-euro-katamari-demo-for-xbox-live-silver-members-only/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/01/31/oops-euro-katamari-demo-for-xbox-live-silver-members-only/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/01/31/oops-euro-katamari-demo-for-xbox-live-silver-members-only/#commentsFiled under: ,

trading places
Microsoft Europe's Xbox community manager Graeme Boyd dropped a "wee" note on his blog this morning to let everyone know that only Xbox Live Silver members can download the Beautiful Katamari demo (released in Europe, Australia and New Zealand just yesterday). Yep, you paying folk will have to wait.

Boyd assures us that the situation will soon be resolved (maybe it already is), meaning, Gold members will get the exclusive access they've been promised, and Silver members will be back on the outside looking in. But, for the moment, all you freeloaders should revel in this brief episode of trading places.

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]]>beautiful-katamaridemoeuropekatamarixblxbox-liveJames Ransom-Wiley2008-01-31T11:30:00+00:00Xbox Live class-action lawsuit lawyer speakshttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/01/16/xbox-live-class-action-lawsuit-lawyer-speaks/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/01/16/xbox-live-class-action-lawsuit-lawyer-speaks/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/01/16/xbox-live-class-action-lawsuit-lawyer-speaks/#commentsFiled under: ,


MTV recently spoke with the lawyer behind the Xbox Live outage class-action lawsuit who is seeking $5 million in damages. Attorney Jason Gibson, a consumer-fraud attorney, comes off very well in the piece and diffuses criticisms that his clients are just cashing in by saying, "When you have one person who is mad and they can't get a response, and they can't get their complaints addressed by a company like Microsoft, the only way to get their attention is in numbers." Gibson says his clients (who are college-educated and in their late 20s and 30s) are not expecting a "windfall or anything like that," they just want to be reimbursed for services not delivered.

Gibson says that others are joining in on the suit and that Microsoft put the cart before the horse this holiday with Xbox Live. He claims that the manufacturer took money for Xbox Live subscriptions without being able to provide the service promised, and that the service should have been ready to handle an influx of consumers. As much as we're happy that Microsoft is giving us a free game for all the drama, the infrastructure should certainly have been there to provide service by this point in Xbox Live's life.

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]]>Jason-Gibsonlawsuitmtvxblxbox-liveAlexander Sliwinski2008-01-16T15:45:00+00:00Xbox Live Diamond card to have annual feehttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/01/08/xbox-live-diamond-card-to-have-annual-fee/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/01/08/xbox-live-diamond-card-to-have-annual-fee/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/01/08/xbox-live-diamond-card-to-have-annual-fee/#commentsFiled under: ,


If you can't live without your Peninsula Beauty Supply or illy Caffe discounts, prepare to pay the piper because the Xbox Live Diamond card is moving from free to a $6.95 annual fee. The charge occurs as the ownership and administration of the Diamond Card program moves over fully to Passport Unlimited (which makes it sound like Microsoft is walking away from the table).

Beginning March 1, 2008, the hit or miss discounts offered by the program will require you to input a credit card; those who are already members will stay on free until their memberships expire this year (renewals will naturally require the fee). To those who actually have these cards, do you ever use them?

[Via GamerTagRadio]

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]]>xblxbox-livexbox-live-diamond-cardxboxlivediamondcardAlexander Sliwinski2008-01-08T17:00:00+00:00MS memo: Xbox 360 to have 'biggest year in video game history,' XBL surpasses 10m usershttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/01/07/ms-memo-xbox-360-to-have-biggest-year-in-video-game-history/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/01/07/ms-memo-xbox-360-to-have-biggest-year-in-video-game-history/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/01/07/ms-memo-xbox-360-to-have-biggest-year-in-video-game-history/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Mercury News writer and Microsoft guru Dean Takahashi has published a memo penned by Microsoft games chief Don Mattrick, who expects that "Xbox 360 is on track to register the biggest year in video game history."

According to Mattrick North American hardware, software and accessory sales for Xbox 360 exceeded $3.5 billion, reportedly $1 billion more than Wii and $2 billion more than PlayStation 3. "When December data is added," he said, "we expect Xbox 360 in 2007 to have generated more calendar year revenue than any other gaming platform ever, including PS2 at its peak."

Mattrick's biggest claim comes in implicitly hailing the Xbox 360 as this generation's console winner. "History has shown that the eventual winner of each console generation was the console that generated the most 3rd party revenue, and according to the most recent NPD data, Xbox 360 generated more 3rd party revenue in 2007 than Nintendo and Sony combined."

Unsurprisingly not mentioned in the memo is the Xbox 360's performance in Japan. The memo also revealed some new Xbox Live statistics, including mention that the service has surpassed 10 million Xbox Live users, "over six months before our stated goal of July 2008 announced at E3 last year." We've compiled those after the break.
  • Halo 3 players have "logged over 1.5 billion multiplayer matches since launch - that's an average of 14 million matches a day."
  • "Since its launch, Xbox LIVE has hosted over 4.9 billion hours on the network - that's equal to 204 million days or more than 560,000 years of gaming."
  • "Right now Xbox LIVE Marketplace features over 3,500 total hours of downloadable content and has hosted more than 380 million downloads."
  • "More than 500 hours of content from the ABC Television Network, ABC Family, ABC News, Disney Channel and Toon Disney" is coming via the new deal with ABC and MGM.

[Via GameDaily]

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]]>don-mattrickhardwaresalesmicrosoftnpdxblxbox-livexboxliveRoss Miller2008-01-07T18:15:00+00:00Top 25 pop-u-lar Xbox gamertagshttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/01/07/top-25-popular-xbox-gamertags/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/01/07/top-25-popular-xbox-gamertags/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/01/07/top-25-popular-xbox-gamertags/#commentsFiled under: ,


Microsoft's Trixie (Christa Phillips) released a list of the top 25 Xbox Live gamertags in 2007 over the weekend. The list is compiled "anytime the gamercard or profile is called up," with more "hits" resulting in a higher placement. Topping the list is obviously none other than Major Nelson, known in real life as the vowel-deficient Larry Hryb, Xbox Live's director of programming, the guru and go-to man for Xbox related issues and announcements -- especially when things go horribly wrong with the service.

We're not exactly sure who a lot of the people on the list are (which can also be found after the break with an appropriate video clip), but Ms. Trixie comes in at number three behind other Microsoft personality Eric "e" Neustadter. Xbox Live "cheater" Gilbert Arenas bounced in at number six, while Call of Duty 4 and Halo 3 developers made eight and nine respectively. Also, former X3F writer David "Knuckles Dawson" Dreger made number 19. Now, let's see if you all can fill in the rest of the names behind the gamertags.

1. Major Nelson

2. e

3. trixie360

4. souljaboytellem

5. nizmojoe

6. agent arenas

7. PMS Kitty

8. fourzerotwo

9. frankie

10. CerealKiller5

11. dirtydiva

12. Angel of Evil

13. Rance6

14. Gamespotting

15. yhslaw

16. doadea

17. logik893

18. casinoguy

19. Knuckles Dawson

20. DeaconBlade 360

21. Shuckey

22. bear

23. Im Getting Huge

24. thelazywolf

25. ngc7


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]]>gamertagsmajor-nelsonMajorNelsonpopularxblxbox-livexboxliveAlexander Sliwinski2008-01-07T11:00:00+00:00Top Xbox Live, Xbox Live Arcade titles of 2007http://www.joystiq.com/2008/01/04/top-xbox-live-xbox-live-arcade-titles-of-2007/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/01/04/top-xbox-live-xbox-live-arcade-titles-of-2007/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/01/04/top-xbox-live-xbox-live-arcade-titles-of-2007/#commentsFiled under: ,


Major Nelson just published a list of the top Xbox Live games, in each of three major categories, for 2007: Xbox 360 Titles, Xbox titles, and Xbox Live Arcade titles (that category is measured in sales). Unsurprisingly, Halo 3 is the most popular Xbox 360 title on Live, while Halo 2 is the most popular Xbox title on Live. There are some interesting titles scattered amongst the remaining eighteen titles in those categories, but we're really interested in the Xbox Live Arcade titles.

The top-selling XBLA game in 2007 was Konami's 1989 arcade classic Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, followed by Worms in second place and Castlevania: Symphony of the Night in 3rd. To be honest, we're surprised to see this many original XBLA titles on the list, including UNO and Geometry Wars Evolved (still here after all these years). Hit up the full lists after the break.

2007 Top Xbox 360 Titles (UU's)
  1. Halo 3
  2. Gears of War
  3. Call of Duty 4
  4. Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Vegas
  5. Call Of Duty 3
  6. Crackdown
  7. Oblivion
  8. Guitar Hero II
  9. Forza Motorsport 2
  10. Lost Planet
2007 Top Xbox LIVE Arcade Titles (Sales)
  1. TMNT 1989 Arcade
  2. Worms
  3. Castlevania: SOTN
  4. UNO
  5. Bomberman LIVE
  6. 3D Ultra Minigolf Adventures
  7. Sonic The Hedgehog
  8. Pinball FX
  9. Geometry Wars Evolved
  10. Texas Hold 'em
2007 Top Original Xbox Titles (UU's)
  1. Halo 2
  2. Star Wars: Battlefront 2
  3. Counter-Strike
  4. Battlefield 2: MC
  5. Doom 3
  6. Forza Motorsport
  7. Madden NFL 07
  8. Conker: Live Reloaded
  9. Call of Duty 3
  10. Rainbow Six 3

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]]>XBLXbox-LiveChristopher Grant2008-01-04T23:45:00+00:00Burnout demo boosted with 8-player support, new challengeshttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/01/04/burnout-demo-boosted-with-8-player-support-new-challenges/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/01/04/burnout-demo-boosted-with-8-player-support-new-challenges/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/01/04/burnout-demo-boosted-with-8-player-support-new-challenges/#commentsFiled under: , ,

burnout paradise
Still not convinced Burnout Paradise was "THE best demo released" last year? Criterion has rubbed some grease on frontman Alex Ward's heaping helping of self-praise by doubling the maximum number of online players (from 4 to 8) and adding 13 new Freeburn Challenges. So does this mean that Burnout is now the best demo of 2008? Quick! Somebody give these guys an award!

(Note: The multiplayer boost will take effect on servers between today and Jan. 14th. The demo is available on PSN and Xbox Live.)

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]]>burnoutburnout-paradiseburnout-paradise-demoBurnoutParadisecriterioneapsnxblJames Ransom-Wiley2008-01-04T10:29:00+00:00Microsoft offering free XBLA game due to Live issueshttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/01/04/microsoft-offering-free-xbla-game-due-to-live-issues/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/01/04/microsoft-offering-free-xbla-game-due-to-live-issues/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/01/04/microsoft-offering-free-xbla-game-due-to-live-issues/#commentsFiled under: ,


Microsoft wants to say "sowwy" for the intermittent Xbox Live issues plaguing the service over the holiday, and they'd like to apologize with a free Xbox Live Arcade game. Major Nelson posts a letter from Marc Whitten, general manager of Xbox Live, which has a lot of customer service filler in it until the line about a free XBLA game for "all our Xbox Live members around the world" -- India is going to be psyched!

The letter says specific details are forthcoming, so now we're left wondering if there'll be a couple options or if it's just gonna be free Frogger for everyone. If that's the case, then someone is gettin' thrown under a car! Get it? Sigh.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

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]]>BreakingNewsfreefree-gamemajor-nelsonxblxblaAlexander Sliwinski2008-01-04T00:50:00+00:00Rumor: Microsoft 'doing something' for inconvenienced XBL membershttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/01/01/rumor-microsoft-doing-something-for-inconvenienced-xbl-member/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/01/01/rumor-microsoft-doing-something-for-inconvenienced-xbl-member/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/01/01/rumor-microsoft-doing-something-for-inconvenienced-xbl-member/#commentsFiled under: ,


Your friend and ours, Xbox Live, has been going through some tough times lately. In the past week, the service that many of us pay roughly $50 a year for has been up and down more frequently than a bipolar groundhog. If you want to tap right into a live feed of the Xbox Live operation, Apollo 13 style, sign up for Major Nelson's Twitter feed, which has devolved into a play by play of the network's status (last update: "Things were a bit wonky, but they appear to be getting better.").

But, since many of us are paying for the privilege, there's a growing sense that we deserve some sort of compensation. While we at Joystiq won't be satisfied until Bill Gates himself writes us each a check for $1, TheBitbag.com claims that an Xbox insider told them: "we will definitely be doing something for our Gold members that weren't able to get online over the last week." Though we can't be certain precisely what that is, our inside sources are telling us "footrubs."

View Poll



[Via Xbox Scene]

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]]>Major-NelsonXBLXbox-LiveXboxLiveChristopher Grant2008-01-01T19:30:00+00:00'First' Orange Box demo hits 360 tomorrow, Episode Two dedicatedhttp://www.joystiq.com/2007/11/21/first-orange-box-demo-hits-360-tomorrow-episode-two-dedicated/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/11/21/first-orange-box-demo-hits-360-tomorrow-episode-two-dedicated/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/11/21/first-orange-box-demo-hits-360-tomorrow-episode-two-dedicated/#commentsFiled under: ,


360 owners are in for a very special Thanksgiving indeed. As if the Halo theme hitting Guitar Hero III for free wasn't enough to be thankful for, Valve - purveyors of fine gaming software - have just announced that the "first demo for The Orange Box," dedicated to Half-Life 2: Episode Two, will be available on Xbox Live Marketplace starting tomorrow. Yeah, we were drawn to that particular language as well, since it infers there could be a second and, Gordon help us, even a third sample platter of zesty Orange Box goodness. Regardless, you shouldn't need holiday deal lists to tell you that Orange Box is a steal but, in the off chance you need more coaxing, this demo oughta do nicely.

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]]>BreakingNewsdemosEpisode-TwoHalf-Life2HL2E2ValveXBLChristopher Grant2007-11-21T22:00:00+00:00MS confirms downloadable Xbox games, free Carcassonne for Live anniv.http://www.joystiq.com/2007/11/13/ms-confirms-downloadable-xbox-games-free-carcassonne-for-live-a/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/11/13/ms-confirms-downloadable-xbox-games-free-carcassonne-for-live-a/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/11/13/ms-confirms-downloadable-xbox-games-free-carcassonne-for-live-a/#commentsFiled under:

xbl
To mark the fifth anniversary of the Xbox Live service, Microsoft will be offering Carcassonne (Hexic 2 in Korea) free to all subscribers for 48 hours starting at 12:01 a.m. EST on Nov. 15th (and presumably nothing to the peeps who already plunked down for the virtual board game), along with 500 Microsoft Points to the ten folks who've been on board since 2002 -- see kids, early adoption does pay off! In addition, Microsoft has confirmed earlier reports that 'Xbox Originals' will be made available for download starting Dec. 4th as part of the Fall Update (the update's additional features have yet to be revealed). Each game can be purchased and downloaded for 1200 points ($15).

In its press release, Microsoft explicitly named Halo, Psychonauts, Crimson Skies and Fable as titles for the Xbox Originals initiative, but did not confirm exactly which games will serve as the jumpoff: "This new service will launch with an array of blockbuster titles spanning the most popular genres from action-adventure to classic role-playing games." Third-party reports claim the preliminary lineup will include Halo, Fable, Indigo Prophecy, Crimson Skies, Crash Bandicoot: The Wrath Of Cortex and Burnout 3.

[Via press release]

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]]>breakingnewscarcassonnexblxboxxbox-livexbox-originalsxboxliveJames Ransom-Wiley2007-11-13T12:45:00+00:00ESPN brings shows, games to Xbox Live Marketplacehttp://www.joystiq.com/2007/11/05/espn-brings-shows-games-to-xbox-live-marketplace/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/11/05/espn-brings-shows-games-to-xbox-live-marketplace/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/11/05/espn-brings-shows-games-to-xbox-live-marketplace/#commentsFiled under: , ,



Tired of getting college football and basketball games live, as they happen, for free as part of your cable package? Well, now you can pay extra for days-old copies of those games thanks to ESPN and the Xbox Live Marketplace.

We know, some people don't have cable or a VCR or access to a sports bar or anything better to do with $3 (for standard definition) or $4.50 (for high definition), but really, unless a game is a true instant classic, we can't see paying to download a copy of a game two days after it happened. Original programs like The Contender and Madden Nation might get our $2, but if we want to see the World Series of Poker we'll just tune in to ESPN and hope that they're showing one of their ten daily reruns of the tournaments.

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]]>espnXBLXBLMXbox LiveXboxLiveKyle Orland2007-11-05T12:57:00+00:00