This is an extremely hard post to finish. Not because the Los Angeles Gears of War 2 launch party sucked (it didn't), not because we didn't get enough photos (took plenty), and not because we didn't get good interviews (CliffyB Cliff Bleszkinski and John DiMaggio, the voice of Marcus Fenix AND Bender, and others ... coming to you very soon). No, it's because we got the game, came home and slid it into the 360, and thought, "Hey, it'll be fun to try this Horde mode out!" Now it's 9:15 am, and it feels like one of those days where you wake up and realize you have a chemistry test in two hours that you didn't study for at all.

We all reacted similarly to the news of a DHL freight train derailment in which 21,600 Xbox 360s were lost due to "impact damage, wetting, pilfering and shortage" -- no, not by inquiring about the well-being of those who were on board at the time of the crash. That would be silly. We reacted, as anyone would, with general concern for the Redmond-based software juggernaut whose precious cargo was destroyed in the accident.

That's why we were so glad to hear that Microsoft recently filed a complaint against DHL in which they call for $2 million in damages to replace the missing consoles, stating that the shipping company "negligently breached its duties as a common carrier, handler, bailee, warehouseman, agent, or in other capabilities." We agree -- it was incredibly negligent of DHL to allow their train to crash like that. Really, terribly unprofessional.

For those of you that didn't really mind the news that Banjo-Kazooie would be making its way to the Xbox 360's XBLA service and not the Virtual Console, know this: the experience won't be the exact one you remember. In the XBLA version of the game, all references to Nintendo and the N64 have been removed from the game (save for the Game Boy shown), based on the video leaked above. In-game, N64 logos have been replaced with updated Rare logo and Microsoft Game Studios labels. What should be interesting is how TipTup is represented in both games, as Nintendo apparently owns that character.

[Via CVG]

We kind of doubted the story, but with a Square Enix RPG releasing, along with a price cut, we can understand how the Japanese public might snatch up a bunch of Xbox 360s.

[Via X3F]

The end of the world must be nigh, for we never thought we'd see the day where the Wii was outsold by the Xbox 360 in Japan. Sure enough, with Microsoft cutting the price of the console, sales have seen a boost over there. The week ending September 14th saw the Xbox 360 selling 28,681 units, while the Wii only moved 27,057 units. Close, but this isn't horse shoes or hand grenades, kiddies.

Aside from Microsoft cutting the price of their console, a number of other factors helped contribute to the Xbox 360 selling so well. For one, a new Square Enix RPG released there this week, by the name of Infinite Undiscovery, and Microsoft also came out with a new Xbox 360 SKU. We're not holding a grudge, though. Microsoft can enjoy their short time in the spotlight. Now, if you'll excuse us, we have to go sabotage the jump jets on Bill Gates' diamond-encrusted jetpack.

[Via Edge]

Oh Rare. Do you honestly expect us to believe this? Nonetheless, it's their story and they're sticking to it.

The fine folks behind that Banjo & Kazooie business have commented that Avatars are not an attempt to copy the lovable Miis from Nintendo. Head of art, Lee Musgrave, says "It was an idea we had, even before Miis were part of the gaming scene, of putting these characters that you have an affinity with, not necessarily as part of the Xbox dash, but somewhere in the Xbox that you would play multiple games with, that you would have multiple experiences with that same character."

Musgrave further added that "Microsoft did not turn up one day in a speeding car and say, 'They've got Miis - do something!' It wasn't like that at all; it was something that fell into place over a period of time." But was that period of time really the year the Xbox 360 was on the market before Wii's arrival? We're not sure we're willing to swallow the red pill on that one.

With the Xbox 360 dropping in price later this week, many are looking at one of the console's particular SKUs because, well, it's going to be cheaper than the Wii. For almost 2 years, the Wii has been the cheapest option on the market, so how could this lower price affect the Wii's standing as top sales dog? Lazard Capital Markets analyst Colin Sebastian says Microsoft may see stronger sales, but doesn't "anticipate either Nintendo or Sony to match the Xbox 360 price cut."

The Wii is in good standing and really doesn't need to cut its price, so we're not expecting Nintendo to do so, either. But, if Microsoft manages to start taking away some of Nintendo's sales, we wouldn't be surprised to hear about a price cut early next year or, if sales drop that much, this holiday. We're not expecting sales to shift that dramatically, though.

We usually use the Wii Warm Up to discuss and dissect Wii-related minutiae, but today we want to know more about your non-Nintendo gaming habits. Which other consoles do you own (current-gen or otherwise), which is your favorite (after the Wii, naturally), and what did you last play/are you currently playing through?

Wait for it. Don't leave cover too soon. You're nearly surrounded. Bullets fly in from three directions, ricocheting off the paltry bit of cover protecting your crouched body. A grenade goes off nearby -- too close for comfort. And then it's time to strike back and slaughter another wave of enemy soldiers. You stand up, twist your body to the side, and throw, sending a spinning blade of death towards the hopelessly unprepared, screaming soldiers who soon find themselves lacking torso cohesion.

Released in March of this year for the Xbox 360 and PS3, Dark Sector is a far cry from its original incarnation as the first game shown off for this generation of consoles. It evolved into a Gears of War-inspired, Space Marine-lacking action title with an unusual Soviet setting. While on the surface the gameplay is rather derivative -- you'll be taking cover, aiming, and moving around in a manner that's instantly familiar to anyone who's played a third-person shooter in the past two years -- one thing sets Dark Sector apart from other games of its ilk. That thing is the glaive, a vicious, bladed boomerang that dominates the game's combat and puzzles. And while the glaive is enough to make Dark Sector a solid, though overall unremarkable, action title, it represents an enormous potential: armed with a retooled control scheme and a Wiimote, Dark Sector is, without a doubt, Born for Wii.

NEXT >>

Despite NoA's VP, Denise Kaigler, showing us all a graph with some lines on it, group manager of corporate PR at Microsoft's Interactive Entertainment Business, David Dennis, wants us all to know that the information presented in Kaigler's little chart is wrong. To help set the record straight (and also point out how awesome is company is, we guess), Dennis offered up the following tidbits of info:

• Total third party sales for the Xbox 360 since launch is currently 67,929,999 units, followed by the Wii at 33,394,311 units and the PlayStation 3 at 19,976,325 units.
• Third party sales for the Xbox 360 since the launch of the Wii and PS3 is 54,065,728 units, still almost double the Wii's 33,394,311 units.
• If you take the total number of units sold and divide that by the number of titles released since November 2006, the Xbox 360 and the PS3 are selling more units per title on average than the Wii. This puts the Xbox 360 at 217,252 units per title, the PS3 at 156,065 units and the Wii at 132,517 units.

We have a feeling that any company can spin sales figures the right way, in their favor, but no matter how you slice it, the Wii is still on top overall. So take that, competition!

[Thanks, jimb!]

We've all seen the adorably customizable lookalikes that we'll be generating with the Avatar system, due out with the Xbox 360 Fall update -- but we've yet to see the actual system that will let you let you create your virtual representation. However, a "super secret source" recently sent our green and white sister site, 360 Fanboy, a couple of images containing the icons used in the Avatar creator. Assuming they're legit, they give a great indication of what aspects of your avatar you'll be able to manipulate. Based on the images in the gallery below, it looks like our dream of walking through Xbox Live's virtual halls as a morbidly obese man in a rabbit costume might just come true.

[Thanks, DCB and SS1029.]

As the first commenter on this post will assuredly point out, this is old news. The second commenter will likely correct him in a patronizing tone, reminding him that a requirement for news is that it be new, and that this story, therefore, is not news at all. The third commenter, a jocular fellow, will then inquire if it is, in fact, olds? We get it, alright? However, we've never failed to mention new additions to the Xbox Live Arcade, and we don't plan on starting this week. Besides, when you see these sterling new releases, we don't think you'll fault us for being a few days late to the new release party.

First up is Double D Dodgeball (800 MS points/$10), which recreates the classic playground sport with an eye-searing "retro arcade design". The game dropped two weeks before its expected release date, though a reported bug that kicks players off of Xbox Live upon starting up the game make us wonder if perhaps a few guns were jumped. Joining it is Coffeetime Crosswords (800 MS points/$10). With 150 puzzles and a co-op mode, this new entry will surely fulfill all your sinister linguiphilic desires.

Rounding out the list is the EA Fantasy Football Live Draft Tracker (400 MS points/$5), which allows users of EA's online fantasy leagues to import their league settings, draft new players, then export their new rosters back onto EA's servers. This is not a game, and we regret including it in this post.

[Update: Apparently this is a video of Kevin Bowen of Something Awful fame (infame?), making us 99.999% sure that it's a joke. Thanks, commenters.]

We can't really decide whether or not the ridiculously over-the-top mad genius in this Final Fantasy XIII petition video (some slightly NSFW language) is for real or not. On the one hand, the know-it-all, spittle-flecked delivery and lines like "I personally do not admire this game any more," seem like a satire of every fanboy stereotype in the book. On the other hand, the final few minutes of the video are delivered with such passion ("I don't think you realize how emotionally invested some of your fans are!") that it feels almost real.

Regardless of its veracity, the video is an instant comedy classic, intentionally or not. If there's any justice in the world, references to"public sue-de-ku" and "Final Fantasy [making] its final sale" will live on as inside jokes in the gaming community for years to come.

Want to add a little zing to the plain ol' white and black Xbox 360 color scheme? A Microsoft web page reveals a new limited edition red and black Xbox 360 controller coming on Sept. 30, 2008. The standard wireless controller will come with a matching red rechargeable battery and a play and charge kit for $64.99 (a $5 savings over purchasing them seperately!). We have no idea why Microsoft would reveal a new color so long before the controller is set to be available, but it's release is awfully close to the newly-revealed Gears of War 2 release date of Sept. 9 Nov. 7 [Update: Not sure how I made that ridiculous error. Jet lag, I suppose]. Hmmm ...

[Thanks, Scott]

Update: The Xbox press site also has images from a green version of the controller (shown below the jump along with a higher-res version of the red one). No information about this version, which is not even mentioned in the accompanying press release. [Thanks, jdkay20]

An article published by Bloomberg today concludes that the PS3 "is gaining ground" on the Xbox 360. The article cites the PS3's ability as a Blu-ray player and software exclusives such as Metal Gear Solid 4 and LittleBigPlanet as reasons why it will "hold onto its lead" after outselling the 360 in the first five months of 2008. According to the NPD Group, the PS3 sold 1.2 million units while the 360 sold 1.12 million units. Of course, Microsoft isn't about to give up so easily. When asked about the PS3's dominance over the 360 so far this year, Microsoft spokesperson David Dennis claims the race is "far from over and we are confident that we have a winning strategy."