Kane & Lynch Release Date Changed

Release dates for games change all the time. It's part of the industry. But surprisingly, this time it's not a delay, it's a move up!

Eidos has moved the game's release up a week from November 20th to November 14th. Apparently, they think they'll fare better on the 14th instead of competing directly with the releases of Mass Effect and Rock Band.

They still have stiff competition on November 14th, though, with Assassin's Creed, Crysis, Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles and Super Mario Galaxy(amongst others).

A move up in release is pretty surprising. I can't remember the last time I saw that. Now I need to make a tough decision. Kane & Lynch or Assassin's Creed on the 14th to suck up my time until Mass Effect on the 20th? I might actually go with Kane & Lynch(I do plan on both eventually).

Orange Box Update Broke My Orange Box

This morning when I woke up I scanned the gaming news and saw that Valve had put out an Orange Box update. The update primarily had to do with Team Fortress 2. They were trying to fix some of the lag and balance issues. I booted up my system and got the update. Then I tried to continue my Half-Life 2 campaign. That's when disaster struck.

At first, everything seemed fine. The update downloaded, the game restarted. The opening menu was same as it ever was. I loaded up Half-Life 2 from the first menu.


The graphics were all messed up. At first, I thought my 360 might have locked or broke. But the menu looks fine and you can choose any of the options. I decided to try and load my game to see if it was just a minor glitch.


Nope. The game is messed up, graphically. It still sounds fine and I can run around, shoot people, etc. It just looks like crap.

I also checked Portal, the Episodes and Team Fortress 2. All had the same problems. I've searched the forums and haven't found other people experiencing the same problems, but the patch was just released last night so we'll see if it negatively affects other gamers as well.

Xbox 360 Arcade Released

Just when you thought Microsoft had released all the Xbox 360 SKUs they possibly could, they go and release another. Welcome the Xbox 360 Arcade.

The Xbox 360 Arcade has been getting a lot of slack by gaming sites. And to be honest, I probably won't be much kinder.

The Xbox 360 Arcade costs just $279.99 and comes with a 256 MB memory card, a wireless controller, HDMI outputs, and 5 Xbox Live Arcade games (Boom Boom Rocket, Feeding Frenzy, Luxor 2, Pac-Man Championship Edition and Uno).

Obviously, it's better than the original Xbox Core system. So what's with all the complaining?

Look at this picture.



If you didn't know any better, you would think it came with 5 real games instead of 5 Arcade games.

A 256 MB memory card? That will fill up in no time. Can that even fit all the Arcade games on it?

The Xbox 360 Arcade is simply Microsoft trying to lure casual gamers into the Xbox world. The price is compatible with the Nintendo Wii. Once players get hooked, they'll have to upgrade to a harddrive to do any real gaming. Not to mention Xbox Live.

I know casual gamers are all the rage right now, but I say screw the casual gamer. Either you're a gamer or you're not, and in my book, casual gamers are not.

Army of Two Delayed

Just the other day I was talking about how much money I was going to have to spend in November and wondering how I would find the time for all the great looking games coming out. Well, EA apparently heard my lament and decided to help out by delaying Army of Two to 2008.

Army of Two has been in development since 2005. The new release date is sometime in the 1st Quarter of 2008 so we should see the finished product by March 2008 at the latest.

This delay is being viewed as strange by many in the industry simply because the delay was announced so close to the release date. In fact, many sites and magazines already had a copy of the game to review. But the game designers say they want to "polish" the game more and make it the best it could possibly be.

While I was really looking forward to some good co-op action, I guess I can wait a little longer. And that leaves me with only four games I NEED to get in November.

In other November game news, I saw an article about how it's being hinted that Assassin's Creed will be in stores November 14th. I had already assumed that to be true since many sites have it listed as a November 13th release, but those release dates can often be off.

Guitar Hero III Demo

A Guitar Hero III demo came out recently for the Xbox 360 in the December issue of OXM. And if you only get yours news from us(you must hate gaming news), you may not yet be aware that you can get this demo for free.

Someone ripped the demo and put it out there on the internet. You can download it and burn the ISO to a CD or DVD then put it in your 360 and find the demo under Demos in the dashboard. It's fully playable, and nobody has raised a fuss about it(meaning it shouldn't get you banned).

There are five songs available on the demo:

* "Hit Me With Your Best Shot" - Pat Benatar
* "Lay Down" - Priestess
* "Even Flow" - Pearl Jam
* "Rock You Like A Hurricane" - Scorpions
* "The Metal" - Tenacious D

I burned it tonight and played it. If you liked Guitar Hero II, you'll like Guitar Hero III. The demo seemed to load very slowly, but I'm hoping that won't be true in the real game.


The graphics are improved and a little bit more realistic in Guitar Hero III. The guitar part of the screen seems even bigger.

A few improvements are that once you start getting a good note streak going, it starts showing the count in the lower left hand corner. It also flashes across the screen every 50 note in your note streak. In the lower right hand corner, you can see how well you are rocking, just like in GH2.

XYBA Podcast Ep 15

The XYBA Video Game Podcast is back with Episode 15. Andy and Josh host with guests Sean and Nick from the 217 area code.

Download XYBA Podcast Ep 15

Watch Your XBL Motto!

Attention, Xbox Live members, Microsoft is starting to crack down on your gamer mottos. Right now it is theorized that the gamer mottos are being run through a filter which simply looks for curse words or their variations.

This story has come to light after CheapyD over at Cheap Ass Gamer had his account suspended for 24 hours for the gamer motto "Konichiwa, bitches!" Other users have also reported similar bans.

So, read your Code of Conduct, people! Don't lose out on any precious Xbox Live time.

(As far as I can tell, "jerkstore" is not on the ban list so I'm good.)

Gilbert Arenas is a Booster!

Washington Wizards basteball star Gilbert Arenas has gone on record as boosting in Halo 3. He created fake matches and had himself win to score himself more experience points. He is currently ranked as a Captain, Grade 1 with 108 XP and a high skill level of 42.

While Arenas says it is simply a glitch in the game he is exploiting, I say no! Boosting is a choice, Gilbert Arenas, and you have chosen to do wrong!

According to your service record, you haven't even played the campaign once. You haven't even taken any screenshots. Shame on you, Arenas. The children look up to you, and you have led them astray.

I challenge Gilbert Arenas to a Halo 3 off. One on one. Bring it!

Wii Bit O' News

Nintendo announced at their Fall Conference that the Wii will soon allow DS users to download demos. No more going to Gamestop and standing around looking like some creepy older guy trolling for High School girls.

This is a nice little feature that I'm sure will get a lot of use from the community. Also, the Wii has been updated to allow the use of a USB keyboard. Now typing in those friend codes is a lot easier.

Xbox 360 Deal

Haven't bought an Xbox 360 yet? What are you waiting for? (Sam?) Well, Microsoft is sweetening the pot for you slackers.

For the holiday season, Microsoft is adding two games to their Xbox 360 Premium and Elite bundles. Those games? Forza Motorsport 2 and Marvel Ultimate Alliance!

So, by the end of October, both the Premium bundle($349) and the Elite bundle($449) will come with two games. That's a lot better than the zero that my 360 came with. You Johnny-Come-Latelies get all the deals - discount, the choice of the Elite and two free games. Bah.

Bungie is Independent Now

It's official! Bungie and Microsoft have agreed to allow Bungie to return to it's independent status and will now be known as Bungie, LLC. According to the Bungie Weekly Update:

Bungie has long been built on creativity, originality and the freedom to pursue ideas. Microsoft agreed, and rather than stifle our imagination, they decided it was in both our best interests to unleash it. We’ll continue to make Xbox 360 games, and we’ll continue to make amazing games for MGS. In that regard, nothing has changed. All that has changed is that now Bungie Studios is once again, the property of the folks of Bungie Studios. Microsoft is and will continue to be, a brilliant, inventive and creatively collaborative publishing partner. Practically speaking, nothing has changed and you guys won’t see much, if any difference, for a while unless you come to work for us, that is – we’re hiring at http://www.bungie.net/inside/jobs.aspx

It's good to see that it was a friendly-looking split and that the Halo franchise is still in good hands. I can't wait to see what new stuff Bungie brings to the fans.

October Game Releases

October. Ghosts, ghoulies and video games. Most dates are provided by Gamestop.

 

DS Titles
October 1
* The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass
October 2
* Backyard Football
* Crash of the Titans
* Race Driver: Create & Race
* Spider-Man: Friend or Foe
* Spyro: The Eternal Night
October 3
* Paws & Claws: Dogs & Cats Best Friends
October 5
* Crayola Treasure Adventures
October 6
* Master Jin Jin's IQ Challenge
October 7
* Kurupoto Cool Cool Stars
October 8
* Holly Hobbie & Friends
October 9
* Bleach: The Blade of Fate
* The Cheetah Girls: Pop Star Sensations
* FIFA Soccer 08
* Flipper Critters
* Looney Tunes: Duck Amuck
* Touch Detective 2 1/2
October 10
* Arctic Tale
October 15
* The Bee Game
* Fullmetal Alchemist: Trading Card Game
* Tony Hawk's Proving Ground
October 16
* Avatar: The Burning Earth
* Disney Princess: Magical Jewels
* Fish Tycoon
* Hannah Montanna: Music Jam
* Power Rangers Super Legends
* Prism: Light the Way
* Thrillville: Off the Rails
* Wild Petz: Dolphinz
* Word Jong
October 22
* EA Playground
* The Sims 2: Castaway
October 23
* Chessmaster
* Ed, Edd & Eddy: Scam of the Century
* Front Mission
* Imagine: Animal Doctor
* Imagine: Babyz
* Imagine: Fashion Designer
* Imagine: Master Chef
* LifeSigns: Surgical Unit
* Naruto: Path of the Ninja
* Nicktoons: Attack of the Toybots
* Phoenix Wright: Trials & Tribulations
* Pocket Pets
* Rhythm Notes
* Spongebob: Atlantis Squarepantis
* Super Collapse 3
* Zoo Hospital
October 24
* Jackass: The Game
October 29
* Ratatouille Food Frenzy
October 30
* AJ & Aly
* Barbie Island Princess
* Bee Movie
* Ben 10: Protector of Earth
* Build A Bear Workshop
* Neves
* Panzer Tactics
* Puzzle de Harvest Moon
* Shrek the 3rd: Ogres and Donkeys
* The Simpsons Game
* The Suite Life of Zack & Cody 2
October 31
* Dementium: The Ward
* Solitaire Overload

PC Titles
October 1
* Aircraft Power Pack II
* Big Buck Hunter
* Enemy Territory: Quake Wars
October 2
* Cabela's Big Game Hunter 2008: Trophy Buck
* Loki
* Rock Tour Tycoon
* Spider-Man: Friend or Foe
* World of Warcraft Battlechest
October 5
* Ghost in the Sheet
October 8
* The Chosen
* Hoyle Card Games 2008
* Hoyle Casino 2008
* Hoyle Puzzle and Board 2008
* Monopoly 2008
* Nancy Drew: Legend of the Crystal Skull
* Pirate's Revenge
* Race 07
* Risk 2
October 9
* FIFA Soccer 08
* Half-Life 2: Orange Box
* Neverwinter Nights 2: Mask of the Betrayer Expansion Pack
October 15
* Company of Heroes Game of the Year Edition
* Democracy
* Flight Deck 5
* Fritz Chess 10
* Gothic Universe
* The Guild 2 Gold Edition
* Left Behind: Eternal Forces Expansion Pack
* Painkiller: Overdose
* Seven Kingdoms Conquest
* Spellforce Universe
October 16
* 20 Questions
* 3D Ultra Minigolf Adventures
* Dawn of Magic
* Death to Spies
* Fury
* Heroes of Might & Magic V: Tribes of the East Expansion Pack
* Quest Pack
* Richard Garriott's Tabula Rasa Online
* Sega Rally Revo
* Switchball
* Thrillville: Off the Rails
* You Are Empty
* Zoo Tycoon 2: Extinct Animals
October 22
* Agatha Christe: Evil Under the Sun
* Escape from Paradise City
* Game Pack 3-in-1
October 23
* Age of Empires III: Dynasties
* Barbie Island Princess
* Cake Mania 2
* Clive Barker's Jericho
* Culpa Innata
* Dream Day Honeymoon
* Flight Simulator X Acceleration
* Hot Wheels: Beat That
* Imagine: Fashion Designer
* Merv Griffen's Crosswords
* NBC Heads Up Poker
* Panzer Killer
* Rise of Atlantis
* World Series of Poker 2008: Battle for the Bracelets
* Yumsters
* Zoo Vet 2: Endangered Animals
October 29
* Dance Online
* Guitar Hero III with Guitar
October 30
* Bee Movie
* Command & Conquer Saga
* Hellgate: London
* NBA Live 08
* The Office
* The Witcher
* Timeshift DVD-ROM
* Universe at War: Earth Assault

PS2 Titles
October 2
* Crash of the Titans
* MLB Power Pros
* NBA 08 Featuring the Life Vol 3
* NBA 2K8
* NBA Live 08
* Spider-Man: Friend or Foe
* Spyro: The Eternal Night
October 9
* Backyard Football 2008
* FIFA Soccer 08
* Honda: SBk-07 Superbike
* Looney Tunes ACME Arsenal
* Mountain Bike Adrenaline
* Tony Hawk's Proving Ground
October 16
* Avatar: The Burning Earth
* Daisenryaku 7 Exceed
* Disney Princess: Enchanted Journey
* Thrillville: Off the Rails
October 22
* The Sims 2: Castaway with Bonus!
* World Champion Paintball
October 23
* King of Fighters XI
* Moto GP 07
* Nicktoons: Attack of the Toybots
* Power Rangers Super Legends
* Spongebob: Atlantis Squarepantis
October 28
* Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock with Guitar
October 29
* Cars: Mater-National
* Manhunt 2
October 30
* Barbie Island Princess
* Bee Movie
* Ben 10: Protector of Earth
* Buzz!: The Mega Quiz with 4 Buzzers
* Chaos Wars
* Dancing with the Stars
* High School Musical with Microphone
* The Simpsons Game

PS3 Titles
October 2
* NBA 2K8
* NBA Live 08
October 9
* FIFA Soccer 08
* Folklore
* Sega Rally Revo
October 10
* Warhawk
October 12
* NBA 08
October 15
* Tony Hawk's Proving Ground
October 16
* Oblivion Game of the Year Edition
October 23
* Clive Barker's Jericho
* Conan
* Eye of Judgment
* Ratatouille
October 28
* Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock with Guitar
October 29
* Juiced 2: Hot Import Nights
* Stranglehold
October 30
* Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction
* The Simpsons Game

PSP Titles
October 2
* NBA Live 08
* Syphon Filter: Logan's Shadow
* Spider-Man: Friend or Foe
October 3
* Hot Pixel
October 8
* Juiced 2: Hot Import Nights
October 9
* FIFA Soccer 08
* Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions
* Jackass: The Game
* Sega Rally Revo
* Star Wars Battlefront: Renegade Squadron
October 12
* NBA 08
October 16
* Crash of the Titans
* Spider-Man 3
* SWAT: Target Liberty
* Thrillville: Off the Rails
October 23
* Castlevania: Dracula X Chronicles
* Warriors of the Lost Empire
October 29
* Manhunt 2
October 30
* Ben 10
* Disgaea: Afternoon of Darkness
* World Series of Poker 2008: Battle for the Bracelets

Wii Titles
October 1
* Hot Wheels Beat That
October 2
* Crash of the Titans
* Dave Mirra BMX Challenge
* MLB Power Pros
* NBA Live 08
* Spider-Man: Friend or Foe
October 8
* Disney Princess: Enchanted Journey
* Donkey Kong: Barrel Blast
October 9
* Bleach: The Shattered Blade
* FIFA Soccer 08
* Looney Tunes ACME Arsenal
October 10
* Mercury Meltdown: Revolution
October 15
* Rockstar Games Table Tennis
* Tony Hawk's Proving Ground
October 16
* Avatar: The Burning Earth
* Code Lyoko: Quest for Infinity
* Guilty Gear XX Accent Core
* Thrillville: Off the Rails
* Victorious Boxer
October 22
* EA Playground
* The Sims 2: Castaway
October 23
* Backyard Football
* Namco Museum Remix
* Naruto: Clash of Ninja Revolution
* Nicktoons: Attack of Toybots
* Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords
* Spyro: The Eternal Night
* Zack & Wiki: Quest for Barbaros' Treasure
October 28
* Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock with Guitar
October 29
* Battalion Wars 2
* Manhunt 2
October 30
* Barbie Island Princess
* Bee Movie
* Ben 10
* Dancing with the Stars
* Hannah Montanna: Spotlight World Tour
* Hooked with Free Controller Attachment!
* The Simpsons Game

Xbox 360
October 2
* Crash of the Titans
* FlatOut Ultimate Carnage
* NBA 2K8
* NBA Live 08
* Project Gotham Racing 4
* Spider-Man: Friend or Foe
October 9
* FIFA Soccer 08
* Half-Life 2 Orange Box
* Looney Tunes ACME Arsenal
* Sega Rally Revo
October 15
* Beautiful Katamari
* Tony Hawk's Proving Ground
October 16
* Avatar: The Burning Earth
October 19
* Thrillville: Off the Rails
October 23
* Ace Combat 6: Fires of Liberation
* America's Army: True Soldiers
* Chessmaster Grandmaster Edition
* Clive Barker's Jericho
* Conan
* Naruto Rise of the Ninja
* Tomb Raider Anniversary
October 28
* Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock with Guitar
October 29
* Cars: Mater-National
October 30
* Bee Movie
* Naruto: Rise of the Ninja with Bonus!
* Simpsons: The Game
* Timeshift
* Virtua Fighter 5
* Viva Pinata: Party Animals

No Assassin's Creed Demo

Jade Raymond confirms that there is no demo planned for Assassin's Creed. Which has been met by disappointment... by me, at least.

Raymond says they're not doing a demo because Assassin's Creed is a sandbox game. She claims that sandbox games are too hard to make demos for because you can't show off much of the game.

I claim bullshit. Crackdown had a demo. It's a sandbox. And it made Charlie want to buy Crackdown. Give me a demo!

Wha, Wha, What!!!???

These are the software sales figures for Japan for the last week of Sept:

01./--. [360] Halo 3 - 59,000 / NEW
02./03. [DS] Pokemon Fushigi no Dungeon: Toki - 55,000 / 440,000
03./01. [PSP] Crisis Core Final Fantasy VII - 54,000 / 649,000
04./--. [DS] Tamagotchi Petit Petit Omisecchi Minasankyu! - 54,000 / NEW
05./04. [DS] Pokemon Fushigi no Dungeon: Yami - 46,000 / 389,000
06./--. [PS2] Bleach Blade Battlers 2nd - 31,000 / NEW
07./--. [DS] English Test 2 - 28,000 / NEW
08./--. [PSP] Yugioh Duel Monsters GX - 28,000 / NEW
09./--. [PS3] Oblivion - 27,000 / NEW
10./02. [PSP] Metal Gear Solid Portable Ops+ - 25,000 / 119,000

One of these things is not like the other. I did not know there were 59,000 people with 360's in Japan, let alone Japanese gamers that would purchase an American made first person shooter. I can only imagine Hell has frozen over and Billy G is kickin' back a cold one with ol' Mephistophiles while playing a little capture the flag on Xbox Live.

Free Wii Remote Jackets...

...for early customers. If you bought a Wii before the Wii Remote Jackets were included with the system, Nintendo wants to still give you the jackets for free.

Just go to their website to request your Wii Remote Jackets. You need your Wii's serial number, and the maximum number of jackets you can get is four.

The free jackets will start shipping October 15th.

Rumor :|: Bungie Leaving M$

There is a rumor going around that Bungie and Microsoft are getting a divorce. A blogger posted a supposed email from a person close to Bungie and apparently the real split will take place on Oct. 6th of 2007.

"So heres my big secret. You should google Bungie + Microsoft + separation this week.
You know that big ol BILLION dollar franchise Bungie has created for Microsoft, to show their appreciate Microsoft is letting Bungie leave. Of course Microsoft gets to keep all rights to the Halo franchise, but as today Bungie no longer part of Microsoft. Ask anyone who works there to search the global address book, they're no longer in there. Microsoft was supposed to release the press release today but if they wait till the 10/6 the impact wont effect the quarterly results. However today is the actual official date and the day the NDAs expire, however you still didn't hear this from me."

"Apparently MS just wants Bungie to make Halo for the rest of their natural days, and Bungie doesn't like how MS is constantly trying to "handle" everything they do; the way they market their games, the way they interact with their fans (basically the fact that they do appreciate their fans), and how stingie they are with the profits (comparable to the rest of the industry). So as of today they are their own independent entity. They'll probably make Halo 4 for Microsoft, however hey are also free to create new intellectual properties for whatever system they want. (Even though they prefer the xbox platform)"

"What a way to say thank you."

Gaming journalist have been in contact with Bungie and Microsoft and both parties are stating "no comment" instead of putting the rumor to bed. What do you all think? If the split is true, then who will handle all future Halo 3 add-ons, like maps?

XYBA Podcast Ep 14

Welcome to lucky number 14 of the XYBA Podcast. Your host Josh talks gaming along with his side kick host Andy. This episode is filled with more Halo 3 than you can fit in your dirty little mouth, but don't blame us because that's all there is to talk about these days.

00:00 - Intro music by Grant
00:39 - Games we are playing :|: Halo 3, Just Cause, Boxhead Co-op, Bioshock, Jam Sessions on DS (Josh plays a little diddly)
05:35 - Gaming News :|: It's really short. Halo 3 is out. Sex Pistols get together to record a track for Guitar Hero III, Japanese company makes a 2nd Life game called "Meet Me", Halo 3 bumped GOW from top Xbox Live game.
11:20 - Roundtable Discussion :|: Halo 3 review of campaign, multiplayer, armor, forge, and theater
34:52 - Games we are looking forward to :|: Army of Two, Mass Effect, Rock Band, Pacman Versus on DS, and No More Heroes
36:28 - Rant :|: Eric's 360 broke for the 2nd time
37:09 - Shout Outs and Outro music

Download XYBA Podcast Ep 14