Rumors: Crackdown 2

Edge has some interesting information about a new Microsoft game developer team being created in Scotland. Apparently the team is made of members who created Crackdown, the sandbox game where you play as a supercop.

For now it is all speculation that the team will be working on Crackdown 2. It stands to reason that Crackdown will have a sequel since the first one was well received after players realized the game was tons of fun and not just a source to get the Halo 3 beta. And since Realtime Worlds is busy working on APB, which should be awesome, there is a need for another team to work on the sequel in order to get it out sooner.

I'm hoping this rumor is true because I love Crackdown. I would like to see them improve it by fixing the driving controls and maybe come up with some cool fighting combos, so I can really beat the crap out of people. I say steal the grab and throw mechanic from Saints Row II.

Rumor: Splinter Cell Release Date?

I ran across this release date the other week on Gamestop's website, but apparently it's starting to appear with other retailers as well. Splinter Cell: Conviction is being listed with a February 2nd release date.

Personally, I don't put much stock into this. I think there would have been a much bigger to do about the official release. And it doesn't fit with Ubisoft's fiscal plans. So I wouldn't bet on this rumor.

... Unless the game is beyond salvage and Ubisoft is going to quietly release it just to get it over with.

Rumor: L.A. Noire to the Xbox 360?

When L.A. Noire was first announced in 2004, it was announced as an exclusive game for the PS3. But more and more rumors have surfaced this year that the game will also be coming to the Xbox 360. The newest information seems to give this rumor validity.

The president of the Game Developers’ Association of Australia, Tom Crago, mentioned at CG Asia 2008 that the game would be released on both the PS3 and Xbox 360. This is the closest to an official statement so far. The website for the game continues to state that the platform is "to be announced."

L.A. Noire takes place in the late 1940's Los Angeles landscape and players will be required to solve a series of murders in a sandbox styled detective game. The game is styled after the film noir genre of movies and is in black and white. The release date is 2009.

Rumor: GTA IV DLC

The current rumor on the upcoming Grand Theft Auto IV downloadable content is that it will be released on Xbox Live in October or November and cost 1600 Microsoft Points($20).

What exactly the DLC will entail has never actually been confirmed, but most believe it will be very big like an expansion.

The rumored release time seems about right to me because that's when Saint's Row 2 will be coming out, and everyone knows there's no love lost between the games.

Rumor: Dead Rising: Vegas!

More rumors have surfaced that canadian developer Blue Castle Games is in charge of the Dead Rising sequel. But even juicer is the new rumor that Dead Rising 2 will be set in Las Vegas! Slot machines, strippers and zombies! Hell yeah!

While I am extremely excited about the possibility of Vegas, I'm not as excited about Blue Castle Games. Blue Castle Games is known primarily for making The Bigs, a baseball game. I worry about a sport game developer being in charge of Dead Rising. But I'm probably being genre-ist...

More Bungie News Coming July 14th

The Bungie Podcast yesterday spoke of big news coming next week at the beginning of E3. What could it be?

Well it's definitely going to be a game announcement, but what will they announce. Some believe it will be the Peter Jackson Halo game, while others believe it to be another arc to the Halo story since Halo 3 left us asking what planet is Master Chief heading to?

Also there is another viral marketing site out that is believed to be Bungie and/or Halo related called 1019foxfm.net/. Notice all the sevens. Well I'll definitely be tuning in Monday and I'll post whatever news and rumors are out there as they come out (unless Andy beats me to it).

Rumor: Microsoft Avatars?

In another rampant rumor, Microsoft may be bringing "Avatars" to the Xbox 360 to replace Gamerpics. The Avatars are basically Microsoft's version of Nintendo's Miis. Supposedly, gamers will be able to use them in a variety of arcade and retail games. There will also be "hundreds" of clothing options.

The rumor supposedly come from an independent survey. The avatars are rumored to be available "this holiday for all Xbox Live connected members" and "this Spring for all new console owners."

I was able to view the image on the original site earlier in the day, but it has since been taken down.

I think I'd like the Avatars. But they shouldn't get rid of the Gamerpics. Both should be options. Otherwise, people who paid for Gamerpics are screwed if they just get rid of them all. I like Miis on the Wii so I think I'd like Avatars because they seem like higher tech Miis with more options. They actually have clothes instead of just changing the color of their shirt!

Rumor: Microsoft to Announce Xbox 360 Blu-Ray Drive

You've probably seen a ton of rumors over the years about Microsoft, the 360 and a Blu-Ray Drive. Well, here's another: supposedly Microsoft will announce a Blu-Ray drive for the Xbox 360 tomorrow which will be available by Christmas.

I've seen this rumor on few sites and heard rumblings for a week or so now. The new batch of this rumor today seem to stem from one person who has a "close friend" who works at Microsoft. Supposedly the announcement will be tomorrow at 9 am in an attempt to upstage Apple's Worldwide Developer's Conference.

Look, I think it's inevitable that Microsoft will eventually make a Blu-Ray drive. Even if they have said many times that they never would. They also said they would never make a bigger harddrive for the Xbxo 360. I don't know if this announcement will actually happen tomorrow, but I'd think it would happen someday.

The real question is what kind of Blu-Ray drive will it be? Will it be an accessory like their HD-DVD drive or will it be internal? Will this mean a new SKU for the 360? Maybe we'll find out tomorrow...

LucasArts Layoffs

Kotaku has a story about LucasArts possibly laying off 75-100 employees. This includes developers, some big wigs, and QA after the new LEGO Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures game was released.

According to Wikipedia, they employee over 350 employees, so this is a huge chunk. The layoffs included the producer of the popular Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga, Shawn Storc.

There is a really funny comment on the Kotaku page, where one of the readers says "May the force be with them".

Xbox "Fall" Dashboard Update

I say "Fall" since it will actually be released December 4th. I've been collecting some information on the update, but now a whole list of the new features has been leaked. Take these statements with a grain of salt. Right now they look legit, but it could all be fake.

I'm only posting some of the more important or interesting updates(IMHO).

* New Xbox Live Arcade blade - where you can download, play and learn about Xbox Live Arcade
* New clan support - will be able to launch clan games direct from dashboard, can “fold” friends into new clan category in friends list
* New option in Games tab - beta and others, will be launcher for MMO and multiplayer betas
* New option in Marketplace Games tab, search by letter, can be inputted via text pad or console
* Themes can now be animated and may now have sound effects
* New estimated timer for downloads, informing how long download will expect to take
* Filter friends list, will be able to filter friends via games
* New screensaver settings - when away from Xbox 360, screensaver will play for optional time, before screen goes dark
* IPTV Functionality - support for TiVo like PVR options. Will be able to record TV direct. Options include source by channel, director, actor and distributor
* Console will now recognise low Hard Drive space, will inform you immediately if can’t download current item, will automatically download next available that is able.
* Xvid support

There's also this one: "Brand new “web based adver-games” flash games which aren’t downloaded, but are playable bite sized games, accessed via new Xbox Live Arcade Blade"

What is that? Those flash games where I punch George Bush in the face or fight a sumo wrestler? Why would I want that?

Microsoft is also putting some old Xbox classics in a downloadable format for 1200 Microsoft Points(about $15). They include "Halo," "Psychonauts," "Crimson Skies: High Road to Revenge" and "Fable," among others.

Unfortunately, it doesn't look like these games have been improved. There is no online for Halo. There's no achievements. And I'm sure all the other games will be exactly the same as they were on Xbox. Why no achievements? Even Burger King games have achievements! And why no online for Halo? You used to be able to play the original Halo online if you hooked the Xbox up to a computer that had a program that tricked the Xbox into thinking it was system linked instead of online.

There's also rumors that the update will make the Xbox 360 and DivX video 100% compatible.

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?

Possible Xbox 360 Fall Update

There are rumors on the Xbox forum about some updates coming to the Xbox 360. If it's all true, then this will be a great update minus the fact that multi chat isn't in there. See the list after the jump.

* Compatibility with 3rd party wireless controllers
* Compatibility with messenger pad
* Xbox Live Vision firmware upgrade, sharper image filtering
* Many more Vision Cam settings
* New screensaver settings - when away from Xbox 360, screensaver will play for optional time, before screen goes dark
* New Xbox Live Arcade blade - where you can download, play and learn about Xbox Live Arcade
* Brand new "web based adver-games" flash games which aren’t downloaded, but are playable bite sized games, accessed via new Xbox Live Arcade Blade
* New Screensaver option in Themes and Gamer Pics option in Marketplace blade
* New functionality with Messenger, works with chatpad
* New XNA Game Launcher for those that have the program, new options
* New language, time and date settings
* New "advertising opportunities" in gameplay
* Xvid support
* New "favorites" option via Xbox Live Arcade, can rate according to preference
* IPTV Functionality - support for TiVo like PVR options. Will be able to record TV direct. Options include source by channel, director, actor and distributor
* Filter friends list, will be able to filter friends via games
* New clan support - will be able to launch clan games direct from dashboard, can "fold" friends into new clan category in friends list
* Better translations in settings and other options for Japanese, German and Spanish languages
* New quick option to delete via X Button in memory viewer
* Option for having downloadable In-game content not inform when completed download
* Option for having video content not inform when completed download
* Faster settings for viewing unfinished video content downloads
* New option in Games tab - beta and others, will be launcher for MMO and multiplayer betas
* New option in Marketplace Games tab, search by letter, can be inputted via text pad or console
* Smarter game settings - you can be messaged via publishers about new in-game content for your games
* Picture in picture functionality for DVD Drive and some other updated settings
* Improved USB Keyboard settings
* Improved voice chat settings in game and from dashboard
* Faster response times to Redeem Code settings
* Option to play a Redeemed Code game straight after redeeming code
* Console will now recognize low Hard Drive space, will inform you immediately if can’t download current item, will automatically download next available that is able
* Increased space size for gamerpics and dashboard themes
* Themes can now be animated
* Themes may now have sound effects
* Better slideshow capabilities new options added. New sound effects and integration with Hard Drive/ PC music capable
* New estimated timer for downloads, informing how long download will expect to take

Again there is no confirmation on this, but a lot of the features sound cool, like animated themes and clan support. The clan support works out perfectly since Bungie announced that Halo 3 will not have clan support.

Wii Need a DVD Playback?

I hate for my first post to be one running around the rumor mill, but with Nintendo's E3 conference being less exciting than changing my Mii's hair style what can I do? Apparently, a rep from Nintendo who would like to remain in the shadows has hinted that this fall Nintendo will be releasing an updated Wii, which just happens to include DVD playback.

Also it seems like Nintendo will be branching out and offering the Wii in a variety of colors. In addition, it looks like the software for the DVD playback will be available for users to download via Wii ware. So for those handful of people who don't own a DVD player, yet another reason to purchase a Wii.

Rumor: Xbox 360 Price Drop

E3's not even officially over, and the price cut rumors are flying again. Some people are predicting a $100 price cut across the SKUs for the Xbox 360.

This rumor apparently comes from a Canadian retailer who says starting August 1st all three 360 SKUs will receive a $100 price cut.

Now this rumor I'm more skeptical about. Why wouldn't Microsoft announce this at E3? Why hide it? I don't think I believe the hype. Plus, Microsoft needs all that money for the extended warranties they just issued...

But then again, Sony hid their price cut for a long time, and there were all those early reports from retailers about an upcoming price cut. And Microsoft may want to counter Sony's price cut and new release of the 80GB PS3. Also, the Xbox 360 is the longest running console system to not have a price cut. If the 360 Core was cut by $100, it would be cheaper than the Nintendo Wii so it could also counter Nintendo...

Rumor: Limited 60GB PS3 supplies

I have to give credit for this story to the guys over at Joystiq, but it was something I had to post about. There is a possibility that the 60GB PS3 on sale for $500 is for a limited time only and that once all 60GB PS3 stock has sold out the line will be discontinued, leaving only the $600 80GB PS3.

Joystiq originally posted this rumor as fact but later retracted it when Sony's Dave Karraker contacted them to say they were wrong. But Karraker's quotes don't seem so straight forward to me.

Originally, Sony's European president David Reeves was the one who foretold the end of the 60GB PS3. He was answering questions about why Europeans weren't getting the $100 off like the United States. Reeves said that Europe didn't have enough 60GB PS3 stock and that once all 60GB stock was sold, only the 80GB PS3 would be sold(the 60GB PS3 going the way of the 20GB PS3). He even said flat out that Americans would only be able to buy the 80GB PS3 once all the 60GB PS3s in the US sold out and that the reason for the price drop was to get rid of all the 60GB PS3s.

Now Karraker comes out to put the spin on Reeves statements saying "We have ample supplies of both models to meet the needs of our consumers for the foreseeable future." But that doesn't say that it's forever. Is the foreseeable future a month? A year? How long?

I did some more digging around and found an interview with Sony's president Kaz Hirai at VG TV. The site and interviewer are in a different language, but Hirai's answers are in english. About 1:43 into the clip, Hirai says "Well, again, just from a hardware perspective, the $499 price adjustment that we did for the 60 GB version for the American market, uh we're no longer in production for that product so once that product is gone from the retailers' shelves then we're back to the $599 SKU only so it's not like we have a two price strategy here in the US market which we found out very early on that consumers react mostly just to having one SKU as opposed to having two."

So it seems to me like all the overseas Sony management have no problem saying that the 60GB PS3 is done, but the American Sony branch is trying to keep it secret for a while longer. And as we know from pre-E3, Sony will lie to protect its secret announcements.

Black Xbox 360 Confirmed by Game Informer

Kotaku is confirming that Game Informer is confirming that next month a black Xbox 360 will be on the market. Microsoft still is not budging on whether this is true or not. What will this include. Well a 120GB hard drive (nice), HDMI connections (that's swell), and a low price of $479 (what the hell!).

Not included is the HD-DVD drive (why the HDMI connections) and no confirmation if IPTV software/hardware will be built in. Maybe they are saving that for another Xbox 360 release. Boo.

PS3 Price Cut?

Some analyst over at Goldman Sachs says that Sony will cut the price of the PS3 worldwide by $100 in October. Rumors have been coming out since before the PS3 was launched that the price would come down, but this one seems a little more credible. However, it remains to be seen if it is true. People have been guessing for a long time that the Xbox 360 price would drop by $100 and it still hasn't.

If you're really into the PS3, this news probably doesn't affect you. But if you feel like sitting around sans PS3 and waiting to see if the price comes down, you've got a target date to look forward to.

Halo 3 XBox Live Cards

EBGames.com is selling Xbox Live Gold Cards with the Halo 3 logo on them. The weird thing is that they won't be available till April 27th. Rumors are already flying that this may be the Halo 3 Beta release date. Nothing on the Bungie boards except that the new Bungie site will be going live this week and that the Halo 3 Legendary boxset will be limited in numbers. April 27th is definitely within the Spring release time frame. Let's just hope it's that soon.

Electronic Gaming Monthly Rumors

In the rumor section of Electronic Gaming Monthly, there were two interesting rumors.

The first one is that Gears of War is trying to change their achievements so they don't require "ranked" games. I don't know if this is possible, but it'd definitely help me out since I play mostly player matches.

The other one is that they want to release a version of Dead Rising that is co-op. The rumor mill also says that there would be a patch which would be downloadable to make current versions co-op as well. That would be awesome. However, I highly doubt it.