Xbox 360 Primes Every Passion With Games That Rock, Race and Sizzle
Microsoft unveils "Forza Motorsport 3", "Halo: Reach", "Crackdown 2", "Shadow Complex", and "Alan Wake" on Xbox 360
LOS ANGELES — June 1, 2009 — Rock out. Duck and cover. Shift into overdrive. On the eve of the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3), Microsoft Corp. today made it perfectly clear: No matter who you are or what games you crave, Xbox 360 is the only gaming and entertainment console for you.
At a time when, according to NPD Group Inc., nearly seven in 10 consumers plan to spend the same or more on video games compared with last year, Xbox 360 today unveiled a lineup that is sure to tip the scales in favor of more — more fun, more entertainment value and more games available only on Xbox 360.
A “who’s who” of hot games, the list of Xbox exclusives includes “Forza Motorsport 3”, “Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell Conviction™”, “Left 4 Dead 2”, “Alan Wake”, “Shadow Complex”, “Crackdown 2”, blockbuster “Halo 3: ODST” and the surprise announce of Halo trilogy prequel “Halo: Reach.” Sharing the stage were blockbusters Infinity Ward’s “Modern Warfare 2” and the “The Beatles: Rock Band.”
“We know that your fun and our success boil down to one thing: our ability to make games that are creative, diverse and entertaining. Period. And this year, we deliver in spades with the biggest and best lineup in our history”, said Phil Spencer, general manager of the global Microsoft Game Studios business. “From the core first-person-shooter fans who’ve enjoyed Xbox since the first ‘Halo’ to new audiences who are discovering us today with genre-defining games like ‘1 vs 100’, we have something for everyone with our best and broadest lineup ever.”
Xbox 360 has the most celebrated, most played, most coveted and most E-rated games in the industry — and with 1,000-plus titles to date, there’s more than one for you.
Heart-Thumping Entertainment, Exclusively on Xbox 360
Get behind the wheel of an Audi R8 V10 in “Forza Motorsport 3”, jump into the immersive movie-like action of “Alan Wake”, and download “Shadow Complex”, the newest Xbox LIVE Arcade game from the minds behind the blockbuster “Gears of War” franchise. Some of the most exciting games in 2009 and beyond are only on Xbox 360, including the following:
“1 vs. 100” (Microsoft Game Studios). Are you ready to win big? The “1 vs 100” U.S. and Canadian beta launches today, June 1, at 7:30 p.m. PDT. For the first time, “1 vs 100” on Xbox LIVE combines the best of TV gameshow experiences with social gaming to create the largest interactive game show in the world. Based on the hit TV game show of the same name, “1 vs 100 Live” is regularly scheduled and features a live studio host who provides comedic commentary throughout the show and fresh content from a team of trivia writers and experts. Players can play as “the one,” “the mob” or “the crowd,” for the chance to win real prizes. Check your local Xbox LIVE listings to join “1 vs 100 Live.”1
“Alan Wake” (Remedy/Microsoft Game Studios). “Alan Wake” is the all-new psychological action thriller from the renowned creators of the “Max Payne” franchise. Coming in spring 2010 and exclusive to Xbox 360, “Alan Wake” will immerse players in an intense cinematic thrill ride of dreams and reality, where light is the only ally.
“Crackdown 2” (Ruffian Games/Microsoft Game Studios). The sequel to the award-winning “Crackdown,” “Crackdown 2” is the premier open-ended action experience that lets you be judge, jury and executioner for a vast city. Coming exclusively to Xbox 360 in 2010, “Crackdown 2” will take multiplayer2 gaming to unprecedented levels for the ultimate cooperative and competitive multiplayer experience, providing you and your friends with the complete freedom to explore, destroy and play as you return to restore justice and peace to Pacific City — by any means necessary.
“Forza Motorsport 3” (Turn 10/Microsoft Game Studios). Launching this October, “Forza Motorsport 3” is the definitive racing game for everyone from hardcore tuners to anyone who’s ever dreamed of driving at full-throttle. Backed by breathtaking HD graphics and bone-jarring physics, you’ll take the wheel of more than 400 of the most-beloved cars on over 100 renowned real-world tracks and exotic road courses from around the globe. “Forza Motorsport 3” includes driving assists and adjustable skill levels to make the game a gripping pick-up-and-play experience for audiences of all ages and skill levels, while new customization and sharing tools will further fuel the imaginations of the thriving “Forza Motorsport” community on Xbox LIVE.
“Gears of War 2: Dark Corners” (Epic Games Inc.). The “Gears of War 2: Dark Corners” Game Add-on includes seven brand new multiplayer maps and a new campaign chapter, “Road to Ruin.” “Dark Corners” launches on Xbox LIVE Marketplace on July 28. The entertainment blockbuster of 2008, “Gears of War 2” has now surpassed 5 million copies sold worldwide.
“Halo 3: ODST” (Bungie). Launching Sept. 22, “Halo 3: ODST” is a new game in the landmark “Halo” saga that lets players experience the events leading up to the epic story told in “Halo 3” through the eyes of a special forces ODST (Orbital Drop Shock Trooper). In addition to an all-new campaign, “ODST” includes three new “Halo 3” multiplayer maps and the complete, stand-alone “Halo 3” multiplayer experience.2 The game also introduces Firefight, an exciting new cooperative multiplayer mode that pits up to four players against increasingly challenging waves of enemies. As a special bonus, “Halo 3: ODST” also includes an invitation to the “Halo: Reach” multiplayer beta on Xbox LIVE. Also, launching on the same date with “Halo 3: ODST” is the “Halo 3: ODST Collector’s Pack,” which offers “Halo” fans a new and exclusive wireless controller and the game title in one package at a great price.
“Joy Ride” (Big Park/Microsoft Game Studios). Avatars, start your engines! Full of wild driving fun, “Joy Ride” will get your adrenaline pumping as you tear up the track with your friends, or jump, flip and trick your way through the Stunt Park as you work with the whole community to unlock rewards. “Joy Ride” is completely free to download and gives you all new ways to play, whether you’re looking for a quick game or a deep, custom social experience, all on Xbox LIVE.2 Design your dream car or purchase new tracks, game modes and avatar items. You can share the racetracks and game modes with your friends so no one is ever left out.
“Left 4 Dead 2” (Valve). “Left 4 Dead 2” is the sequel to the best-selling and critically acclaimed cooperative multiplayer smash from Valve, creators of “Half-Life,” “Portal,” “Team Fortress” and “Counter-Strike.” Introducing melee weapons and new enemies to the original’s award-winning gameplay, “L4D2” casts players as one of four new “Survivors” battling zombie hordes as they travel from Savannah, Ga., through New Orleans’ French Quarter.
“Shadow Complex” (Epic Games Inc. and Chair Entertainment Group/Microsoft Game Studios). New from Epic Games and Chair Entertainment, “Shadow Complex” combines the best of old-school side-scroller design with modern, cutting-edge gameplay and incredible high-definition graphics. Collect power-ups, discover new abilities and evolve your character into a force of destruction as you explore an original story set in the world of Orson Scott Card’s best-selling novel, “Empire.” “Shadow Complex” marries the quality and depth of a full retail title with the accessibility you love, exclusively on Xbox 360 and Xbox LIVE Arcade.
“Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell Conviction™” (Ubisoft). Coming exclusively to Xbox 360 this fall, unleash the ferocious skills of renegade agent Sam Fisher and uncover a deadly terrorist plot in “Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell Conviction™.” Completely reinvented and revolutionized, “Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell Conviction™” ushers in a new breed of action gameplay leaving players fully immersed in the life of the world’s most dangerous spy. Take full advantage of the 20 million member Xbox LIVE community in this latest installment of the award-winning “Splinter Cell” franchise.
Blockbusters Here, There, Everywhere on Xbox 360
It’s a simple truth: third-party games play better on Xbox 360. Why? Because only Xbox 360 can pair must-have titles like this year’s blockbuster from Infinity Ward, “Modern Warfare 2”, “The Beatles: Rock Band” and “Tony Hawk®: RIDE™” with Xbox LIVE, the world’s largest social network on your TV. The result? As the world’s largest online gaming network, Xbox LIVE gives you more friends to play with and its exclusive collection of Game Add-ons ensures the fun never ends. It leaves only one question: Why would you play these blockbusters anywhere else?
“Final Fantasy® XIII” (Square Enix). The world-renowned “Final Fantasy” will continue making its home on Xbox 360 with the upcoming release of “Final Fantasy XIII,” the eagerly anticipated title from Square Enix. “Final Fantasy XIII” uses the power and cutting-edge technology of Xbox 360 to deliver seamless transitions between real-time gameplay and in-game cinematics as gamers summon the courage to execute powerful attacks with an evolved Active Time Battle system and ultimately fulfill their destiny. Scheduled to be released only in North America and Europe.
“Modern Warfare 2” (Infinity Ward/Activision). On Nov. 10, 2009, Infinity Ward will make its return with the release of “Modern Warfare 2” on Xbox 360, the most-anticipated game of the year and the sequel to the best-selling first-person action game of all time, “Call of Duty® 4: Modern Warfare™.” “Modern Warfare 2” continues the gripping and heart-racing saga with an unprecedented level of action as players face off against a new threat dedicated to bringing the world to the brink of collapse. Xbox LIVE gamers will also be the first to get their hands on two “Modern Warfare 2” map packs coming first to Xbox 360.
“The Beatles: Rock Band” (Harmonix/MTV Games). On 09.09.09, “The Beatles: Rock Band” will allow fans all over the world to pick-up the guitar, bass, mic or drums and experience The Beatles’ extraordinary catalogue of music through gameplay that takes players on a journey through the legacy and evolution of the band’s legendary career. In addition, “The Beatles: Rock Band” offers Beatles fans the opportunity to rock out with new hardware replica controllers modeled after instruments used by John Lennon, Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr throughout their careers. And, for the first time, players will be able to download music and make a change: Available only on Xbox 360, all Apple Corps, MTV Games and Microsoft proceeds from downloads of “All You Need is Love” will benefit Doctors without Borders.
“Tony Hawk: RIDE” (Activision). “Tony Hawk: RIDE” redefines the sports genre by offering a dynamic hands-free gaming experience featuring an innovative skateboard controller. Using full motion sensing technology, players physically control the action by performing various movements and gestures on the board that directly translate into amazing tricks in the game. The skateboard controller provides an accessible and social gaming experience on Xbox 360 that allows players of all skill levels to battle for skateboard supremacy by challenging gamers worldwide over Xbox LIVE, the largest social gaming network.
I must admit that this poll has got me pegged for sure, i know that there will be a lot more then 2 games from E3 but when its the two games listed here it makes it really hard to pay attention to any thing more that might be said.
Halo 3: ODST and Modern Warfare 2 are the most-anticipated games in the US at the moment.
This is according to data compiled by OTX/Gameplan Insights, reports Gamasutra.
Polling 1,000 U.S. gamers, the data on purchase and pre-order intent showed both to be the highest on the anticipation meter for all pre-E3 games.
“At the top of the charts, Halo 3: ODST and Modern Warfare 2 continue to dominate the 2009 releases, while God of War III and Final Fantasy XIII are the current PS3 headliners for 2010,” said OTX analyst Nick Williams.
“With the national spotlight on the video game industry this week, it should be interesting to see how gamers react to the big announcements at E3. Expect to see a lot of movement in the rankings when next month’s GamePlan charts are released.”
Gamasutra has a list of the Top 25 at the moment. Go look before the newest Barbie title changes it.
Eurogamer are reporting that Square Enix have confirmed a Winter 2009 release date for Final Fantasy XIII in Japan. The date was shown upon completion of the new FFXIII demo.
That date was pictured at the end of the PS3 FFXIII demo, which is included in the Blu-ray release of Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children - due out tomorrow in Japan and in June in North America.
However, European dates for both Advent Children and Final Fantasy XIII are still to be confirmed, the publisher told us this morning.
The demo, according to a Famitsu preview (read by Gamezine, lasts for over an hour and lets players control characters Snow and Lightning. Perhaps they listen to Earth, Wind and Fire.
FFXIII takes full advantage of the Xbox 360 system's advanced hardware, providing tangible, intuitive controls while delivering seamless transitions between real-time gameplay and stunning in-game cinematics. The latest in cutting-edge technology has been utilized in the development of FINAL FANTASY XIII, thus making this newest addition to the FINAL FANTASY series worthy of the title "next generation."
Square Enix also had nothing to say about a trademark filing for Front Mission Evolved, spotted by a keen-eyed Kotaku.
Front Mission is a strategy series in which robots beat each other up. Evolved could be a series reboot, a revamped instalment for XBLA or PSN, or simply one of the many Japanese releases heading West.
In an interview with OXM.com Don Mattrick talks about the new Xbox Experience soon to hit Xbox Live and talks about why he feels he was the true inventor of the Avatars that will be a big part of the XBOX 360 update, with that said lets have a look at the OXM.com interview.
OXM reports: We met Microsoft's affable new senior vice president (who had John Schappert, vice president of Xbox Live in tow) at this year's E3, to talk about "The New Xbox Experience".
And though he tried to stay calm, he's too excited about what Microsoft has coming up to keep it all in. From claiming to have invented avatars to sending competitors pity cake, this is one of the more exciteable interviews we've ever had.
With the New Xbox Experience less than two weeks away, now is the perfect time to revisit what Microsoft's power players had to say at E3...
So "The New Xbox Experience" - what's that all about, then?
Don Mattrick: Continued vision, continued investment, continued commitment to leadership in the online space. Gamertags! IDs! Achievements! Connectivity! Chat! This is part of an ongoing journey. When I joined Microsoft [in July 2007], I looked at what was going on and saw some component parts of this work that was already underway, and I was like, "Wow, this is just amazing."
It's awesome for gaming. At its core this is what we do - we build the best immersive interactive experiences that exist. People who have used the new Dashboard, for example, love it. It has an emotional connection. We make people the hero. What a novel idea that is!
And the Xbox 360 has the capability to be the hub of your living room. To drive fun and entertainment for your home, your friends, your family. Whether that is in gaming, in traditional media such as music or movies, or digital pictures, communication, the camera. Whatever things you want to look at, this box has tremendous opportunities.
Microsoft understands hardware, understands software. It knows how to do it globally - I mean it's built one or two operating systems along the way! - and only Microsoft could create this new experience. We are the only company that can do what we're doing today!
This is the first time in the history of video gaming that this has occurred. It's amazing. People are going to write about it and go, "Oh, wow. That was pretty cool. I was there when that was made public."
That's some big talk!
DM: Well, it's what made it easy to get support from people like John [Schappert]!
I'm sure you all turned on your 360 and got the update on the 6th and if you are wondering what it was or why it was there since it obviously did nothing to change your dash at all then i got your answer right here guys, it seems the update was just a small bit of ground work to prepare your 360 for future growth.
Major Nelson has reported the following to clear it all up for us: "A few minutes ago, the team released a system update for the Xbox 360 over Xbox LIVE. Sometime over the next few hours when you sign in to Xbox LIVE you’ll recieve a prompt to accept this mandatory update. This update contains code to ‘prepare for future growth of the service.’ There are no other changes or enhancements in this update…in other words no new features."
"To be clear: This is not the new Xbox experience update. That will come in the Fall."
So to recap and beat the dead horse it was just some preparation for the fall update that will include such features as:
* Entertainment without limits: With LIVE Party, bring your favorite games, TV shows, movies, and pictures to life by sharing those experiences with friends, wherever they are around the world.
* Express yourself: With the new Xbox 360 experience, personalize your entertainment like never before. Create your own avatar, designed exclusively by Rare, and jump into a party with friends from around the world.
* "Must See TV" and more: The biggest names in entertainment worldwide, such as Netflix, NBC Universal, Universal Studios Home Entertainment, SCI FI Channel, USA Network, Constantin, and MGM are bringing their content to Xbox 360.
360 Degrees of Entertainment
The 2008 Xbox 360 entertainment lineup of games, movies and TV shows is its best and broadest ever. Whether for fans of action, role-playing, racing, sports, strategy, party, or action-adventure games, Xbox 360 has the biggest blockbusters and the most exclusive content in 2008 and beyond:
* The new game show: The new Xbox LIVE channel Xbox LIVE Primetime represents an all-new way to play. A collection of virtual game shows such as "1 vs. 100," Xbox LIVE Primetime allows thousands of gamers to become contestants from their living rooms, playing together simultaneously, live with content that is always fresh and relevant. The global phenomenon 1 vs. 100 is created by Endemol, the world's largest independent production company and the producer of the hit show Deal or No Deal.
* Blockbusters: Final Fantasy XIII will be available on Xbox 360 at launch in North America and Europe. Xbox 360 is the only place to play the year's biggest games, such as Gears of War® 2, Resident Evil 5, Fable® II, and exclusive Grand Theft Auto IV episodes.
* Music: Xbox 360 is the preferred stage for all the best music games, including Lips, Rock Band 2, Guitar Hero World Tour and DanceDanceRevolution® UNIVERSE3.
* Family: Xbox 360 gets the whole family playing with titles such as Banjo Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts,Scene It? Box Office Smash and Viva Pińata®: Trouble in Paradise.
* Sports: Xbox 360 remains the best place to play sports titles, including leading franchises like Madden NFL, Tiger Woods PGA TOUR, NBA Live, NHL 2K, and more.
* TV and movie entertainment: Xbox is home to the best TV and movie entertainment, including exclusive games such as You're in the Movies and 1 vs. 100, exclusive films and TV from Netflix, and the world's largest online library of on-demand high-definition TV shows and movies.
Due to a large amount of sites claiming fake release dates for long awaited FINAL FANTASY XIII for the PS3, the guys over at SQUARE ENIX have released this statement.
"Although information regarding the release date of FINAL FANTASY XIII has been reported by certain videogame websites, SQUARE ENIX itself has yet to make an official statement on this topic. Any reports of a confirmed release date are erroneous and should be disregarded. SQUARE ENIX will make an official announcement in the future concerning the release date when it has been determined."
Looks like the one real game PS3 fans can hold over the heads of 360 fans wont show its face for quite some time. Since i'm bringing bad news for the FF fans anyway, here is a little more salt for your wounds, a nice big screen shot, enjoy.
Square Enix will be unveiling a new title at their party, that will be taking place May 12th - 13th. Could it be Final Fantasy VII for the Ps3, or the newest patent added to their collection Final Fantasy Haerasis XIII for the Ps3?
Theres even speculation that it might be a Xbox 360 counterpart. With the talks of exclusivity, and the fact that the white engine is built for multi-platforms give this speculation a possible foothold. Reasoning behind the speculation is based primarily on a translated add that reads the following,
"The evolution will never stop, the series continues [... ] and the Final Fantasy that nobody knows will enter in scene."
Mind you this is all speculation, but well worth keeping up with. Stay tuned.
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