XBox 360 Rally

During the latest Bungie Weekly Update, we were given a bit of a sneak peek of what we can expect with the new Halo 3 version of Bungie.net.

Basically, here is what you can expect with the new Bungie.net. Say you take a screenshot inside Halo 3. You’ll be able to go to your PC, and when you bring up your stats page at Bungie.net, you’ll have that very same screenshot staring you back in the face.

This is part of a File Share system that, for lack of better wording, owns. You like that movie you saw on Bungie.net? Flag it, and the next time you sign on Xbox LIVE, it’ll download straight to your console. That is absolutely awesome. …I’ve been using that word a lot the past few days, haven’t I?

We’re going to be getting more and more info from Bungie over the next week or two about what all they’re doing to their site in support for Halo 3. From what we’ve seen so far, whether it be the revamped leaderboard, or the File Sharing system, we can expect Bungie to stuff their site with features out the backside in support of Halo 3.

[Bungie.net]

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It was only a couple of days ago when we reported that Tiger Woods PGA Tour 08 has a glitch that will actually lock the game up on players during a portion of the game. Now, we go back to the EA Sports well to report that you can buy a cheat code off the Xbox LIVE Marketplace.

Title: TigerWoodsPGATOUR® 08

Content: Maxed Out Player
Price: 200 Microsoft Points
Availability: All regions
Dash Text: [ESRB: E (Everyone)] Description: Max out your original game face golfer’s skills. Save yourself the time of building up your golfer, and instantly set all skills to 110%! There are no refunds for this item. For more information, see www.xbox.com/live/accounts.

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Here’s the English version of the really, really pretty Mafia II. I’m not sure how much of that video is gameplay (I’d imagine about 0.00 seconds), but the video is just awesome.

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Microsoft has announced that the Halo 3 wireless controllers, Halo 3 headset, and the Xbox 360 Messenger Kit will be released on September 4th.

The Limited Edition Halo 3 Wireless Controllers, featuring both Spartan and Brute artwork from Todd McFarlane, will each sell for $59.99. Also selling for $59.99 is the Limited Edition Halo 3 Wireless Headset.

The Xbox 360 Messenger Kit will sell for $29.99. It’s an interesting little device that will allow you to chat with your MSN contacts while you’re signed onto LIVE. It plugs in to the bottom of the controller and the keypad is backlit. It’ll also come with a wired headset that plugs into the chatpad, so don’t worry about not being able to use your headset while the chatpad is plugged in.

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Halo is huge, without question. The original Halo: Combat Evolved has sold well over five million copies, and was almost single-handedly responsible for putting the original black brick, the Xbox, on the map. It’s sequel, Halo 2, sold a reported 9.2 million copies since it’s release in 2004. That brings us to Halo 3, which has already become the fastest game to reach 1 million pre-orders. When Halo 3 is finally released on September 25th, I have a working theory that every Xbox 360 console will brick inside of 72-hours.

…wait, why the hell am I giving you guys a history lesson on Halo? Y’all should know this! Moving on!

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So, I took my daily trek over to the Assassin’s Creed website, and I noticed something that I hadn’t seen before. The “Not Rated” logo has been replaced with a “T for Teen”. Don’t believe me?

Now, when you go to the ESRB website, Assassin’s Creed isn’t listed on the site. Yet. If it shows up on the site, I’ll let you all know. But for now, it looks as though Assassin’s Creed will NOT be solely for the mature audience.

[Assassin's Creed]

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Last week sometime while on Bomberman Live, I got the dreaded red rings. Inconceivable I thought, I mean, I just got a nice “new” refurbished machine no more than a couple of months ago. Before that, I was running on my launch console for years. Well, I shut down the machine and turned it back on ten minutes later with no problems since then.

Forward to this week, my Bioshock pre-order arrived, woohoo, game of the century and all that, I turn it on, I play for hours and hours. The next day, I play some more hours… then… it happened.. RED RINGS! I couldn’t believe it. I tried using that new service.xbox.com page Microsoft set up, it gave me errors. I didn’t want to towel trick just yet, because the 360 does work if I let it cool off, so screw it, whatever, I just waited to give a call as soon as I woke up (which was roughly an hour ago).

Spoke to my fine Indian friend at the Microsoft call center, I always have found them pleasant even though the whole situation is a hassle to have to make the call in the first place. As I was on the phone, memories of a gamer getting a free game out of Microsoft came to mind for having to get a third 360 because of the red rings (Note: I can’t find the link to that guy’s account, but when I do I will update this post so you see how he did it too). Either way, the long and short of the conversation was:

Me: Hey, I run an Xbox web site, this is now my second time having to get a refurbished machine, and I have only had this for a couple of months now, is there anything you can offer me, a controller, a free game, something, to make sure that I do not have to give Microsoft bad press over this issue.

Them: Hold on, let me check on that *puts me on hold*

*comes back* I have Kameo, Xbox Live Arcade Unplugged, Project Gotham Racing 3, and Viva Pinata which I can offer you.

Bam! So not only do they send me an extra 1 month of Xbox Live Card (if you have got a refurbished machine, you know this is what you get already), but now a free game. I highly highly suggest doing this yourself I am having no hopes of getting an HDMI machine, but I the free game is making me feel all happy. Now, if problems arise before I get my coffin, I will in fact just towel trick till I get the box to ship my 360 in.

There you go, get the red rings, get a free game, here is the cliff notes to do it yourself:

• Call 1-800-4MY-XBOX (Screw services.xbox.com)
• Say this is not the first time this has happened and you run a web site and will give bad press, tell them “What can you offer me!?” (be polite)
• Pick a game, say thank you.
• Now, just play the waiting game.

• “Ah, the waiting game sucks. Let’s play Hungry-Hungry-Hippos!’” - Homer J Simpson

  UPDATO MAGNIFICO:
  September 4th, and I have already received my copy of Viva Pinata! I thought it would be inside the box or something, awesome job Microsoft! (I guess it would be more so awesome if the machine never broke in the first place, but they admit their mistakes and are definitely fixing it!)

Get ready this weekend to get some not great, but not bad games! Well, at the new prices, some of them are looking to be pretty sweet. Small Arms, the Smash Bros wanna be game isn’t too shabby, especially at only 400 points. Next is Zuma Deluxe, only to be 400 points, so for you puzzle type players, if you don’t have this already for whatever reason, jump on it. Arcade classic your thing, Gauntlet is only 200 points! If I liked the game just a little more that would be a no brainer. Finally, one more arcade classic, Dig Dug, 200 points. Your best bet, download the trial versions, see what you like, get ‘em while they are cheap.

Game Magazine “Game Master” has, what they call, the “final” hands-on preview of Halo 3 before it’s release. Considering Halo 3 will be released on September 25th, it would make sense.

While it’s a good preview, it’s really going over stuff that we already know by now. More or less, the people who are going to be interested in this are people who just can NOT get enough of Halo 3…

Like me.

Click on the thumbnails, blah, blah.

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November 20th. That’s the definitive, final, set-in-stone release date for Mass Effect… at last. Microsoft Game Studios and BioWare announced via press release that their upcoming RPG-epic Mass Effect will be released on November 20th.

At last. Read the full press release after the break.

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Microsoft and Fox have signed an agreement today that will bring Fox programming to the Xbox LIVE Video Marketplace. First up? Family Guy!

Family Guy will be the first of what will surely be many shows from Fox (24, House, etc.) that will find a new home on the Xbox LIVE Video Marketplace. Considering what’s been popular in the Video Marketplace, the program decision seems obvious.

The first two seasons, as well as “Family Guy Presents: Stewie Griffin - The Untold Story” will be available for download sometime next week, with the other seasons following soon after. New episodes will be added to the Video Marketplace the day after they premeire.

Freaking sweet.

UPDATO MAGNIFICO:
160 MS ($2) Points per episode? Considering each Family Guy DVD collection runs roughly $50 ($1.75 per episode), it’s not that big of a price increase. However, if you go to Amazon.com, you can get these DVD sets for $35, meaning each episode would cost you between $0.60 - $1.25 an episode.

[Variety]

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Now, I don’t know too much about Blue Dragon. I was lucky enough, many moons ago, to get my hands on an import copy of the game, but because it was all in Japanese, I didn’t know what the hell was going on. So, when I started seeing Blue Dragon getting mixed reviews from several websites stateside (Game Informer: 9/10, GameSpot: 6/10), I was put off a bit.

After watching this GameTrailers review, however, I think I’m sold. I’ll probably pick this one up for at least a rental.

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Take a good look at the above picture. It’s from a news story at a French website called GX-Mod.com. After running the article through Google Translate, the article explains that there are new warranty stickers on the refurbished Xbox 360s being sent back from the repair houses.

As of now it’s unknown as to whether or not these stickers are showing up on the newly shipped Xbox 360s. If you’re wondering as to where the sticker is, it’s under the faceplate. If you just recently purchased an Xbox 360, or got yours back from the graveyard, take the faceplate off and let us know if you’ve got a new sticker on yours, too.

(Original French Page)

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Firefly fans, rejoice! It appears that Captain Malcolm Reynolds himself, Nathan Fillion (seen left, looking manly), will be doing a voice over for Halo 3! Now, the speculation started after someone saw this video from Gamersyde, and realized “Holy crap, that sounds like Nathan Fillion!”.

The V.O. in question comes about 37 seconds into the video. The line in question is “Chief’s got the right idea. Let’s mount up, and get the hell out of these caves.” Now, if you keep listening you’ll hear the same voice again around the 2:10 mark of the video. So go ahead, click the link and give it a watch and tell us what you think.

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Are you tired of sending your Xbox 360 in to Microsoft every time you get that damned RRoD? Well, if you’re good with electronics, you won’t have to. Introducing the X-Clamp Do-It-Yourself Fix Kit.

But wait, what does this fix kit do? First, you need to understand what exactly causes the RRoD in the first place. What many people believe is that the RRoD is caused when the solder connection between the GPU and the mainboard breaks, usually after a few months. This is caused because the clamp is not providing enough pressure on the heat sink to keep the motherboard connected to the GPU. What this kit does is replaces the x-shaped clamp with a more sturdy, stronger support to keep the pressure on the soldering, which will prevent it from breaking.

It’s an interesting solution to a widespread problem. However, unless you are good with your electronics, there is little to no point in doing this. Unless you’re really feed up with shipping coffin after coffin to Texas for repairs. If you’re curious, there’s a how-to video after the break.

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