Xbox 360 Fanboy

PAX 08: Halo 3's Assembly officially revealed

Posted Aug 29th 2008 9:00PM by Dustin Burg
Filed under: News, Halo 3

A bit earlier today (and as promised) Bungie unleashed Halo 3 multiplayer map Assembly upon PAX attendees, letting anyone partake in the Assembly funnery. And for those who aren't lucky enough to get hands on time with the new map, Bungie released a few screenshots depicting a bunch of Spartan on Spartan violence in a purplish colored Covenant world. We'll be getting some Assembly PAX hands on time a bit later and be posting a complete writeup about our experience. Until then, enjoy the Assembly picture goodies.

Gallery: PAX 08: Halo 3 Assembly

PAX 08: Witness a Bungie and The Behemoth booth construction

Posted Aug 29th 2008 5:25PM by Dustin Burg
Filed under: Halo 3

PAX 2008 has officially begun and we came across two companies that didn't manage there time very well (ahem, Bungie and The Behemoth). Meaning that they were diligently working on setting up their booths up until the last minute. So, we figured we'd give you a "booth construction" tour so you can get a behind the scenes peek at what it looks like when team Bungie and The Behemoth build a PAX booth. In record time! Now to the GALLERY!

Gallery: PAX 08: Bungie and The Behemoth Booth Construction

Yes, That's Brian Jarrard Breaking A Sweat

Watch Left 4 Dead running on 360 [update]

Posted Aug 29th 2008 5:00PM by Richard Mitchell
Filed under: Left 4 Dead

It's no secret that we heart Left 4 Dead. What we played of the game at E3 was excellent, and we're hard pressed to think of another game releasing this year with such a heavy emphasis on team play. Quite simply, if you don't protect your teammates, you all die. Until now, there has only been footage of the PC version of the game, which is the version we played at E3. Thanks to GameVideos, however, we now have brand new footage of the game running on an Xbox 360. The verdict: it looks great. Check out the video above to see exactly we can't wait to take part in the zombie apocalypse this November.

Update: Sorry kids. Video formatting is fixed.

[Thanks, Jose O]

After taking Left 4 Dead for a survival horror test drive during E3 2008, we came away quite impressed! Read our E3 Left 4 Dead impressions to learn why Valve's latest zombie masterpiece will have you screaming with bloody enjoyment.

Here's the Halo 3 tribute song "Thank You Bungie"

Posted Aug 29th 2008 4:15PM by Richard Mitchell
Filed under: Halo 3, Fan stuff

Hot on the heels of Matthew McCarthy, writer of "Geometry Wars Will Be the Death of Me," comes Bryan Simon and "Thank You Bungie - An Ode to Halo 3." As you may have guessed, the song is pretty much a love letter to Bungie and Halo 3 (not that there's anything wrong with that). It's not a bad little ditty and it's something we're sure Halo fans will appreciate. We can only wonder if Bungie will approve and decide that Bryan can haz Recon. The real question -- and perhaps fear -- is whether or not this signals the birth of a new generation of video game troubadors determined to see their names up in lights (or at least on YouTube).

Anyone care to write a musical about Call of Duty 4? A little Left 4 Dead hip-hop, perhaps? The possibilities are endless, the implications frightning.

[Thanks to the many, many people who sent this in]

WRUP: PAXing it up edition

Posted Aug 29th 2008 3:30PM by Richard Mitchell
Filed under: Fan stuff

Our boys Dustin Burg and Xav de Matos are at PAX this weekend and, frankly, those of us left behind (read: me) are jealous as all get out. Those two will be playing all kinds of lovely games. Perhaps most jealousy inducing is Left 4 Dead, but there will be plenty of other things to play like Gears of War 2 and Halo Wars. We'd like to blow off some steam with a little Castle Crashers on Xbox Live, but our attempts so far have met with disconnections and failure. So ... jealous ... must contain anger.

How about all of you out there? What will you be playing this weekend? Will you be attending PAX too, like the two jerks mentioned above?

Leaderboards:
Xbox 360 Fanboy Leaderboard
Xbox 360 Fanboy Leaderboard Mk. II

X3F Gamertags:
Richard Mitchell -- SenseiRAM
Dustin Burg -- SuperDunners
Xav de Matos -- Snypz

What were you playing? (WRUP archive)

Dead Space scares gamers a week early in Europe

Posted Aug 29th 2008 2:45PM by Dustin Burg
Filed under: News, Dead Space

In one of the most surprising announcements since the original Gears of War 'just sell it whenever' release date, Electronic Arts has announced that Dead Space will be releasing a week earlier than originally planned in Europe. That puts Dead Space into the hot little hands of 360 gamers by October 24th in Europe. Why, that gives everyone a full week to enjoy the game before Halloween. We can't wait to see all the Isaac Clarke costumes and Necromorph Jack-o'-lanterns.

[Via Joystiq]

Far Cry 2 trailer talks player immersion

Posted Aug 29th 2008 2:00PM by Richard Mitchell
Filed under: News, Far Cry 2

The for Far Cry 2 has us wondering just how immersive we want our games to be. In the video above, Far Cry 2 creative director Clint Hawking explains that the player avatar in Far Cry 2 does everything. In other words, the player avatar physically performs every action in the game. There is no magic healing when you pass over a med kit. The camera doesn't simply teleport into a car when you enter it. Every action is accompanied by an animation, whether it be fixing a jammed weapon or (sickeningly) fixing a dislocated joint (seriously, it's gross). Speaking of jammed weapons, Hawking notes that all of the game's weapons and vehicles degrade over time. As guns are used they begin to accumulate dirt and rust and eventually they will simply break in a player's hands. Likewise, vehicles will break down, requiring players to hop out and work on the engine before continuing.

The only question we have now is whether or not players will have to hunt down an in-game Porta-Potty every few hours.

Rare says no to Viva Piñata 2 DLC, yes to 'something new'

Posted Aug 29th 2008 1:15PM by Richard Mitchell
Filed under: News, Viva Pinata: Trouble in Paradise

In a recent live chat with Rare devotees, Rare's Justin Cook made it clear that there are no plans for any Viva Piñata: Trouble in Paradise downloadable content. Furthermore, Cook says that Rare is "taking a break" from the Viva Piñata franchise in order to "make something new." Just what this something new is, Cook failed to elaborate. The "new" part makes us suspect it won't be a return to Rare's other franchises like Perfect Dark or Kameo, but there's no way to be sure. Cook added that even Rare's plans regarding another Viva Piñata could change, so we'll just have to wait and see. Still, is it too much to ask for a new Battletoads?

Be sure to hit the source link to read the whole chat. It covers plenty of nitty-gritty details in VP2.

[Via Joystiq]

Fanswag Weekly: Win a signed copy of Too Human

Posted Aug 29th 2008 12:30PM by Richard Mitchell
Filed under: Too Human, Contests and Giveaways

After a week covering Silicon Knights and Too Human, it's time to end our special coverage with a special giveaway. Up for grabs we have a copy of Too Human autographed by the team at Silicon Knights. We also have a swanky Too Human cloth bag for you to put it in. You wouldn't want the ink to get all smudged, now would you?). But wait, there's more! We also have an autographed Too Human poster for our second prize winner (check out a photo of it after the break). To enter, simply follow these directions:

Every player in Too Human has to make a philosophical choice: Human or Cybernetic. Leave a comment telling us which path you would choose, and why. It doesn't even have to be specific to Too Human, just have fun with it.
Only one comment per person will be accepted. Posters of multiple comments will be disqualified. We'll accept entries until 11:00PM eastern time today, August 29th, 2008. You must be at least 18 years old to enter. This giveaway is open only to residents of the U.S. and Canada (excluding Quebec).
Later today, we'll pick two winner via random drawing.
One grand prize winner will receive an autographed copy of Too Human and a Too Human cloth bag, worth $80. One second prize winner will receive an autographed Too Human poster, worth $20.
Complete giveaway rules can be found here

Continue reading Fanswag Weekly: Win a signed copy of Too Human

Fanswag: Win Castle Crashers promotional castle and Barbarian figure

Posted Aug 29th 2008 12:00PM by Dustin Burg
Filed under: Contests and Giveaways

After a very eventful week of Castle Crashers funnery, we humbly announce that today as the last day of our The Behemoth sponsored Castle Crashers Baby Give-away. Yup, this is our final giveaway. But, it's arguably the most exciting Castle Crashers give-away we've hosted all week! Today, we're awarding one lucky fanboy an uber rare promotional Castle Crashers styrofoam display castle that was created in-house by The Behemoth as well as an extremely rare Barbarian figure. Both of which are not available for purchase, anywhere ... how exciting! So, let's get to the give-away details ...

Seeing that today's prize is so garsh darn rare and unique, we want to know how you'll display the promotional castle and Barbarian figure if you were to win. To enter today's giveaway, just comment on this post telling us how you'll show off your promotional prizes.
Only one comment per person will be accepted. Posters of multiple comments will be disqualified. We'll accept entries until 11:00PM eastern time today, August 29th, 2008. You must be at least 18 years old to enter. This giveaway is open only to residents of the U.S. and Canada (excluding Quebec).
Later today, we'll pick one winner via a random drawing.
One winner will receive a promotional Castle Crashers castle and Barbarian figure valued at $80.
Complete giveaway rules can be found here

Video: Lara Croft kicks tiger in face, lives

Posted Aug 29th 2008 11:30AM by Richard Mitchell
Filed under: News, Tomb Raider: Underworld

Well good lord. Tomb Raider: Underworld is looking better and better all the time. In this latest video, we see Lara doing her usual acrobatic thing -- check out her spinning on top of a pole and then leaping off: epic -- when suddenly ... OMG TIGER ATTACK! It's no trouble for Lara though as she proceeds to kick the tigers -- in the face -- multiple times. Honestly, there's nothing else we can say about this video. We tried coming up with something, but words fail us. She kicks ... a tiger ... in the face. Seriously, eeny, meeny, miny moe, kick a tiger in the face. Watch it.

Locksley track pack hits Rock Band

Posted Aug 29th 2008 10:45AM by Richard Mitchell
Filed under: News, Xbox Live Marketplace, Rock Band 2

After the unfortunate mess that was the Rush Moving Pictures DLC failure, Harmonix has released a new track pack to take its place. Available on Marketplace now is a new track pack from the group Locksley. We've never heard of them, but we have to admit it's pretty good. Check out a video of their song "She Does" after the break.

So, it ain't Moving Pictures, but it's something, right? Right?

Locksley Pack 1 (240

/ $3)

"She Does" - Locksley (80 / $1)
"Dont Make Me Wait" - Locksley (80 / $1)
"All Over Again" - Locksley (80 / $1)

[Thanks to everyone that sent this in]

Continue reading Locksley track pack hits Rock Band

Reminder: Bungie to reveal Halo 3 Assembly map

Posted Aug 28th 2008 11:15PM by Dustin Burg
Filed under: News

Just in case you forgot or suddenly came down with a severe case of memory loss, we thought we'd post a friendly reminder about Bungie's upcoming Halo 3 PAX reveal of their latest multiplayer map called Assembly. Yes diddly do, according to last weeks Bungie Weekly Update, the map formerly known as "Purple Reign" is now called Assembly and is not at all affiliated with Halo 2 map Midship. Though, it is purple and Covenant themed.

We expect Bungie to do the big Assembly map unveiling sometime later on Friday when PAX starts. We'll post photos, our Assembly gameplay impressions and hopefully corner Bungie for some interview fun. It'll be good times, guaranteed!

In Seattle? Join Microsoft for a PAX Meet-N-Eat

Posted Aug 28th 2008 8:00PM by Dustin Burg
Filed under: Fan stuff

Live near Seattle? In town for PAX? Like beef? If you answered yes, then you should totally take team Microsoft's PAX Meet-N-Eat invite and head to Seattle's ever so famous Red Mill tomorrow evening. There, you'll not only have a chance to meetup with your fellow gaming peers, but Major Nelson, e, litheon, TriXie and a few folks from the Gamerscore Blog will be attending, chowing on burgers and mingling. We also have good word (from a certain Larry) that there will be stacks of bacon and plenty hot chicks ... need we sell this community event any more? Friday, August 29th from 1-2:00PM at the Seattle Red Mill. Be there.

X3F Week in Review: August 22, 2008 - August 28, 2008

Posted Aug 28th 2008 5:30PM by Richard Mitchell
Filed under: Fan stuff

It's time for yet another X3F Week in Review, girls and boys. It's been a Silicon Knights week here at X3F, with our own Xav de Matos spending some quality time at the company's headquarters in Ontario. We've got tons of coverage from a Silicon Knights studio tour to an interview discussing the fate of Eternal Darkness. These have been floating around Joystiq for a few days, but if you haven't already, you should definitely check them out.

Finally, there's still a chance to win Castle Crashers if you hurry!

Community

Xbox 360 Fancast 081 -- Pacifism is a Strange Word
Interview with Matthew McCarthy, writer of the Geometry Wars song
X3F TV -- XBLA in Brief: Castle Crashers
The beat 'em up lives again
Ask X3F: That Virtua Feeling edition
Soul Calibur or Virtua Fighter?
X3F Presents: Silicon Knights studio tour
No one ever knights us
X3F TV: Denis Dyack, "Origin of the Knights" interview
Remember Legacy of Kain?
X3F TV: Denis Dyack, "Too Human" interview
Denis discusses Too Human's reception
Denis Dyack, "Future Knights" Interview
On the future of Silicon Knights
Fanswag: Win a copy of Castle Crashers
You will probably win, I bet.

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