Xbox 360 Fanboy

First issue of Dead Space comic free to read online

Posted Jan 3rd 2009 1:00PM by Dustin Burg
Filed under: News, Dead Space

Newsarama, Image Comics, EA and everyone else involved with producing the Dead Space comic have banded together in agreement to offer the series' first issue to Dead Space fanboys for FREE. Digitally though, of course. You can view the entire first issue of the Dead Space comic series over at Newsarama, flip through its digital pages and take in all $2.99 worth of content. But, you know, for free. Free things are always good.

[Via Joystiq]

High calorie Banjo-Kazooie and Viva Pinata cakes

Posted Jan 3rd 2009 10:15AM by Dustin Burg
Filed under: Fan stuff, Banjo Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts

Looking for a festive and fun video game themed cakes to consume or just admire? Look no further than Washington based Cake Fixation, the creators of both the Viva Pinata: Trouble in Paradise and Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts themed cakes you see above. Note the attention to detail, expert use of royal icing and all those yellow cutout jiggies. And that Horstachio, it's pure edible genius!

[Thanks, James C.]

Halo 3 push to talk all but a distant memory

Posted Jan 3rd 2009 4:00AM by Dustin Burg
Filed under: News, Halo 3

In this week's more traditional edition of the Bungie Weekly Update, the Bungie guys (and a few gals) inform us that Halo 3's once controversial and still annoying push to talk communication is being all but removed. With the next wave of Halo 3 matchmaking updates (set for release mid January) push to talk will only be used in matchmaking parties over six players. That means that open chat, once restricted to parties of four or less, will now be used for all gametypes with six or less players per team. It's a smart and well appreciated enhancement, but sort of useless now that we have New Xbox Experience parties to chat in.

The mid January Halo 3 matchmaking update will bring other changes, including hopper edits, gametype switching and some restructuring. Head over to Bungie.net for all the juicy deets.

New Lips DLC: The Supremes, Earth Wind and Fire, Men at Work,

Posted Jan 2nd 2009 6:45PM by Dustin Burg
Filed under: News, Xbox Live Marketplace

Today, Microsoft released three new Lips downloadable songs that have the ability to embiggen your Lips music library all while reducing your banked Microsoft points. The three new songs range in price between 160 and 180 MS points and include music from The Supremes, Men at Work and Earth, Wind and Fire. DLC listed below, click to buy.

"Where Did Our Love Go" by The Supremes
"Be Good Johnny" by Men At Work
"Let's Groove" by Earth, Wind and Fire

X3F's top stories of 2008

Posted Jan 2nd 2009 5:45PM by Dustin Burg
Filed under: Fan stuff

Now that 2008 has come to a close with both team X3F and the X3F community deciding the best games of 2008, we're feeling a little '08 nostalgic for some reason. Maybe we have an attachment disorder or are just in awe of how amazing 2008 was, but whatever the case, we wanted to revisit last year. So, we dug through the official X3F statistical library and uncovered the top fifteen most trafficked stories of 2008. All of which can be viewed in their news glory after the break.

According to the traffic reports, Rock Band, Call of Duty, Gears of War, Xbox hardware revisions and NXE Avatars were all the rage in '08. Interesting stuff. Oh how we miss you already 2008. You were good to all of us, even the bad fanboys. But now, we say goodbye and welcome 2009 into our hearts as we look forward to what gaming news is yet to come.

Continue reading X3F's top stories of 2008

WRUP: Happy 2009 edition

Posted Jan 2nd 2009 5:00PM by Richard Mitchell
Filed under: X3F Features

It's totally 2009, fanboys! Happy New Year and such! We're all off enjoying the festivities of a new year. More specifically, we finally have time to play all the games we just haven't gotten around to. Well, most of us, anyway. Read on to see what we're all playing at Fanboy Towers. As always, don't forget to tell us what you're playing in the comments.

Richard Mitchell (SenseiRAM): I picked up both The Club and Virtua Fighter 5 for $15 (thanks Blockbuster 2-for-1 sale!), so I'll hopefully be spending some time with those. I'm also digging into Mega Man 9, which is as tough as nails but wonderful. I got a chance to play Little Big Planet, which I enjoyed quite a bit. I'm also just starting Far Cry 2. One of its playable characters is from my hometown, Tulsa, Oklahoma, so I'm assuming it's the best game ever. One of these days, I'm determined to beat the last level of Bionic Commando: Rearmed on the highest difficulty level.

Dustin Burg (SuperDunners): Dustin is off gallivanting about or some such, so let's just say he's playing Gears of War 2.

Xav de Matos (Snypz): It's been (nearly) nothing but a Fallout 3 marathon for me while I spend some more quality time with my pick for Game of the Year. The only other game that's spinning in my 360 is Call of Duty: World at War, which I'm finally getting around to. Might go back to Gears 2 to finish Horde ... can't go wrong with a game where a gun 'what-got-a-chainsaw' on it -- well, most of the time.

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

What were you playing? (WRUP archive)

HD Wall-E now rentable on the XBVM

Posted Jan 2nd 2009 4:30PM by Dustin Burg
Filed under: News, Video Marketplace

One of the greatest movies of 2008 (possibly EVER!) is now available for rental off the U.S. Xbox Live Video Marketplace. Pixar's Wall-E and all his cute, innocent and robot'ish charm can be rented in standard definition for 320 Microsoft points or in high definition for the always expensive price of 480 points. Spendy, but totally worth the cash.

And for the seven folks who have yet to see it, be sure to check out The Dark Knight, which is also available for rental off the XBVM. "Let's put a smile on that face!"

[Via Major's Twitter]

Nielsen: 360 the second most played console of '08

Posted Jan 2nd 2009 4:00PM by Dustin Burg
Filed under: News

The Nielson Company (the same folks who give us television ratings) just released their scientific digits for 2008's most played video game consoles. Based on console usage, calculated using a select few Nielson households and expressed in a percentage of total console usage minutes.

After the data was tabulated, Nielson has awarded the Playstation 2 the most played console of 2008. But seeing that this is an Xbox centric website, the bigger news is that the Xbox 360 took home the number two spot as the second most played console of '08. Congrats! Now about that Playstation 3 and its 5th place finish behind the original Xbox. Hmm ...

Playstation 2 - 31.2%
Xbox 360 - 17.2%
Wii - 13.4%
Xbox - 9.7%
Playstation 3 - 7.3%
Gamecube - 4.6%
"Other" - 16.2%

[Via Joystiq]

Rock Band Weekly: A Roy Orbison six pack

Posted Jan 2nd 2009 3:15PM by Dustin Burg
Filed under: News, Rock Band 2

In this instance, the rumors were true. Harmonix just confirmed that Roy Orbison and six of his musical melodies will be added to the Rock Band Music Store next Tuesday, January 6th. As is the norm, each song will be purchasable for 160 Microsoft points or a six song track pack for a cool 800 points. List-o-songs from "The Big O" are below ... don'tcha know.

"Claudette"
"In Dreams"
"Mean Woman Blues"
"Oh, Pretty Woman"
"Ooby Dooby"
"You Got It"

[Thanks, Firecatman]

Square Enix to bring Yosumin Live to the XBLA

Posted Jan 2nd 2009 2:45PM by Dustin Burg
Filed under: News, Xbox Live Arcade, Rumors

According to not so English and very foreign website rumblepack and more or less confirmed by the Destructoid crew, Square Enix's colorful puzzle game Yosumin Live will be coming to the Xbox Live Arcade in the not to distant future. There's off-screen screengrabs as well as press assets to prove it, which can be viewed after the jump.

Oh, and if you are Yosumin clueless, just think of it as puzzle game where you match up various symbols (that have adorable faces on 'em) in the shape of a rectangle. Easy peazy.

Source
Source

XBLM offers up LOTR: Conquest multiplayer demo

Posted Jan 2nd 2009 2:00PM by Dustin Burg
Filed under: Xbox Live Marketplace

Fresh from the developer oven and onto the Xbox Live Marketplace serving platter is a new Lord of the Rings: Conquest demo. Best part, it's an online enabled multiplayer demo, joy! Other than the multiplayer knowledge, we're uncertain about the demo specifics other than the fact that it's a 1GB download. So, feel free to add it to your queue and give the LOTR: Conquest demo a try. All the cool kids are doing it.

Left 4 Dead Bloody Valentine winning weekend

Posted Jan 1st 2009 1:00PM by Dustin Burg
Filed under: News, Left 4 Dead

To help promote the upcoming horror flick My Bloody Valentine 3D (in theaters Stateside January 16th), Xbox.com is hosting a Left 4 Dead Bloody Valentine Play & Win weekend where prizes can be won and zombie killing is guaranteed. From January 9th through the 11th, those who registered and play Left 4 Dead online have a chance at winning one of the seventy-four 4000 Microsoft point prize packs and maybe even a Valve autographed Left 4 Dead poster.

Delicious prizes, delicious gaming and delicious brains!

Rumor: ChuChu Rocket! to blast the XBLA

Posted Jan 1st 2009 10:15AM by Dustin Burg
Filed under: News, Xbox Live Arcade, Rumors

Here's an Xbox Live Arcade rumor for you. Lately, our friends over at SEGA have been busy re-registering a few of their older game trademarks, most recently a trademark for the Dreamcast's addictively fun ChuChu Rocket! A game trademark that has yet to expire. So, why the need for a new trademark? Well, Siliconera speculates that SEGA could be prepping ChuChu Rocket! (and other franchises) for release to the Xbox Live Arcade.

Admittedly, the theory is a bit of a stretch, but isn't total crazy talk. SEGA prepping for an XBLA release of ChuChu Rocket! by re-registering the trademark kind of makes sense ... right?

[Via Wii Fanboy]

Rumor: Skate 2 demo releasing January 8th

Posted Jan 1st 2009 9:30AM by Dustin Burg
Filed under: News, Xbox Live Marketplace, Rumors

According to a new Xbox.com listing for an upcoming Skate 2 Download & Win giveaway, a fresh Skate 2 game demo will be available for download off the Xbox Live Marketplace come Thursday, January 8th. Maybe earlier.

The Download & Win page explains that, in order to enter the giveaway, gamers must first register then "download the free Skate 2 demo between January 8 - 15." A statement that (thanks to our unnaturally high intellectual thought process) makes us believe that a Skate 2 demo will be downloadable via the XBLM on January 8th. Oh, and if the demo does release on the 8th, be sure to enter the Download & Win to score some nifty skate prizes.

What are your New Years gaming resolutions?

Posted Dec 31st 2008 11:00PM by Xav de Matos
Filed under: Fan stuff

With the last moments of 2008 quickly approaching, we wonder: Is there anything we need to promise to ourselves? You know, gaming-wise. Are there any games we know we should be playing that we never got around to? Are there games we play too much we need to get out of? So many questions surround the New Year!

Here's one from me, I've never finished Half-Life 2: Episode 2. There. I said it and now it's out there. Plan on doing it thought in 2009! What are your gaming resolutions in the New Year?

It has been a big last few days around the X3F Offices. Make sure to check out all our Game of the Year content. Starting with our individual picks (Richard, Xav, Dustin) as well as your picks for 2008.

Next Page >

Name	Date
The Last Remnant	Nov 20
Sonic Unleashed	Nov 24
Winter Sports 2 The Ultimate Challenge	Nov 25
Destroy All Humans: Path of the Furon	Dec 1
The Tale of Despereaux	Dec 2
Prince of Persia	Dec 2
Rise of the Argonauts	Dec 16
Brave: A Warrior's Tale	Dec 30
Stoked	Jan 12
Lord of the Rings: Conquests	Jan 13
Heist	Jan 13
50 Cent: Blood on the Sand	Jan 19
PDC Championship Darts	Jan 20
New and Upcoming XBLA Releases

The Story	Find More
XBLA in Brief: A Kingdom for Keflings	XBLA in Brief
The New Xbox Experience: What do you think?	NXE
Halo 3: Recon is open world	Halo
Sony films pulled from Xbox 360 Netflix	Netflix
Epic addresses Gears 2 matchmaking issues, still no fix	Gears of War 2

Killzone 2 musical score is 90 minutes long, soundtrack album is a possibility Nielsen: People prefer playing original Xbox over PS3 in 08' MGS4 cast has identity issues, holds group therapy session	Arcane Brilliance: Leveling your Mage, 70-80 Death Knight gets Thunderfury Around Azeroth: Inner fire
First issue of Dead Space comic free to read online High calorie Banjo-Kazooie and Viva Pinata cakes Halo 3 push to talk all but a distant memory	Rumor: Lego ... Rock Band? Wii Warm Up: Crossing into 2009 Ooh, shiny: Platinum Games unveils new logo
7-in-1 charging cable is the solution to all of life's problems DS Daily: Space Invaders Moderate Popcap offers a firm 'maybe' to DSiWare	Weekly Shonen anniversary ensemble fighter announced PSP Game of the Year, as chosen by other media outlets amazon.com offers 'early access demo' of Resistance Retribution
New interview reveals more on Art of War developer Lord of the Rings Online sign-up problems reported Rumor: Lego Rock Band game in the works?	John Daly Admits, Unhappily, He Is Currently Serving a Six-Month Suspension