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October 2008 Archives

October 1, 2008

Song Watch - Rock Band 2 bonus tracks

Harmonix just launched registration for the 20 free downloadable songs promised to Rock Band 2 customers when they bought the game. Filling out the form will confirm your e-mail to receive the code for the songs "in a few weeks." There is no official word on which tracks we'll get, but the prevailing rumor is that these are the songs. Many were on the original rumored launch list and one (UPDATE 10/7: Now five!) was already released for sale and will ostensibly be replaced with something else:

Continue reading "Song Watch - Rock Band 2 bonus tracks" »

Posted by Gamewatcher on October 1, 2008 11:11 AM | | Comments (0)

October 2, 2008

News Flash - Nintendo announces the DSi

Nintendo DSiAfter denying rumors for months, Nintendo has confirmed the next iteration of its dual-screen portable line: the Nintendo DSi. Due November 1 in Japan but not until next year in the U.S. and other markets, the DSi finally does away with the GameBoy Advance slot in trade for larger 3.25-inch screens, a really poor 640x480 camera, unspecified "audio enhancements" (rumored to be related to a music player feature!), an SD memory slot for photos (and music?!), a built in Web browser and the option to buy games ("DSiWare") directly from an online DSi Shop. Pricing for U.S. is not known, but the Japanese version will cost the equivalent of $180 and come in white and black at launch...

Posted by Gamewatcher on October 2, 2008 9:08 AM | | Comments (4)

October 3, 2008

Free Stuff Friday - Xbox 'Duke' controllers (4)

Xbox Duke ControllerThis week, I have not one but four prizes: original Xbox "Duke" controllers. These are the oversized controllers that shipped with the Xbox and were beloved by many and ridiculed by many more. These units have never been used so they should last a good long time. If you still have an original Xbox and miss the good ol' days with this oversized but still amazingly comfortable-for-most controller, or perhaps want something to mod into a fishbowl or planter or some other artistic yet geeky creation, enter now.

I'll draw four winners this time, or if only four people enter then you'll make my job even easier. Don't have an original Xbox but know someone who does? Let them know so they can try for one.

To enter:

Continue reading "Free Stuff Friday - Xbox 'Duke' controllers (4)" »

Posted by Gamewatcher on October 3, 2008 12:09 AM | | Comments (51)

Try This Game - Pirates of the Burning Sea

If a massively multiplayer pirate adventure sounds like just the thing to get your "arghhh" on, Pirates of the Burning Sea now offers a 14-day free trial. Enter your e-mail, get your key and get to keelhauling...

Posted by Gamewatcher on October 3, 2008 9:02 PM | | Comments (0)

PlayStation Store - GT5 update and demos for BioShock, Brothers In Arms and (a little late) Beijing 2008

The big news for Gran Turismo 5 Prologue fans is a free update that adds the Ferrari California, GT by Citreon Concept and Lotus Evora plus changes to the time trial penalty system, better responsiveness when using a wireless controller and various tweaks throughout.Here's what else you'll find thanks to this week's PlayStation Store update:

  • Soul Calibur IV Weapon Sets ($4 each)
  • Rock Band/Rock Band 2 Blood Sugar Sex Magik album ($20 for 16 songs, or $2 each) by The Red Hot Chili Peppers (if you want "Give It Away" you'll need to buy Rock Band 2)
  • NBA Live 09 Oklahoma City Pack (free) adds the Oklahoma City Thunder franchise and NBA Live 365 ($20), a subscription to daily updates that's free if you buy the game new but will cost you if you get it secondhand
  • Tiger Woods PGA Tour 09 Firestone Country Club ($7.50)
  • PSP Games: Work Time Fun ($10) and Untold Legends: The Warriors Code ($15)
  • Demos: BioShock, Brothers In Arms: Hell’s Highway, Beijing 2008, Eternal Sonata and NBA 2K9
  • PixelJunk Eden Soundtrack ($3)
  • Game Videos: Facebreaker, LittleBigPlanet, MotorStorm: Pacific Rift, SOCOM, Tom Clancy’s End War, Tomb Raider: Underworld, Bluetooth Headset and more AST Dew Tour
  • Movie Trailer: Jerry Maguire
  • Theme: Iron Man movie

Posted by Gamewatcher on October 3, 2008 9:30 PM | | Comments (0)

Xbox Live Marketplace - Mega Man 9, War World and Blood Sugar Sex Magik, baby

Here's what you'll find that's new on Xbox Live Marketplace this week:

  • Arcade: Mega Man 9 ($10) and War World ($10)
  • Rock Band/Rock Band 2 Blood Sugar Sex Magik album ($20 for 16 songs, or $2 each) by The Red Hot Chili Peppers (if you want "Give It Away" you'll need to buy Rock Band 2)
  • Soul Calibur IV weapon sets ($3.75 each)
  • Infinite Undiscovery B Voucher (free), similar to last week's A Voucher, provides access to item creation materials
  • Demos: NBA 2K9, Pro Evolution Soccer 2009 and Viva Pinata: Trouble In Paradise
  • Game Videos: Brothers In Arms: Hell’s Highway, Fable II, Gears of War 2, Pro Evolution Soccer 2009, Tom Clancy’s End War, Tomb Raider: Underworld, TNA Impact! and Warhammer: Battle March
  • Themes: Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3, Dead Space, Mega Man 9, Pure, Soul Calibur IV and Family Guy ($1.88 each)
  • Pictures: Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3 ($1.25), Mega Man 9 ($1.25 each), Pure ($1.25), Rock Band 2 (free; sweepstakes entry) Major League Gaming ($1.13), Family Guy ($1 each) and Shocktober (free)

Posted by Gamewatcher on October 3, 2008 11:49 PM | | Comments (0)

October 4, 2008

Be Careful Out There - Rock Band 2 glitch eats bands

A Rock Band 2 glitch may cause you to inadvertantly lose your character or render your band inaccessible. Those who experienced the bug believe it happened after pairing an Xbox Live-enabled leader with a non-Live bandmate. If you enter Quickplay mode after the problem strikes, your character may be lost. Any songs that are unlocked remain so, but having to start your career over - sometimes after hours or even days of progress - can be frustrating. Harmonix so far hasn't addressed whether they have identified and will patch the problem, so you may want to only play with friends with active Live accounts or just work on your solo career for now...

Posted by Gamewatcher on October 4, 2008 9:13 PM | | Comments (0)

October 6, 2008

Wii Stuff - Mario Golf, Midnight Bowling, MadStone and Shining Force II

This week, the Wii Shop and Nintendo (Marketing) Channel offer up:

  • WiiWare: Midnight Bowling ($8) and falling blocks puzzler MadStone ($8)
  • Virtual Console: N64's Mario Golf ($10) and Sega Genesis' Shining Force II ($8)
  • Game Videos: MadStone, Mario Super Sluggers, MechanicMaster, Midnight Bowling, NBA Live 09, Skate It, Wii Music and World of Goo
  • DS Demos: The usual suspects including Lock's Quest, MySims Kingdom, Spore Creatures and Mystery Case Files: MillionHeir
If you're wondering what will happen when your Wii's internal storage fills up (if it hasn't already), Nintendo revealed that it will offer an update next spring to support downloading WiiWare and Virtual Console games to (and ostensibly playing them from) SD memory cards...

Posted by Gamewatcher on October 6, 2008 7:36 PM | | Comments (0)

October 7, 2008

First Impressions - Rock Band 2

Rock Band 2I’ve been playing Rock Band 2 for a few weeks now, and I thought I’d post some impressions for those who are on the fence about this title. I’m not quite ready to offer up a full review until I get my hands on the new instruments when the bundle is finally released in the next few weeks. And if interest in Free Stuff Friday continues, I may have a very special prize to offer up when that happens!

In the reviews I’ve seen, the most common approach is to dismiss Rock Band 2 as a $60 expansion pack for Rock Band – mostly more of the same with some new songs and features. This is fair, to a point – I mean, they didn’t even bother to update the main tutorials! And, in fact, the game plays very close to its predecessor with some key differences:

Continue reading "First Impressions - Rock Band 2" »

Posted by Gamewatcher on October 7, 2008 12:01 AM | | Comments (3)

October 8, 2008

(Not So) Stupid Marketing Tricks - Gears of War 2 preorder bonus part of new wave

It used to be that if publishers wanted you to pre-order or run out and buy a game the first day, they'd throw limited/collector's editions at you. But these editions generally aren't all that limited; you can still find Halo 3 the Master Chief "cat helmet" Legendary set a year later and for a lot less money. To reduce the chance that you'll wait and buy a game secondhand, publishers are mixing up their tactics by including one-time use codes for bonus content in the box. The latest game to try this is Gears of War 2, which promises a code for five extra multiplayer maps to join the 10 already in the game. Standing in line at a midnight launch event will also net you a code for a gold-plated Hammerburst assault rifle, though this sounds suspiciously like horse armor. This move is similar to what Call of Duty: World of War publisher Activision is pulling with its Day 1 Advantage, though more refined since you can still ostensibly get the bonus multiplayer maps months or years after launch as long as you buy the game new. It's more like what EA's Rock Band 2 is doing with its code for 20 bonus tracks (due to drop in the next few weeks). At first it seemed simply a maneuver to outshine rival Guitar Hero: World Tour's 86 songs, but now appears to be even shrewder move...

Posted by Gamewatcher on October 8, 2008 10:51 AM | | Comments (1)

Free Stuff Friday - Don't miss your chance to win a Duke

Xbox Duke ControllerYou only have until midnight Pacific time to try to win one of four original Xbox Duke controllers - the same peripheral that inspired the classic Penny Arcade cartoon of a guy holding a bear.

At this writing, there are 48 entries which means your odds of winning are about 1 in 12. There are some fun comments this time, many from people who have never tried anything but the S controller but have an open mind, and others who have burned through their last Duke and claim to have a need due to oversized "man hands."

Comments are disabled on this post. If you want to enter, post your comment here.

Posted by Gamewatcher on October 8, 2008 1:28 PM |

October 9, 2008

The Buzz - Halo 3: Recon details, new Xbox 360 dashboard dated

Microsoft dropped a few noteworthy news flashes at the Tokyo Game Show:

  • Halo 3: Recon is the new prequel that Microsoft recently teased. Turns out, it's a prequel to Halo 3 that has you playing as a UNSC recon soldier instead of Master Chief. Expect a Fall 2009 release. UPDATE: This apparently is not an expansion, but a retail game.
  • The new Xbox 360 dashboard has been dated: Worldwide launch is Wednesday, November 19 - just in time for Thanksgiving!

Posted by Gamewatcher on October 9, 2008 1:01 PM | | Comments (0)

Free Game - Portal: Prelude

Portal: PreludeFans of science and cake, rejoice! Portal: Prelude, an unofficial and completely free Portal prequel mod, reveals the innerworkings of Aperture Science in the days before GlaDOS - when human employees administered all of the tests. Sound intriguing? Since it's a mod and not a standalone game, it requires both Steam and the full Portal PC edition. If you meet the system requirements, download it now. What do you have to lose beyond a few gigs of hard drive space? For the record, there is reportedly an official Valve Portal prequel in the works plus a sort of story-less map pack expansion of the original called Portal: Still Alive for Xbox Live Arcade. But they're not here yet, and this is...

Posted by Gamewatcher on October 9, 2008 8:08 PM | | Comments (0)

October 10, 2008

Free Stuff Friday - Pick and Win: Metal Gear Solid 2 Document or Substance

MGS2 DocumentMGS2 Substance
Last week's giveaway was so successful, I've decided to offer multiple prizes again - with a twist. After years of trying, I've realized that I'm just not a Metal Gear Solid fan. I have two games that a fan or curiousity seeker might want:

  • Metal Gear Solid: Substance for original Xbox. Includes the expanded Sons of Liberty game, VR missions and other modes. It is NOT backward compatible on 360, so you will need an actual Xbox to play. To all those who entered the Duke drawing last week, this one's for you!

  • The Document of Metal Gear Solid 2 for PS2. Offers playable VR training plus exhaustive "making of" content and an interactive resource guide and documentary. It will work on the PS3 but ONLY if you have a model that includes backward compatibility. (Not sure? Find a PS2 game, put it in and see if it loads!)

BONUS: As if this sweepstakes wasn't complicated enough, I have ONE Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater sticker someone picked up at the Tokyo Game Show a few years back and gave to me. I will include it with one of the prizes. It will be a coin flip at the end to decide which envelope it goes in.

To enter:

Continue reading "Free Stuff Friday - Pick and Win: Metal Gear Solid 2 Document or Substance" »

Posted by Gamewatcher on October 10, 2008 12:01 AM | | Comments (63)

PlayStation Store - Puzzle Quest, Linger in Shadows, many freebies and paid themes

This week, Sony takes a page from Microsoft's playbook with the introduction of themes for cash. It looks like they are testing the price points, with themes ranging from free to $2 apiece. What happens here in the next few weeks may decide what the prevailing cost will be going forward. Here's what you'll find in the well-stocked store:

  • Linger in Shadows ($3) - a "digital art experience" for just more than you probably pay for your daily coffee
  • Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords ($15), complete with the Wrath of the Plague Lord expansion
  • Supersonic Acrobatic Rocket Powered Battle Cars ($15) - the name sort of nails it
  • Super Stardust HD Solo and Team modes ($15 for bundle, $8 for add-on)
  • Qore Episode 5 ($3 each, or $25 for a year) - pay-to-play Valkyria Chronicles demo and some Halloween-themed content
  • Civilization Revolution Brave New Worlds Map Pack (free) and Victory Pack scenarios ($1.25)
  • Dead Space Obsidian Suit (free) only for PS3 and Space Scorpion Suit ($2.50), each with added toughness and extra inventory slots
  • Mega Man 9 Endless Attack Mode ($3) and Protoman Mode ($2)
  • Hot Shots Golf Fall Fashion Line ($3) five costumes with six variations each
  • FIFA 09 league packs ($7 each or $20 for all six)
  • Rock Band Offspring Pack 01 ($5.50 or $2 each) with "Gone Away," "Pretty Fly (For A White Guy)" and "Self Esteem" and tracks ($2 each) "Stop!" by Against Me, "All Right Now" by Free, "Cream and Bastards Rise" by Harvey Danger, "Nearly Lost You" by Screaming Trees, "Push It" by Static-X and "Bad to the Bone" by George Thorogood
  • Demos: Supersonic Acrobatic Rocket Powered Battle Cars and Warhawk
  • Game Videos: Bioshock, Legendary, LittleBigPlanet, Mercenaries 2, MotorStorm: Pacific Rift, NBA 09, SOCOM: Confrontation, Soul Calibur IV and Tom Clancy’s End War
  • Themes: Bioshock ($1), Fallout 3 (free), Wipeout HD (free), Auburn University ($2), Beach ($2), Bad Girls ($1.50), Digital Techno ($1.50), Elven-X ($1), Florida State University ($2), Golden Retriever ($1.50), Halloween Vixens ($1.50), High Voltage ($1.50), Horror Eyes ($1.50), Iron Guard ($1), Kicks ($1), Man’s Best Friend ($1.50), Nordic Majesty ($1.50), Refracted Revolt ($1.50), Seaside Sunsets ($1.50), Summer Down Under ($2), University of Georgia ($2), University of Miami ($2), University of Michigan ($2), University of North Carolina ($2), University of Tennessee ($2) and University of Texas ($2)
  • Wallpaper: ATV Pure, Linger In Shadows and Valkyria Chronicles (all free)

Posted by Gamewatcher on October 10, 2008 11:27 PM | | Comments (0)

Xbox Live Marketplace - Halo 3: Recon trailer, lots o' freebies and the promise of free storage

This week's news about the Xbox 360 dashboard replacement (aka New Live Experience) hitting Nov. 19 was punctuated with an odd reveal that the mandatory update will require 128MB storage, more than some Xbox 360 owners who lack a hard drive may have. Microsoft promised an as-yet unspecified "storage solution" for "the Xbox Live community." Hm. The mention of Xbox Live suggests possibly an online server-based solution, but what would happen to your dashboard if Live were down or you're playing offline? Then again, surely they aren't going to mail every 360 owner a tiny hard drive or memory card, right? Intriguing, but we're just going to have to wait and see what all this means.

In the meantime, here's all the new stuff you can find on Marketplace:

  • Arcade: Beat'n Groovy ($8), MLB Stickball ($8) and Shadow Assault/Tenchu ($8), plus Mega Man 9 Endless Attack Mode ($3) and Protoman Mode ($2)
  • Civilization Revolution Brave New Worlds Map Pack (free) and Victory Pack scenarios ($1.25)
  • Rock Band/Rock Band 2 Offspring Pack 01 ($5.50 or $2 each) with "Gone Away," "Pretty Fly (For A White Guy)" and "Self Esteem" and tracks ($2 each) "Stop!" by Against Me, "All Right Now" by Free, "Cream and Bastards Rise" by Harvey Danger, "Nearly Lost You" by Screaming Trees, "Push It" by Static-X and "Bad to the Bone" by George Thorogood
  • NBA Live 09 Oklahoma City Pack (free) adds the Oklahoma City Thunder franchise and NBA Live 365 ($20), a subscription to daily updates that's free if you buy the game new but will cost you if you get it secondhand
  • Tiger Woods PGA Tour 09 Spyglass Hill Golf Course ($7.50)
  • Tales of Vesperia Battle Support Item Pack and Customize Pack: Repede ($2.50 each) and 300,000 Gald ($3.75)
  • Game Videos: Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts, Bionic Commando, Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3, Dead Space, FIFA 09, Golden Axe: Beast Rider, Guitar Hero: World Tour, Halo 3: Recon, Halo Wars, The Last Remnant, Legendary, Mercenaries 2, Mirror's Edge, NHL 09, Ninja Blade, Prince of Persia, Quantum of Solace, Resident Evil 5, Spider-Man: Web of Shadows, StormRise, Street Fighter 4 and Tekken 6
  • Themes: The Last Remnant, Star Ocean 4, Children's Miracle Network, Saw V and Stride (all free) plus Mass Effect and Rock Band 2 ($1.88 each)
  • Pictures: Rock Band 2 ($1), Tom Clancy's End War ($1), Children's Miracle Network (free), Rock the Vote (free), Saw V (free) and Stride (free, plus sweepstakes entry)

Posted by Gamewatcher on October 10, 2008 11:57 PM | | Comments (2)

October 13, 2008

Wii Stuff - Goo, Art Style: Cubello, Street Fighter II, Secret of Mana and new DS demos

Here's what is new on the Wii this week:

  • WiiWare: World of Goo puzzle/construction game ($15) and Art Style: Cubello puzzle shooter ($6)
  • Virtual Console: Street Fighter II: Special Champion Edition ($8) for Genesis and Secret of Mana ($8) for SNES
  • DS Demos: Battle of Giants: Dinosaurs and Brain Quest: Grades 3&4/5&6, plus the usual repeats
  • Game Videos: Art Style: Cubello, Away: Shuffle Dungeon, Bratz: Girlz Really Rock, Cabala's Dangerous Hunts, Crash Bandicoot: Mind Over Mutant, FIFA Soccer 09, Mario Kart DS, Mystery Case Files: MillionHeir, Rayman Raving Rabbids TV Party, Tetris Party, Wii Music and World of Goo

Posted by Gamewatcher on October 13, 2008 4:00 PM | | Comments (0)

October 14, 2008

DRM Watch - Sony movie purchases are 'one-time' downloads

I've spent a lot of time and digital ink advocating (some might argue "whining") about the consumer-unfriendly limitations built into the DRM for Xbox 360, but it turns out the PlayStation 3 is just as much a ticking time bomb - at least when it comes to movie purchases. Unlike the Xbox 360, the PS3 doesn't offer any provisions to redownload videos once they have been received by your console. (To be fair, Microsoft's movie downloads expire after a week, or 24 hours once you start watching, though you can mostly redownload TV shows and other content.) So, if you were thinking about deleting a movie purchased from the PlayStation Store to make room for more downloads, or if your console or hard drive fails (as all components and particularly magnetic media eventually do), you are mostly out of luck. Turns out Sony support may grant you one additional "courtesy download" at their discretion. Makes you wonder if video downloads for consoles just aren't ready to go mainstream yet - they're OK for overpriced rentals for those who aren't feeling the burn from Wall Street and the economic depression, but real movie collectors are going to want to stick with the more durable Blu-Ray discs for a few dollars more. Fortunately for Sony, they make out on that end too...

Posted by Gamewatcher on October 14, 2008 11:55 PM | | Comments (1)

October 15, 2008

Last Chance - Enter now for Metal Gear Solid 2 Document or Substance

MGS2 DocumentMGS2 Substance
You only have until 8:01 a.m. Pacific Time on Thursday to try to win The Document of Metal Gear Solid 2 for PS2 or Metal Gear Solid: Substance for Xbox. (Plus a Snake Eater sticker if you're so lucky you win the coin toss too!)

At this writing, there are 57 entries, though the vast majority are playing for Document so you have a much better chance of winning Substance, assuming you have an original Xbox to play it on. Comments are disabled on this post. If you want to enter, post your comment here.

Posted by Gamewatcher on October 15, 2008 1:41 PM |

Patch Your PS3 - v2.5 firmware adds automatic shutdown, Flash 9 and more

The PlayStation 3 has been updated to v2.5 with a number of new features:

  • Option for automatic shutdown once background downloading or installing completes, along with Power Save options to turn off console and controllers after a selected period of inactivity
  • Support for PS3 Bluetooth Headset with High-Quality (HQ) mode for voice chat in SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs Confrontation (and ostensibly future titles)
  • Improved trophy comparison
  • Details on when friends last logged in
  • Video: Support for Flash 9, DivX Video On Demand registration, sequential playback of video files and scene search (breaks videos into one, two or five minute segments)
  • PlayStation Store now has a prominent Redeem Codes button for entering prepaid card codes
  • In-game screenshots for games that support it (though none do yet, and developers aren't obligated to adopt this feature)
Plus many other smaller tweaks...

Posted by Gamewatcher on October 15, 2008 11:35 PM | | Comments (0)

Patch Your PSP - v5 firmware adds direct access to PlayStation Store

The PlayStation Portable has a new v5 update now available that lets you access the PlayStation Store directly without a PC or PSP via wireless connection to download free demos, videos and wallpaper and purchase games and add-ons. If you've logged into your PS3 before, the system will quickly recognize your PSN ID and log you right in. Other tweaks include a new background and a sleep timer for when you listen to music and want your PSP to turn itself off after a set amount of time...

Posted by Gamewatcher on October 15, 2008 11:15 PM | | Comments (0)

October 17, 2008

Free Stuff Friday - Pick and Win: Book Fest '08 #1

It was so much fun giving away multiple prizes these past few weeks, I've decided to keep it going while I wait for my Rock Band 2 bundle to rock 'n' roll in. This week I'm clearing off my bookshelf. If this goes well, I have plenty more gaming books (I'm something of a collector!) but for now I'm going to offer five: A couple classics, the rest newer ones. Same rules as last time: You pick which one you're playing for and then sit back and see if you win it.

Hit the jump for the list of prizes and to enter:

Continue reading "Free Stuff Friday - Pick and Win: Book Fest '08 #1" »

Posted by Gamewatcher on October 17, 2008 12:12 AM | | Comments (38)

Yet Another Game Delay - LittleBigPlanet

LittleBigPlanet has been delayed until Monday, October 27 (that's the ship date, so you can probably add a day before you'll actually get your mitts on it). Normally I wouldn't bother reporting a week's delay, but this is such a big title for Sony and the story behind it is interesting. Not learning from Nintendo and Microsoft's very similar mishaps with The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time and Kakuto Chojin respectively, Sony developers incorporated music with Islamic chants that apparently translate roughly to "Every soul shall have the taste of death" and "'All that is on earth will perish." So Sony has issued a worldwide recall and will very quickly manufacture new game discs minus the offending music...

Posted by Gamewatcher on October 17, 2008 3:16 PM | | Comments (0)

PlayStation Round-up - Resistance 2 beta, SOCOM: Confrontation, MotorStorm: Pacific Rift demo and High Velocity Bowling update

This week, the big news for PlayStation 3 beyond the short LittleBigPlanet delay is the Resistance 2 beta. Those who paid to play by preordering at GameStop or buying Qore annual subscriptions should probably already have their access codes. The rest of us can apply here and wait for the floodgates to open in the next week or so. (This sucks: If you only bought Qore episode 3, you have to wait for the riffraff to join - no premiere beta access, but at least you get a guaranteed key.)

There's also an update to High Velocity Bowling that adds online play, voice chat, new trick shot challenges, trophies (online play only), playlist support and more. SOCOM: Confrontation launched minus trophies, but they are expected to be added via patch in a few weeks.

Finally, here's what's new in the PlayStation Store:

  • SOCOM: Confrontation ($40)
  • PS1 on PS3/PSP: Sno-Cross Championship Racing ($6)
  • PSP Games: Dead Head Fred ($15) and PQ2 ($15)
  • Tiger Woods PGA TOUR 09 Spyglass Hill Golf Course ($7.50)
  • The Eye of Judgement Biolith Rebellion 3 ($15, or $20 as a bundle with Set 2)
  • Rock Band/Rock Band 2 Dr. Feelgood album by Mötley Crüe ($16, or $2 per track)
  • Demo: MotorStorm: Pacific Rift for PS3 and Lego Batman for PSP
  • Game Videos: Eternal Sonata, Far Cry 2, Guitar Hero: World Tour, LittleBigPlanet, MotorStorm: Pacific Rift, Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm and Wipeout HD
  • Themes: Eternal Sonata, Silent Hill: Homecoming and Valkyria Chronicles (all free) and Saw Legacy ($2)
  • Wallpaper: Eternal Sonata and Silent Hill: Homecoming

Posted by Gamewatcher on October 17, 2008 11:27 PM | | Comments (0)

October 18, 2008

Xbox 360 Round-up - Free storage offer, no shared NetFlix experience, San Andreas and Portal due next week

On the Xbox 360 front, there are some interesting updates on the New Xbox Experience dashboard due Nov. 19. First, the bad news: You will not be able to watch movies together with your friends using the new streaming NetFlix feature, at least not at launch. Microsoft says they are going to try to make this feature available at a later date but had to cut it for now.

Last week we learned that Xbox 360 owners would be offered a storage solution if they owned a console without a hard drive or large enough memory card to accept the dashboard update next month. Turns out, you can apply at www.xboxstorageupgrade.com for a free 512MB memory card (still won't work with Xbox Live Primetime or larger videos) or get a $20 refurbished 20MB hard drive. You will have to enter your console ID and serial number to confirm eligibility for the offer, so there's no gaming the system (so to speak).

The other big news is what's coming to Xbox Live Marketplace next week:

  • Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas is an Xbox Original downloadable on Monday for $15
  • Portal: Still Alive is on Xbox Live Arcade next Wednesday, also for $15
  • "Nevermind" album by Nirvana for Rock Band/Rock Band 2 at $11, or $2 per track, but minus the three remaining hits ("Smells Like Teen Spirit," "Come As You" Are and "Lithium")
Finally, here's what you'll find on Markerplace now:

  • Xbox Live Arcade: Age of Booty ($10) and CrazyMouse ($5), plus N+ Level Pack 3 (free) and Double D Dodgeball Big Bang Boom Pack ($1.25)
  • Rock Band/Rock Band 2 Dr. Feelgood album by Mötley Crüe ($16, or $2 per track)
  • Dead Space Elite Suit (free) only for 360 and Space Scorpion Suit ($2.50), each with added toughness and extra inventory slots
  • FIFA 09 league packs ($7 each or $20 for all six)
  • Guilty Gear 2: Overture New Master Raven unlock ($5)
  • Demos: Brother's in Arms: Hell's Highway, Madagascar 2 and Tom Clancy's EndWar
  • Game Videos: Banjo-Kazooie, Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts, Brother's in Arms: Hell's Highway, Dead Space, Fable II, FIFA 09, Gears of War 2, Golden Axe: Beast Rider, Legendary, Quantum of Solace, Spider-Man: Web of Shadows, Stoked and StormRise
  • Themes: Armored Core for Answer and Golden Axe: Beast Rider ($1.88 each) - do I detect a slowdown here as we approach the new dashboard release?
  • Pictures: Armored Core for Answer ($1), Banjo-Kazooie ($1 each), Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts ($1 each) and Brother's in Arms: Hell's Highway ($1.25), plus EA Sports Challenge for Madden 09, NASCAR 09, NCAA 09 and NBA 09 (free; enters you in sweepstakes)

Posted by Gamewatcher on October 18, 2008 12:14 AM | | Comments (0)

October 20, 2008

Wii Stuff - Tetris Party, Incredible Maze and Ninjatown DS demo

Here's what you'll find new on the Wii Shop and Nintendo (Marketing) channels this week:

  • WiiWare: Tetris Party ($12) and The Incredible Maze ($5), both with support for the Wii Balance Board
  • Virtual Console: Gradius II Gofer No Yabou ($9) and Digital Champ Battle Boxing ($7), both originally for TurboGrafx16
  • DS Demos: Ninjatown, plus repeats including Battle of the Giants: Dinosaurs and Brain Quest: Grades 3&4/5&6
  • Game Videos: The Incredible Maze, NBA Live 09, Rayman Raving Rabbids TV Party, Strong Bad, Spider-Man: Web of Shadows, Tetris Party, several promos for Wii Music, and a clip of Shigeru Miyamoto visiting a kindergarten

Posted by Gamewatcher on October 20, 2008 1:42 PM | | Comments (0)

October 21, 2008

Free Game - The Suffering

If you don't mind the U.S. military footing the bill for your games, you can have The Suffering for free. The 2004 PC survival horror shooter is currently being offered for free download courtesy of the U.S. Air Force...

Posted by Gamewatcher on October 21, 2008 9:10 AM | | Comments (0)

Song Watch - Rock Band 2 free tracks announced, plus AC/DC Live Track Pack

Harmonix revealed the 20 free Rock Band 2 downloadable tracks, which hit on Nov. 4 for PS3 and Xbox 360. Alas, you've probably never heard of any of them:

Continue reading "Song Watch - Rock Band 2 free tracks announced, plus AC/DC Live Track Pack" »

Posted by Gamewatcher on October 21, 2008 10:13 PM | | Comments (0)

October 22, 2008

Last Chance - Enter now for Bookfest '08 #1

Prima Fable guide Age of Empires II Inside Moves PSP: Hacks, Mods and Expansions Prima: No One Lives Forever Prima: Knights of the Old Republic II
You only have until 8:01 a.m. Pacific Time on Thursday to try to win one of these five gaming guides. As a bonus, the Fable and KOTOR II books both include posters.

At this writing, there are 32 entries, though the odds are still good that you could win any of the prizes (the older books only have a few entries each!). Comments are disabled on this post. If you want to enter, post your comment here.

Posted by Gamewatcher on October 22, 2008 10:15 AM |

October 23, 2008

Misery Loves Company - Some Fable II Collector's Editions lack download codes

If you bought the Fable II Limited Collector's Edition, you may have been surprised to find that it was not only a stripped down shell of the original announced set (minus the figurine and Fate cards). And, as an added insult, some of the boxes lacked the promised codes for the exclusive downloadable content:

  • Bonus Dungeon: The Hall of the Dead
  • Legendary Cutlass: The Wreckager
  • Otherworldly Bonus: Halo Spartan-styled armor and energy sword found in the chest near the start of the game (plus the option to buy the title "Master Chief")
Microsoft says they have your back and, even though it means you'll have to start the game without the bonus items, they promise a solution by next week to get you the missing code. Keep an eye on this support page for updated information. Not fast enough? You could try your luck with 1-800-4MY-XBOX; reports suggest some people have received their codes this way (though they could be lying). If you happen to find one on the shelf somewhere and wonder if the code might be in there, rumor has it that the good ones have a bright orange sticker on them. In the meantime, you can entertain yourself with some of the omitted extras (even if you didn't spring for the collector's box - or even the game!):

Posted by Gamewatcher on October 23, 2008 12:49 AM | | Comments (5)

October 24, 2008

Free Stuff Friday - Rock Band 2 for Xbox 360

Rock Band 2If you've read this blog for more than a week, you know that I advocate on behalf of busy gamers. Case in point: The Rock Band 2 release for Xbox 360 that punished fans of the first game. Some of us who bought the original Rock Band (including me) wanted the new instruments but didn't want to wait a month to get the bundle. The options were to buy it twice or pay more for the individual instruments while taking a chance that there wouldn't be shortages again. I would have hoped that at least one retailer would have partnered with Harmonix to let you buy the game in September and then receive the new instruments later for the balance of the bundle price, but it didn't happen even after I asked the Harmonix panel at PAX why they didn't offer some sort of rebate or offer to reward their biggest fans.

Now, I probably could have returned the unopened game from the bundle, but instead I'm offering up my extra copy of Rock Band 2 for Xbox 360 to the community in the hopes that the person who wins will really enjoy it. As a bonus that will open up the giveaway to people who don't have a compatible instrument yet, I'll throw in the microphone from the Rock Band 2 bundle (we have extras) - so the winner can enjoy the game right away or, if you do have a drum set or guitar, get a friend/significant other in on the fun.

To enter:

Continue reading "Free Stuff Friday - Rock Band 2 for Xbox 360" »

Posted by Gamewatcher on October 24, 2008 12:20 AM | | Comments (175)

PlayStation Store - Penny Arcade Adventures, Soul Calibur IV's Yoda, World Tour tracks and more

This week's PlayStation Store update has some good stuff unless you're looking for PSP content (there's none):

  • Penny Arcade Adventures: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness, Episode One ($15)
  • Soul Calibur IV Additional Character - Yoda ($5), so now Darth Vader can fight someone from his own fictional universe
  • Prince of Persia Classic ($10)
  • Guitar Hero: World Tour Guitar Duel Track Pack (free) with Zakk Wylde and Ted Nugent duels, Neversoft Track Pack (free) with "Anything" by An Endless Sporadic and "Electrorock" by Sworn, Classic Rock Track Pack ($5.50 or $2 each) with "Hot Blooded" by Foreigner, "Rock and Roll Band" by Boston and "Jessie’s Girl" by Rick Springfield
  • Rock Band/Rock Band 2 Nirvana Pack 01 ($11 or $2 each) with "On a Plain," "Polly," "Something in the Way," "Stay Away," "Territorial Pissings," "Breed" and "Lounge Act"
  • Civilization Revolution Single Player Map Pack 2: Surreal (free) and Survival Pack ($1.25)
  • Mega Man 9 Hero Mode, Superhero Mode and Special Stage ($1 each)
  • BUZZ! Quiz TV Horror Pack ($6)
  • High Velocity Bowling All Hallow’s Eve Ball Pack ($1) with six Halloween-themed balls, and new characters Foxy and Chastity ($1 each)
  • Demos: Lego Batman and Valkyria Chronicles
  • Game Videos: Dead Space, Disney Sing It, Guitar Hero: World Tour, Legendary, NHL 09, Pain, SOCOM: Confrontation and Tom Clancy’s EndWar
  • Themes: Mega Man 9 ($2 each) and Wipeout HD (free)

Posted by Gamewatcher on October 24, 2008 11:59 AM | | Comments (0)

October 25, 2008

Xbox Live Marketplace - Portal, GTA: San Andreas, Soul Calibur IV Darth Vader, free Presidents video and BioShock 2 trailer

The big news for Xbox 360 this week isn't what is new for download, but the opportunity to sign up for a beta preview of the New Xbox Experience (aka dashboard replacement). Once you've done that, be sure to login to Xbox Live with Fable II for the online co-op gameplay feature (which didn't make the retail disc but sync'd with launch as an online patch). After that, here's what you'll find on Xbox Live Marketplace:

  • Portal: Still Alive ($15) with 14 new bonus stages and some achievements, but otherwise nothing new over The Orange Box version of the game
  • Xbox Originals: Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas ($15)
  • Soul Calibur IV Additional Character - Darth Vader ($5), so now Yoda can fight someone from his own fictional universe
  • Free Rock the Vote "Ladybug" music video from The Presidents of the United States (fyi - the song will be released for Rock Band as part of a Presidents set on Nov. 4)
  • Guitar Hero: World Tour Guitar Duel Track Pack (free) with Zakk Wylde and Ted Nugent duels, Neversoft Track Pack (free) with "Anything" by An Endless Sporadic and "Electrorock" by Sworn, Classic Rock Track Pack ($5.50 or $2 each) with "Hot Blooded" by Foreigner, "Rock and Roll Band" by Boston and "Jessie’s Girl" by Rick Springfield
  • Rock Band/Rock Band 2 Nirvana Pack 01 ($11 or $2 each) with "On a Plain," "Polly," "Something in the Way," "Stay Away," "Territorial Pissings," "Breed" and "Lounge Act"
  • Rock Revolution tracks "No Pain, No Gain" and "She's the Bug" by Rock Revolution Band (both free)
  • Civilization Revolution Single Player Map Pack 2: Surreal (free) and Survival Pack ($1.25)
  • Mega Man 9 Hero Mode, Superhero Mode and Special Stage ($1 each)
  • Demo: Scene It? Box Office Smash!
  • Game Videos: Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts, BioShock 2, Disney Sing It, Fallout 3 (several!), Midnight Club: Los Angeles, NBA 2K9 and Tom Clancy's EndWar
  • Themes: Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3, Far Cry 2, Mega Man 9, Portal: Still Alive ($1.88 each) and Rock the Vote (free)
  • Pictures: Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3 ($1.25 each), Fable II (free; enters you in sweepstakes), Mega Man 9 ($1.25), Tom Clancy's HAWX ($0.75), Breast Cancer Awareness (free) and Rock the Vote (free)

Posted by Gamewatcher on October 25, 2008 12:42 AM | | Comments (1)

October 27, 2008

Wii Stuff - Earthworm Jim, Strong Bad Episode 3 and Spectrobes DS demo

Here's what's been posted online for the Wii this week. Word of warning: You'll need to update your Wii Shop channel before you can access any of the new downloadable games - though videos and DS demos are still freely accessible in the Nintendo (Marketing) Channel:

  • WiiWare: Strong Bad Episode 3: Baddest of the Bands ($10) and Art Style: Rotohex ($6)
  • Virtual Console: Earthworm Jim ($8) for Sega Genesis
  • DS Demos: Spectrobes: Beyond the Portals, plus many repeats including Ninjatown and MySims Kingdom
  • Game Videos: Art Style: Rotohex, Goosebumps HorrorLand, Guitar Hero: World Tour, KORG DS-10 music synthesizer, Little Red Riding Hood's Zombie BBQ, Monopoly, Pokemon Ranger: Shadows of Almia, Score International Baja 1000, Strong Bad Episode 3: Baddest of the Bands, TV Show King Party and Wii Music

Posted by Gamewatcher on October 27, 2008 6:35 PM | | Comments (0)

October 28, 2008

Misery Loves Company - LittleBigPlanet crippled by server overload

Angry sackboy It seems like Sony should have known this was coming. LittleBigPlanet has been positioned as a potential system seller for the PS3 with its cute and compelling mix of mascotty Sackboy platforming goodness and community play, create, share dynamics. So what happened? The game was delayed a week, which should have been time spent finalizing forecasts for server demand and getting things ready for the masses. Instead, gamers who snagged an early copy last Saturday were greeted with stony silence - no access to servers or downloadable preorder goody codes (or even an in-game news flash that said why). And then it gets worse: The servers go online Monday only to be inundated as everyone logs in at once! And the laggy play and lack of access extended to the single-player game modes, as long as you were connected to the server. (Quick fix: Yank your network cable and play offline without the agonizing menu access delays.)

As someone who has worked in software and games, I believe Sony and Media Molecule should have performance tested the game against massive, off-the-chart server loads and at minimum identified the single-player crushing bug and fixed it before shipping the game. It's bad enough that you couldn't sample all of the user-generated levels or cache favorite community levels to play offline. But when switching to Story mode takes minutes when connected to online play, it's easy to see why their only recourse was to pull the plug while they work on a patch. If they had put the servers online over the weekend and staffed a reasonable IT, dev and test crew to watch and respond to growing demand for server utililization, this might have played out differently. If they had offered a completely open marketing/load-balancing beta and allowed anyone with an interest to help them smoke test the system and identify and fix the bugs in advance, they might have shipped a more acceptable launch experience. Plus, not everyone who tested would buy the game immediately, so if the servers could withstand the all-comers load they would have withstood launch without breaking a digital sweat.

Don't get me wrong: LittleBigPlanet is a great game and one that still has huge, untapped potential. But, despite its many charms, it leaves a lousy first impresssion. Let's hope they fix this before many of us finish Fallout 3, and that they don't alienate their more casual base. And, hey, at least they didn't wait to launch this way in late December...

Posted by Gamewatcher on October 28, 2008 10:41 PM | | Comments (0)

October 29, 2008

Last Chance - Enter now for Rock Band 2

Rock Band 2You only have until 8:01 a.m. Pacific Time on Thursday to try to win a sealed copy of Rock Band 2 with matching microphone. It's our biggest prize yet, and the largest number of entries - 162 at this writing.

Still, it only takes one burst of luck to win. If you enter, now would be a good time to white list my domain in case you win. Last week, I had to give away the KOTOR II game guide to the first runner up, most likely because the original winner's prize notification got trapped in his spam folder. (Sorry, dude - the prize has now been claimed.)

Comments are disabled on this post. If you want to enter, post your comment here.

Posted by Gamewatcher on October 29, 2008 7:47 AM |

R.I.P. - Hellgate: London

If you bought Hellgate: London, the clock is ticking. The game will be permanently shuttered after Jan. 31, 2009. The good news is that Namco Bandai will continue to run servers for the futuristic fantasy's multiplayer component free of charge until then...

Posted by Gamewatcher on October 29, 2008 11:44 PM | | Comments (0)

October 30, 2008

PS3 Round-up - LittleBigPlanet servers are back, Sony up to its old tricks with Home

Good news and bad on the LittleBigPlanet front. First, the servers came back today along with a v1.03 patch which seems to clear up the networking issues that took down the game for everyone Monday. Or perhaps everyone hasn't come back to hammer the servers again. Your milleage may vary, but it certainly seemed better during primetime this evening. Still, some users have reported that tasks such as "Undo" during level creation seemed to take unnecesarily long. (Workaround: Build your levels offline and then connect when you're ready to share.) The other good news is that Sony is offering some free Sackboy costumes next week: a spacesuit and a pumpkin head. Nice, right? After that, the free ride ends and new costume packs will run you $1-2. Fortunately, fan-created content can be unlocked for free, assuming you can get to the community game servers and level creators offer unlockable goodies as part of their designs (as some do).

In other bad news, Sony revealed that it still doesn't get either the marketing beta concept or the need to seriously stress test its biggest community features. Last week we learned that Qore subscribers could buy closed beta invites to the PlayStation Home in the coming weeks. Alas, Sony miscommunicated - and, by doing so, probably sold a lot of Episode 06 under false pretenses. Turns out, you had to be an ANNUAL subscriber and the deadline was yesterday to get in. Just getting Episode 06 won't cut it, and if you didn't already sign up you can forget it. Don't be surprised when the Home launches (supposedly by year's end) and nobody can get into it...

Posted by Gamewatcher on October 30, 2008 10:46 PM | | Comments (0)

October 31, 2008

Free Stuff Friday - Rare Fallout 3 PAX poster or Halo 3 teaser

Fallout 3 PAX posterHalo 3 teaser poster
It's the attack of the threes!

This week, I have a little something for the shooter fans. Unless you were at Penny Arcade Expo and either squeaked into the Fallout 3 talk or hung around late on Sunday, you probably won't be able to find this cool, rare treat. It's the Fallout 3 poster designed specifically for the show by Penny Arcade artist Mike Krahulik. You've probably never even seen it before; it's so rare that I couldn't even find a picture of it on the Internet so I had to snap my own! Fortunately for one lucky Busy Gamer News reader, we snagged an extra.

If you're just not into Fallout 3, that's OK. We also located a new, sealed Halo 3 teaser poster that could be yours instead. You can actually play for one or both (though you will only take home one if you win).

Here's how this works:

Continue reading "Free Stuff Friday - Rare Fallout 3 PAX poster or Halo 3 teaser" »

Posted by Gamewatcher on October 31, 2008 12:06 AM | | Comments (101)

PlayStation Store - Mirror's Edge demo, Siren: Blood Curse sale and free PSP Media Manager

This week, the PlayStation Store features these newest additions:

  • Siren: Blood Curse is on sale for one week only ($30, or $11 per chapter bundle)
  • Civilization Revolution Artifact/Wonder Packs ($3.75 each)
  • Guitar Hero: World Tour track "No Rain" by Blind Melon ($2)
  • Rock Band/Rock Band 2 Siouxsie and The Banshees Pack 01 ($5.50, or $2 each) with "Hong Kong Garden," "Kiss Them For Me" and "The Killing Jar" plus individual tracks ($2 each) "Dammit" by Blink-182, "Pretty in Pink" by The Psychedelic Furs and "Melatonin" and "Well Thought Out Twinkles" by Silversun Pickups
  • Demos: Mirror's Edge, Alone In The Dark: Inferno, EndWar and WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2009
  • Game Videos: Far Cry 2, Guitar Hero: World Tour, LittleBigPlanet, Midnight Club: Los Angeles, MotorStorm: Pacific Rift, SOCOM: Confrontation, Stormrise and Super Stardust Portable
  • Movie Trailers: Casino Royale and You Don’t Mess With The Zohan
In addition, PSP owners can download a Media Manager for PC (previously available at retail but now a free download), which has been updated to add PlayStation Store integration along with saved game backups, CD music ripping and video/photo management...

Posted by Gamewatcher on October 31, 2008 11:26 PM | | Comments (0)

Xbox Live Marketplace - Banjo-Kazooie, Mirror's Edge and Tomb Raider demos, plus Penny Arcade Episode 2 and free Marble Blast level

Here's what you can find that's new on Xbox Live Marketplace this week:

  • Arcade: Are Your Smarter Than a 5th Grader ($15) and Penny Arcade Adventures Episode 2 ($15), plus Marble Blast Ultra Marble It Up! (free) level with achievement
  • Battlefield: Bad Company Community Choice Pack (free) with two community picks for multiplayer and two from the developer
  • Guilty Gear 2 Ex. Sol costume ($1.25)
  • Civilization Revolution Artifact/Wonder Packs ($3.75 each)
  • Guitar Hero: World Tour R.E.M. Track Pack with "Horse to Water," "Man-sized Wreath" and "Supernatural Superserious" ($5.50) plus track "No Rain" by Blind Melon ($2)
  • Rock Band/Rock Band 2 Siouxsie and The Banshees Pack 01 ($5.50, or $2 each) with "Hong Kong Garden," "Kiss Them For Me" and "The Killing Jar" plus individual tracks ($2 each) "Dammit" by Blink-182, "Pretty in Pink" by The Psychedelic Furs and "Melatonin" and "Well Thought Out Twinkles" by Silversun Pickups
  • Demos: Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts, Mirror's Edge, Naruto: The Broken Bond and Tomb Raider: Underworld
  • Game Videos: Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3, Dead Space, FIFA 09, Gears of War 2, Golden Axe: Beast Rider, High School Musical 3 Dance!, Legendary, Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe, NBA 2K9, Shadow Assault Tenchu, Spider-Man: Web of Shadows, Tekken 6 and Vigilante 8: Arcade
  • Themes: Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3, Far Cry 2, Marble Blast Ultra and Star Wars: The Force Unleashed ($1.88 each), plus Air Force and Transporter 3 (both free)
  • Pictures: Brothers in Arms: Hell's Highway ($1.25), Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3 ($1.25), Far Cry 2 ($1.25 each), Gears of War 2 (free; enters you in sweepstakes), Guitar Hero: World Tour R.E.M. (free; enters you in sweepstakes), Marble Blast Ultra ($2.50) and Star Wars: The Force Unleashed ($1.25 each), plus Breast Cancer, Air Force, Horror Meets Comedy and Transporter 3 (all free)

Posted by Gamewatcher on October 31, 2008 11:44 PM | | Comments (0)



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About October 2008

This page contains all entries posted to Busy Gamer News in October 2008. They are listed from oldest to newest.

September 2008 is the previous archive.

November 2008 is the next archive.

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