As you should know by now Microsoft is changing around the interface of the 360 dashboard this fall (should look something like that (right)). Some of the new features besides the smooth new look that this dashing dashboard will have are: you now have avatars. These little characters that you will make will be like your new gamer-pic. They can be featured in some arcade games also. They are also added a quick launch feature that means while in mid gaming session you can change to a demo or arcade game or vice versa.
I am a big Madden fan and that means I am very excited for the upcoming August 12th release of the next installment in the football giant's series. The biggest feature that the 21th Madden brings is the addition of online leagues. That's right football freaks now you can play online against other people in a league featuring trades and all that stuff. Another good feature is that John Madden will no longer be broadcasting the games instead you only have to hear him if you do the tutorial. No more my Madden friends will every other down you hear " Well 90% of the game is half mental". What is also pretty cool is that as you are playing Madden 09 the A.I. will adapt to your skills. It will find your strengths and weaknesses to help make the game more even. That way you will never be stuck between pro and all-pro. Also just like always everything from the light to the graphics to the new play models everything is improved from the old one.
There are a lot of crazy Gears 2 things flying out of E3 but one of the coolest is the special edition game case that Game Stop will be selling. For an extra 10$ price you'll get steel DVD case, a 48 page "Beneath the Surface: An Inside Look at Gears of War 2" mini-book, a bonus behind the scenes DVD as well as a code to unlock an in-game gold plated Lancer. Not too shabby. There are also rumors that including in the special edition there will be a mini lancer included. If you look closely below to the right of the box it looks to be a mini Lancer replica. I can only hope.
E3 08 is not only chock full of game announcements but also has had a big accessory announcement. Coming in the fall Xbox is adding two new controller colors; Bright Green (below) and a light Red (more below). I have to say the red one while playing Gears of War 2 will look nice with a black back.
In a recent interview with MTV News, Don Mattrick of Microsoft confirmedthat Bungie was indeed working on a new Halo game for Microsoft, that isn’t Halo Wars, or the Halo game in progress with Peter Jackson. This also supports the Wal-Mart intranet database having a new game listed as “Halo Blue”.
Bungie was about to announce some details about the new at E3 but was quickly stopped by their publisher at the last second. Funny how Bungie splits from Microsoft to be independent and look away from the Halo franchise, to be slapped in the face by an annoying old contract they probably wish would disappear.
Gears of War 2
One game that will make lots of heads turn this November will be GoW 2. The release date is November 7, 2008. Now being I’m very excited about this game I’m going to list the new weapons/features in GoW 2. They upped the 4v4 to 5v5 for more action but not too much. No host advantage and chainsaw duels are also a big plus. Co-op on live is going to be fun, especially since each individual player can play their own difficulty. All other juicy features I’m going to list because there is so many:
- New weapon called The Scorcher (Flamethrower)
- New gametype 'Wingman' in which 10 players split into teams of two.
- New gametype 'Meatflag' kinda like CTF but with an awesome twist. The flag will instead be AI character wandering around the centre of the map. He has his own weapons and surprisingly a place on the leaderboard. To capture him you will need to down him and pick him up as a meatshield and take him back, slowly, to your base. If you shoot the meatflag enough times while he's being dragged back to base, his captor will loose him and he'll go crazy on everyone around him.
- Stopping power which means if your running towards an enemy but he is firing straight into your chest, you will slow down. This means NO MORE ANNOYING GRENADE TAGGING FROM A RUNNING JERK.
- Big metal shield that stops you from getting hit. Can be planted into the ground to make a new cover. Enemies can kick it down though if they get close enough.
Multiplayer Gameplay:
Halo Wars
Well it’s been known for a while that with the help and guidance of Bungie, Ensemble Studios has been hard at work on a halo RTS. More details were revealed regarding release dates and such. The game will be released in spring 2009, which isn’t that specific but better than nothing, also they just revealed what I hoped for: Covenant will be playable! As for console RTS haters, I got Command and Conquer 3 from the discount bin and let me tell you first hand console RTS games work well! As long as Halo Wars has a control scheme similar to Command and Conquer 3, then all skeptics will feel relieved.
Fable II is coming.......Just those words send a chill down my spine. One of my favorite games for the Xbox is now being continued onto the Xbox 360 in more glory than ever before. Filled with a new fighting system, a new immerse co-op system and the best feature now you can cruise through Fable intense world with man's best friend at your side, thats right you get a dog which does your bidding. This new installation to the Fable series is set 500 years in the future of the original Fable. The developers say that the game is already finished now they are just bug testing all the way up to the october release. From what people are saying at E3 it is going to be worth the wait.
This is Joe posting on what will be a very informing blog in the video gaming world. If you want to know about me personally and as a gamer head over to the about me! This is my first blog and I am a very dedicated person so don't worry you'll be in the loop. After E3 I will have full coverage on the biggest and best news. Just so you know what kind of games and systems this blog will focus on here it is:
Genres - Shooters - RPGs - MMOs - RTS/Strategy
Systems - Xbox 360 - Wii - PC - PS3 (RARELY)
This first post is done by me, Joe, but one other writers will grace the awesomeness of this blog; Charlie. If you have any questions, or suggestions/information I would be happy to hear, just email me at joeschmo8979@gmail.com, see you throughout E3 for a summary of all the annoucements/dates that will be flying around the internet. :)
As you should know by now Microsoft is changing around the interface of the 360 dashboard this fall (should look something like that (right)). Some of the new features besides the smooth new look that this dashing dashboard will have are: you now have avatars. These little characters that you will make will be like your new gamer-pic. They can be featured in some arcade games also. They are also added a quick launch feature that means while in mid gaming session you can change to a demo or arcade game or vice versa.
