Guitar hero 4 coming in 2008.

UK band, The Answer, has confirmed that they will be on the track listing for GH4, with the song "Never Too Late."

It's a pretty bad ass song with some amazing guitar riffs.
Awesome.

Xbox 360 text messaging kit.

In very cool video game news, I just saw the Xbox 360 Text Messaging Kit.

It plugs into the headset port, and allows you to text message people in game, or with people using Windows based pc messenger systems. One review I read said it can be used to send text messages back and forth to cell phones as well.
If you watch the demo video on Circuit City's website, you can see it works with cell phones. Not sure how that works because I don't have this text pad yet, but if it can do all that stuff, and even comes with a special headset that works with it, it might be a kick ass add-on for the xbox360.
A lot of the video games make heavy use of texting like Phantasy Star Universe does, so this would be a very nice addition so you don't have to leave your game screen to send messages back and forth, you could just do it in game from the chat pad.
I may have to check one of these out.

Halo 3 releases Tuesday.

The long awaited release of Halo 3 happens this Tuesday, September 25, 2007.

Here are some of the promo videos from the believe series.

Fracture for Xbox360.

Reshape the battlefield—and the fate—of a broken nation in Fracture™. In the 22nd century, the United States has been devastated by a catastrophic flood of the Mississippi River. It has torn the nation into two parts, and separate governments arise to control each half of the country. The Atlantic Alliance controls the area east of the river, and they put their restorative faith in the field of cybernetics. The Republic of Pacifica controls the western half, and they flourish by modifying their own genetic material to improve their citizenry. The Alliance finds this morally reprehensible. There is no compromise. There will be another Civil War.

Players take the role of Mason Briggs, an Atlantic Alliance soldier, who has the capability of terraforming land. With his advanced weapons, he can destroy and shape the land around him to his strategic advantage. But he must be on the watch for the genetically modified Pacifican forces, for they also have amazing and deadly abilities. It's the war of the future, and it's not pretty.

The biggest advancement to gaming in the past few years is the ability to interact with the world around you. Such as moving objects, or blowing something up and objects around the explosion reacting to it. With this new game, the weapons will actually change the geography of the battlefield in-game.

To watch the trailer, you will need to enter your date of birth.
It is pretty bad ass looking.

3 red lights of death, aka, red ring of death.

Tonight, the teens xbox 360, which we have owned since May 2006, finally displayed the red lights of death.
When I say finally, I don't mean *phew* we finally achieved greatness, I mean this is a common and known issue with the xbox 360.

Flashing red lights on the Xbox 360’s normally green ring of light is a bad sign, no matter how you cut the cake, but all red lights don’t mean a visit down south is necessary. Some issues can be resolved from the comfort of one’s own home. The Xbox 360’s ring is divided into four separate quadrants. Each division turning red indicates a separate problem, all with a different way of resolving the issue. It should be noted that when gamers call the support line about their defective unit, the standard procedure of operation is to have gamers unplug all cables from the unit, reinsert them, and try booting the system again. The support worker will also have players remove their hard drive and reboot the system to check and see if that is the problem. In the hope of speeding the process along, it might be a wise thought to run through those procedures before calling the Xbox 360 support line.

I did all the above before just deciding to use the 2 year replacement warranty I bought when I purchased the xbox from Best Buy. At the time, I didn't want to spend the extra $50 for the warranty, but the kid who sold it to me, said to get it, he said it would be needed, had I heard of the red lights of doom? I had, but thought it wasn't that common a problem. It is. Big time is.

So I bought the 2 year warranty, and tucked my plan away for safe keeping.
I dug it out tonight after we experienced complete hardware failure.
Red ring of death is a scary moment after you have invested $400 in a piece of hardware man.

I called Best Buy, spoke to Carl, he told me to just come on in, and they would take care of it, and take care of it he did.
He called xbox, told them about the complete hardware failure, gave them my phone number, and they saw that I had indeed purchased the machine, had not modded it, and did have the warranty.
They replaced it at absolutely no cost to me.

I was offered another 2 year warranty, but I chose not to do it tonight, and will instead do it through xbox themselves in a few weeks.
They cover unlimited parts and labor on their plan, plus a replacement if I choose that, for exactly the same price as Best Buy's plan.
I am hoping that we never experience it again.
If we do, Microsoft will be getting the xbox back along with a really nasty letter.

Gears of War has been destroyed.

The boys copy of Gears Of War won't work anymore.
I have no idea why. The xbox360, just says it's reading over and over again.
It will not load the game.
So guess what I get to buy next week?
Again.
Yup, GoW.

The game is really that good. If it wasn't, there is no way I'd be purchasing it for the 2nd time.
I even started getting really good at it.

F.E.A.R.

This is a truly kickass game.
F.E.A.R. First Encounter Assault Recon

The boys are playing it now, we just go it from Amazon, so I'll be back later on with a full review of this one.
But I should tell you, this is one scary game.
Holy crap.

Movies on the xbox 360.

One of the cool things I like about the xbox 360, is the ability to download in high def, tons of different movies.
You just go into the marketplace, choose media and entertainment, and select a movie.
You have to have microsoft points on your xbox live account to do it, but the points are pretty cheap.
Movies range anywhere from 280-480 points, and you can purchase 500 points for about $6.00

Right now we're downloading a horror double feature, Dark Ride and The Hamiltons. Both movies are 480 points, it takes about an hour to download at DSL speed, but you can start watching the movie once it reaches 20% complete.

So if you ever get tired of just playing games on your 360, look into the media and entertainment marketplace.
They have a ton of movies, all different genres, and pretty cheap to rent and watch.
You have 14 days from completion of download to watch them, and then you just delete them from your hard drive.

Gears of War Tourney

Gears of War.com have announced a tourney for the wildly popular game.

Microsoft announces the Gears of War 2007 Global Xbox LIVE Tournament with prizes that include a trip to Prague, Czech Republic, and an invitation to compete in the Grand Final.

Gears of War players across the globe will have the opportunity to compete in ranked matches on Xbox LIVE for four weeks of leaderboard play. The top 11 finalists in the world with the highest individual scores will receive the grand prize, a trip for two to Prague—the setting that influenced the game’s “Destroyed Beauty” scenic imagery—to compete in the Grand Final in July. The grand prize includes a four-day, three-night trip to Prague with round-trip coach air transportation for the winner and a guest, standard hotel accommodations, basic ground transportation in Prague, and a $200 Visa gift card.

The top four eligible ranked players from each participating country will win a three-day, two-night trip to their country’s 2007 World Cyber Games National Championship event. The trip includes round-trip transportation for the winner, standard hotel accommodations, and a $300 Visa gift card. Secondary prizes include an Xbox 360™ package—boasting an Xbox 360 Pro System console, Viva Piñata™, Project Gotham Racing® 3, Xbox LIVE Arcade Unplugged Volume 1, Kameo: Elements of Power™, and a 12-month Xbox LIVE subscription, as well as Gears of War bonuses such as faceplates.

Registration for the tournament begins March 29 and continues through April 29, while official play begins April 9 and continues through May 6. Winners will be announced in May. More detailed information, including full eligibility requirements, official rules and registration, can be found at this address starting March 29.

Gears of war

Zombies!

Dead Rising follows the harrowing tale of Frank West, a freelance photojournalist after the scoop of a lifetime. In a small suburban town that's overrun by zombies, he escapes to the local shopping mall, thinking it will be safe. Now it's a standoff, with zombies unable to get Frank, but him unable to get out & escape. Fortunately, he's got an entire mall at his disposal. Utilize everything you can find to fight off the flesh-hungry mob and search for the truth behind the horrendous epidemic.

Dead Rising is simply one of the funnest games I've played in awhile, and it's perfect for someone like me. I love horror flicks and zombies, and I like video games. This game is a bit bloody, the movie sequences are kinda gross, so this game may not be appropriate for younger kids.

Game play is simple, you have so many hours to survive inside the mall before the rescue helicopter comes.
Now, if you're a zombie movie lover, this should be easy.
Why? Zombies are stupid, slow moving creatures. If you get your run on, you can just run around the mall and avoid being eaten.
But, if you like having a bit of fun, there's all kinds of funny things you can do to kill the zombies.
The mall is full of stores, clothing, toys, sporting goods, food, etc.
You can go into the sporting goods store, grab a bowling ball and go bowling for zombies.
Did I mention you get points for killing them? The more creative you are, the more you score.
Bowling is super fun and can take out a whole bunch of them at once.
You can also get a skateboard and a guitar from the music store, and ride through the mall whacking zombies with your six string.
One of the funniest moves though, is to go into the toy store and grab masks.
You grab a mask and stick it on a zombie.
They are stupid and slow already, and now that they can't see, hilarity ensues while you watch them bump into each other and walls, fall down stairs etc.
I love that move!

Things can be a bit harrowing though. Just because they are stupid and slow, doesn't mean they can't get you.
It's just you and them. Lots of them.

Dead Rising

Halo 3 for xbox 360.

Halo 3 for the xbox 360, is now slated for release on November 1, 2007. It was originally supposed to come out in March 2007, but they pushed back the release to make sure the game is seriously going to kick ass.
They ran a beta test called crackdown for months and months, it's still going on.
They want this game to rule when it hits store shelves.

This is one game we're all looking forward to. We play Halo 2 on the xbox all the time thanks to backwards compatibility of many original xbox games, we were able to download the updates to make it work.
This game is gonna rock! And! If you pre-order it from Amazon between now and the release date, if the price drops, Amazon guarantees to refund you the difference.

Wanna play us on Xbox live?

Here's our gamertag;

When I say us, I am talking about me and both my teen sons.
Play hard, be cool.

xbox live

Gears of War.

I'm sure you've heard me talk about this game a few times, it's kick ass.

Gears Of War is a game played on the Xbox 360. You are either a Cog or a Locust, and your goal is to 'kill' as many of the other guys as possible through matches. Some are ranked, and some you can just play for fun.

Gears of War, an Xbox 360 exclusive game that blends tactical action with survival horror, thrusts gamers into a deep and harrowing tale of humankind's epic battle for survival against the Locust Horde, a nightmarish race of creatures that surface from the bowels of the planet. The storyline plays out like a Hollywood blockbuster -- lead character Marcus Fenix pits advanced human technology against the overwhelming Locust Horde. Built around a revolutionary third-person tactical combat system and breathtaking, high-definition visuals from the Unreal Engine 3, Gears of War immerses you in a horrifying tale of war and survival.

The graphics in this game are stunning. It's awesome to watch it being played.
It's so amazing how far game graphics have come since the first day of consoles.
Anyone remember Atari and Pong?
Damn.
These new game consoles are amazing. The graphics are just incredible to look at.
The sights, the sounds, all very realistic.
I could do without the chainsaw noises in this game, but it's incredible none the less.

The boys are seriously addicted to GoW, as it's affectionately called by it's gamers.
They have almost every single achievement completed since getting the game for Christmas.
They play it non-stop. It keeps them occupied while waiting to leave before school in the morning, and they come home and do their cores and play some more.
The on line game play makes this game even more exciting as you play against other gamers from all over the world.

* Gears of War's engaging, cinematic story plays out like a Hollywood blockbuster
* Unreal Engine 3 technology brings out the smallest details in the largest of battles
* To survive you must suppress your enemy, take cover, and use weapons and teammates to outlast the Locust Horde
* Xbox Live gameplay offers individualized matchmaking, player statistics, customized games, and more
* A.I. teammates are indiscernible from human players in this third-person shooter

Up to two players can play at one time using the split screen method for live play, or battling against each other.

Two items I would recommend not just for GoW, but for all Xbox 360 games, is an extra Xbox 360 Wireless Controller so two people can play, and an extra Xbox 360 Rechargeable Controller Battery Pack.
There are battery packs that take two AA batteries, but the amount this game is going to be played, the extra rechargeable packs are well worth the investment.

And in movie news, it's looking like GoW is going to be a movie.

gears of war

Gamerchix

If you check out and keep checking back at Xbox/gamerchix,
and you're a girl gamer, you just might win a scholarship.
In the April '07 issue of the official xbox magazine, there is a blurb about this.

In one of the most sincerely cool stories you'll ever see here in the usually snarky Inbox, Microsoft's own community liaison, "Trixie" and her group of 1,000 "gamerchix" are now offering a college scholarship to lucky young women in connection with the Xbox Rewards Program. In an effort to "encourage and enable women to get into the games industry," the scholarship program will help women study programming, computer art, game design, and other facets of the video game creation process.

So keep checking back at Xbox/gamerchix for more information. This news hasn't hit their site yet, so consider this your heads up.