Starting in 1996, Alexa Internet has been donating their crawl data to the Internet Archive. Flowing in every day, these data are added to the Wayback Machine after an embargo period.
THQ has announced that it plans to bring 4 original titles to Xbox Live Arcade. The foremost titles is undoubtedly SpongeBob SquarePants: Underpants Slam!, which you may recall was mentioned as part of Microsoft's new family initiative. Three other titles are planned, Screwjumper, Elements of Destruction, and Rocket Riot. Currently, Screwjumper is the only title that has been detailed by THQ. The game is about "destroying mining equipment in a freefall environment," which is apparently what Screwjumpers do. Not only that, but there are enough Screwjumpers that they've formed their own union, the foreman of which is a playable character. Yeah, we're confused as well, but it's got online and local multiplayer, which is always a plus, right?
Screwjumper and SpongeBob SquarePants: Underpants Slam! should hit XBLA this November.
[Insert V for Vendetta joke here.] Indian gamers have a reason to celebrate next month, as Live for both Xbox 360 and Games for Windows willlaunch there on November 5th. A 12-month subscription will run 2200 rupees ($55 USD) and a 1600 MS Point card will cost 1070 rupees. That's roughly $27 USD, so Indians will be paying slightly more than Americans for their virtual currency. Xbox Live Marketplace content for India will be considered part of Asia, so any content available on the Asian XBLM (including XBLA games and movies), will be available to India. The Indian Video Marketplace will have Indian films available for download as well. Finally, India's Marketplace will be host to educational content for grades 1-12. What exactly that entails, we don't know, but we're sure it makes for good marketing.
Yesterday, we mentioned that the Xbox Live sponsored Guitar Hero III Weekend would be kicking off on November 2nd with lots of weekend fun planned. But since the official website wasn't active, we didn't have much more info to share. But now the website is live and registration is open, so this is what's going down ...
For 72 hours starting next Friday, GHIII Weekend will be rockin' Xbox Live in full force. Starting Friday night, eleven GHIII developers from Neversoft will be competing online from 6-9:00PM eastern allowing gamers to challenge them to a song and unlock the coveted "Meet Your Maker" achievement. Complete list of developer gamertags is posted after the break. There will also be a Play & Win sweepstakes running all weekend allowing gamers to win a GHIII prize package every hour with one lucky person taking home an Xbox 360 setup grand prize. You can register for the Play & Win festivities right now by going logging into Xbox.com and going here. Finally, there will be an online Barracuda Tournament where the top ten Barracuda scores will receive a prize package including a guitar autographed by Slash. You have to register for the tournament beforehand (right here), then pop in GHIII, go to "Quickplay", select "Expert" and choose the song "Barracuda". Again, the top ten scores will win prizes and you can even keep track of the leaderboards over at guitarhero.com/contest when GHIII Weekend kicks off.
There will be lots to do, lots to take in and lots of rock star stuff to complete next weekend. GHIII Weekend kicks off November 2nd, so drink plenty of fluids and expect to rock for three days straight.
The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) has announced the official winners of its Video Games Awards and the Xbox 360 has a few awards to stick on its mantle. While Wii Sports managed to take home a staggering six of the thirteen awards, it was BioShock that walked away with the coveted Game of the Year. Crackdown also managed to snag 2 awards, one for Best Action and Adventure and one for Best use of audio. We're willing to bet that this isn't he only game of the year award BioShock is likely to earn by year's end, but the award given to Crackdown was unexpected (though certainly not unwarranted). We're sure the folks at Real Time Worlds are mighty pleased. Check out the full list of awards after the break.
Ladies and gentlemen, tonight we prepare for a momentous occasion. Later on tonight, we will be facing of with Gamertag Radio in a battle of strength, wits, and Spartan Lasers. Tonight at 10pm Eastern, we'll be throwing down for great justice in Halo 3. Naturally, we'll write up the event and put up videos afterwards for your Halo 3 downloading pleasure. Who knows, maybe we can even toss these up on our website proper. If you can't wait for the after match report, you can head over to Gamertag Radio, where they will be streaming their side of whole event. If you'd like to see firsthand what it's like to lose to us, check it out. We've recruited a crack team of X3F readers (not to be confused with a team of X3F readers on crack) to help us on our way to ultimate domination, so we're ready to take on anything.
Wish us luck fanboys. Sure, it's only a symbolic gesture -- it's not like we need luck -- but we still appreciate the support.
Well, well, it looks like our Rooster Teeth friends haven't completely thrown in the Halo 2machinama towel yet as they just announced plans to release a new mini-series onto the Xbox Live Marketplace.
In their latest blogging update, Burnie mentions that in the weeks to come, a new RvB mini-series entitled "Red vs Blue: Recovery One" will be releasing to the internets and onto the XBLM. "Recovery One" will mirror that of their "Out of Mind" project, but with new characters and it is going to officially be their final Halo 2 project (fighting ... back ... sadness and tears.) Burnie promises more information on "Recovery One" in a few days, but until then you should make the jump and check out their latest video that they made for the 2007 European Machinima Festival. We can only describe it as ... worldly.
There's new XBLA updates and content for both Pinball FX and UNO that just came out (or are about to release) and we figured we'd pass on the news. Since, you know, we're in the business of informing.
XBLA game UNO just received a title update today allowing for Scene It?'s big button pad support, Vision camera game search and easier access to privacy settings. The other piece of DLC goodness is for Pinball FX and is a new "Buccaneer Table" releasing next Wednesday, October 31st. And if you can't see the link, the release is on Halloween. The new table will cost 200 Microsoft points (though, some are reporting it's free) with more tables releasing in the next few months. You've now been XBLA DLC informed. Lucky you.
Read - Pinball FX gets new content Read - UNO update
Hey, remember that wacky rumor that Microsoft and Toshiba were partnering up to create a spiffy new Xbox 360 with an HD DVD drive (and every other gadget under the sun) built right in? Despite the fact that the original rumor cited a Toshiba executive as calling the device "critical" to the success of HD DVD, Toshiba has now officially responded with the ever tactful "no comment." The news comes from Stuff.tv, who pulled the (no) comment from Toshiba itself. The Toshiba spokesperson added, somewhat sagely, "The Xbox 360 is not a Toshiba product." Now, rumor mongers that we are, we're inclined to point out that "no comment" is not a direct denial and technically leaves the door open on the topic. Still, releasing an Xbox 360 / HD DVD / entertainment center Frankenstein over a year from now seems far-fetched at best, especially if it's "critical" to boosting HD DVD sales. After all, by late 2008 -- when the device is supposedly scheduled to launch -- the Blu-Ray / HD DVD format war may be over. Then again, all the Microsoft related rumors have been spot on lately, so who knows?
If you have ever complained about the Xbox 360 controller's d-pad or have been bothered by the fact that you can't get that arcade controller "feel" on your 360, then Arcade-In-A-Box might have a solution for you. That is if your disposable income is rather plentiful.
Arcade-In-A-Box's new Xbox 360 Arcade Stick just released yesterday and with the bare bones version commanding a $149 price tag, it's quite the investment. But don't let the hefty price tag scare you off completely, this piece of peripheral work is made to last, highly customizable and "should" give you an edge in any XBLA or fighting game. Convinced and feeling like you can spend more? Then we suggest going for the dual stick controller, so you and your friends can throw down arcade stick style. And at $299, why not? (We'll take two.) In all seriousness, this joystick peripheral from Arcade-In-A-Box looks very professional, well made and will make certain games a lot more enjoyable. You'll just have to weigh the pros and cons, because this is one big financial undertaking that may leave you sleeping on the couch for a few weeks.
Gamer's Creed reports that the latest issue of EGM contains some fresh details on the upcoming dismemberment-fest, Ninja Gaiden 2. First and foremost, the game will not feature a multiplayer component. Given the series' recent entries, this isn't exactly surprising, but it is disappointing. We expect the game will feature an online single-player component similar to the Master Ninja Tournament in the original Xbox title, though. Other new details include real world environments and Obliteration Techniques, which allow Ryu to completely dismember an enemy after removing a limb. Said limbs will remain on screen, by the way. Also, enemies have co-operative attacks (as if they weren't deadly enough already). Speaking of enemies, Ryu will also have to deal with a rival ninja, who apparently looks "bad ass" according to creator Tomonobu Itagaki. Finally, as if all this wasn't exciting enough, the game is planned for a spring 2008 release.
We humbly request a demo to tide us over until then. Make it happen, Team Ninja.
Don't ask us how we managed it -- we did things we're not proud of -- but we rustled up a Legendary Edition of Halo 3 to giveaway to our oh-so-loyal readers this week. Not only that, but we're also throwing in a collectible aluminum bottle of Game Fuel. It even comes in a spiffy display case, complete with fake, plastic ice cubes. Our advice, keep it mounted to your wall next to the TV. That way, you can always break it open for emergencies. To enter, simply follow these instructions.
This is the Legendary Edition folks. Leave a comment on this post telling us about your most legendary moment in gaming (or life in general)
Be sure you only leave one comment. Posters of multiple comments will be disqualified. We'll accept entries until Friday, October 26, 12:00 Noon, Eastern Time. You must be at least 18 years old to enter. This giveaway is open to U.S. residents only
On Friday, we'll pick one winner via a random drawing
One winner will receive a copy of the Halo 3 Legendary Edition and a Game Fuel prize package, worth about $135.
The oppressively realistic and official rules can be found by clicking here.
New screenshots from (deep breath) Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix were posted on the Capcom Digital blog yesterday, showing off what we can expect in terms of visuals. These three (plus one off-screen) screenshots are work-in-progress (something Capcom is quite adamant at pointing out) showing off a few of the sprites we've grown to love and a few environments too. It really looks like they've taken classic Street Fighter, cleaned it up, put a new pair of jeans on it and brushed its hair, because it's looking darn spiffy. Check out all three work-in-progress screens in the gallery below and be sure to make the jump for developer commentary. And before you get riled up into a tizzy, the character selection screen's map dots are not accurate. Good catch though.
Todo Juegos (translated) is reporting that Microsoft is planning a new promotion for Europe. Said promotion should run between November 1st, 2007 until January 31st, 2008. The gist of it is pretty simple. Just get a friend to purchase a new 360 at some point during the promotion, attach a copy of the receipt to a special coupon (PDF link), mail it in, and both you and your friend will receive ten free Xbox Live Arcade games. The games reportedly offered are:
Sensible World of Soccer
Sonic the Hedgehog
Street Fighter II: Hyper Fighting
Bomberman LIVE
Marble Blast Ultra
Spyglass Board Games
Small Arms
3D Ultra MiniGolf Adventures
Assault Heroes
Zuma Deluxe
Not a bad deal at all, especially if you're on the convincing side and not the purchasing side. We can't guarantee that the offer is real, but the coupon certainly looks legit. If any of our European readers have heard rumblings of this offer -- especially if you can find an English version of the coupon -- please let us know in the comments.
Ah, Xbox Live Arcade Wednesday. When you wake up you can just smell the fresh games. This week we've got two new entries for our favorite downloadable service, Exit and Battlestar Galactica. The latter provides sci-fi fans with a much needed something (or so we're told), while the former gives us a stylish, old school logic puzzler (oddly described as "pazzle action" in its dashboard description). So, you can either blast the Cylons to hell, or you can help various strangers escape there precarious predicaments. The choice is yours. We should probably note that either choice will set you back 800 MS Points.
It's time for another Fanpoll kiddies. This week we take on one of gaming's most pressing questions: Rock Band or Guitar Hero III? Neither of these games are available just yet, but they're both right around the corner. We're sure many of our readers (pssst ... that's you!) already have at least some idea of which one they desire more. As such, we ask that you follow your heart and place your vote accordingly. Once you place your vote, feel free to explain your reasoning in the comments. Also, you'll find the results of last week's Fanpoll, skate Vs. Tony Hawk's Underground, after the break.
[Insert V for Vendetta joke here.] Indian gamers have a reason to celebrate next month, as Live for both Xbox 360 and Games for Windows 
There's new XBLA updates and content for both Pinball FX and UNO that just came out (or are about to release) and we figured we'd pass on the news. Since, you know, we're in the business of informing.
