Official Blog of 360 Evolved

This blog is officially closed,head on over to the new site

2008-08-31T23:50:00.004-04:00

The new site has launched www.360evolved.com

This one has "closed down for business"

Staff members,you should have gotten an email to register at the new site,after you register,I'll make you able to post. Thanks!

Castle Crashers review

2008-08-31T13:56:00.007-04:00

Castle Crashers is a new game from the team that brought you Alien Hominid in 2005 to X-Box and then early last year on Arcade. So it’s been almost four years since the last appearance of a game by The Behemoth. To be honest the game is well worth the wait with all the elements that are commonly found in Beat-em-Ups with the addition of RPG ingredients which adds to the already excellent résumé.

Like with all Beat-em-Ups there is very little story to speak of. This isn’t one of the big draws of this kind of game anyway. But really it doesn’t matter all that much at all with Castle Crashers as it is so simple and wonderfully designed that you don’t care too much about why you're hacking some guy’s head off but you just enjoy doing so. But what story there is goes a little something like this, the King’s four daughters have been kidnapped and as one of the bravest and most trusted of the King’s knights you are charged with bringing them back safely. One of the biggest reasons I didn’t care that much about the story was the continuous gags and the many cunning additions that appear throughout the game.

Of course there are the obvious levels with castles and mysterious forests to explore, and as you can guess it really can get a bit boring as the basic gameplay isn’t at all different throughout the game. But the key to Castle Crashers' success is that, as the game starts to take a tedious trend,a new little tweak is added to make the whole game feel like your first approach again. This could be anything from giving you a Golden Axe style lizard to ride on, an item to make your hero stronger for a short period or sending you on an awe-inspiring chase scene.

Possibly the best and, of course it should be, the easiest to get a handle on is the combat system. It is so simple to do with only two attack types, a heavy and a light attack. These can be chained together to get simple but effective combos, making the game actually beatable unlike the Alien Hominid, which was just plain impossible at times.

There are two issues that can cause small problems for you, but nothing that can cause your enjoyment to completely stop it's annoyance that you could have done without. Some points in the game there are sections that you just have a hell of a time getting through. This is due to the visuals not showing you all that you need to see, like being able to navigate the map as well as you should be able to, this mainly happens when you are caught in chase scenes which thankfully are few and far between.

This is a Hack and Slash style game with RPG elements,the weapons are collectible, but each one also affects your hero is a certain way. Collect a mallet and your strength is increased by two points but you are weighed down from the mallet and thus your agility is decreased by one. The only problem with this system is that you can only see the status affects of the new weapons that you collect at the Blacksmith shop,which can get very irksome if you discover a new weapon and want to use it but are unsure if it will benefit you over your current weapon.

There is one other modifier that can help you out in a squeeze, there are animal modifiers dotted around the levels which give you special benefits if collected, like if you collect the owlet then it will collect fruit from nearby trees to replenish your health.

No medieval based game would be complete without magic would it,and of course Castle Crashers comes up and trumps. The magic is mapped to the four face buttons but only if you hold down the trigger modifier to allow your spells to become active. At first you start with a single spell and as you level up you gain access to more powerful and useful spells.

Castle Crashers is a bundle of fun to play and although it can be completed in a matter of hours, there are tons of replay value in the new unlockable heroes and the seemingly endless slots for both your animal buddies and your collected weapons. There are two other modes other than the main adventure mode, one is an arena mode which sends waves after waves of enemies at you, this can be a laugh for a few minutes but you really get more satisfaction from replaying the levels of the main game. The other is a mini-game in which you have to tap X and Y continuously to eat as much food as you can against other competitors. This is really only worth a look once or twice no more. So the bottom line is,that Castle Crashers is a game that all 360 owners should have the enjoyment of.

Overall 9/10

Sexism on Xbox Live: The Intro

2008-08-31T12:05:00.005-04:00

One of my friends posted this somewhere, and all I am doing is passing this along. I will be updating you as he updates, and at the end of the experiment, I will interview him. So, without further ado, here is the intro!

"So, I was explaining to some friends of mine about how most women have bad experiences on xbox live, and I decided to become a part of a 'social experiment'. I thought it would be interesting to experience the sexism and such

...but from a guy's perspective.

But, as my gamertag isn't all too feminine as it is, I will have to change it to convey to the average guy gamer that my gamercard is convincing. I'll have to change my pic and name. For a pic I'll probably use one from the Splinter Cell DA (there are some pictures of one of the main woman characters), as a name I'll change it to something feminine (I haven't figured that out yet, maybe The Flying Dutchess).

This experiment will go on for a few days, starting tomorrow, and at the end I'll change my gamercard back to the one I have now and relate to you what happened and what my take on the sexism I will probably encounter was like. Since my voice isn't all too feminine either (I hope :P), I'll mute myself during the duration of the experiment.

Yes, I'm" pretty crazy. "

Here's to wishing him the best of luck!

PAX Pack coming to Rock Band

2008-08-30T13:44:00.005-04:00

Next week, Rock Band is coming out with a PAX pack of songs from artists playing at PAX this year. The pack includes:

+ "Skullcrusher Mountain" - Jonathan Coulton.
+ "Livin' on the Corner of Dude and Catastrophe" - MC Frontalot.
+ "Shhh." - the Darkest of the Hillside Thickets.

The pack is 240MS points, or $3. All of the tracks are master recordings, and the song by the Darkest of the Hillside Thickets is a previously unreleased track. And, if that wasn't enough, all of the proceeds from the sales are going to Child's Play.

The Xbox Without Halo

2008-08-29T23:41:00.007-04:00

The Xbox's killer app- Halo. Now the question is, where would the Xbox 360 stand in the console wars without it? My guess? Nowhere. There would most likely not be an Xbox 360 without it.

Halo: Combat Evolved was a launch title for Xbox. Many say that because of of this title alone, the Xbox performed as well as it did. It sold alongside more than fifty percent of Xbox consoles for more than two months after its release. This game was also said to jumpstart the multiplayer revolution.

Halo 2 launched on November 9, 2004. It generated an astonishing total of $125 million on its first day, making it the fastest selling media product in United States history. It was one of the premiere games for Xbox Live, and without it, Live would have been doomed.

Without Halo, there would be no Xbox Live, thus, no Xbox 360 because the Xbox wouldn't have performed well enough for Microsoft to warrant developing a new console. The Xbox was so successful because of Xbox Live, and without it, the Xbox would just be another gaming console.

PAX'08 Fallout 3 gameplay (more)

2008-08-29T22:57:00.000-04:00

PAX'08 Fallout 3 gameplay

2008-08-29T19:00:00.000-04:00

PAX 2008-The Maw trailer

2008-08-29T17:30:00.002-04:00

Check out The Maw from TwistedPixel Games.

ROCK BAND BRINGS LOCKSLEY TRACKS TO DOWNLOADABLE MUSIC STORE CATALOGUE

2008-08-29T12:36:00.002-04:00

Harmonix and MTV Games announced today the addition of up and coming rock band Locksley to the Rock Band™ Music Store catalog of downloadable content. Recognized by Rolling Stone as one of the “25 Best Bands on MySpace,” the Brooklyn-based Locksley contributes a 3-pack of songs from their 2007 album Don’t Make Me Wait including title track “Don’t Make Me Wait,” “All Over Again,” and “She Does.”

Each track will be available for $.99 per track (80 Microsoft Points) for one month or the 3-pack for $2.99 (240 Microsoft Points for Xbox 360) for one month. Prices good until September 29, 2008, when they return to the regular price point of $1.99 (160 Microsoft Points for Xbox 360) per track or the 3-pack for $5.49 (440 Microsoft Points for Xbox 360).

Release date: Thursday, August 28, 2008 (Xbox LIVE Marketplace for Xbox 360 and PLAYSTATION®Store)

Tracks: Locksley “All Over Again”
Locksley “Don’t Make Me Wait”
Locksley “She Does”

Price: $.99 (80 Microsoft Points for Xbox 360) per track*
$2.99 (440 Microsoft Points for Xbox 360) for the three-pack*
(All three tracks utilizes original master recordings)
(* Prices are for a limited time only)

Locations: Xbox LIVE Marketplace for Xbox 360 and PLAYSTATION®Network

The release date for Dead Space gets moved up

2008-08-29T11:32:00.002-04:00

Electronic Arts today announced that its new sci-fi survival horror game Dead Space™ will now be coming to stores on October 24th for the PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system, the Xbox 360™ videogame and entertainment system, and October 31st for PC.
The decision to bring it to fans earlier was due to completing the game early. Having spent months of polishing, it will soon be ready to scare gamers across the UK.

Gamers can check out the newest trailers and get all the latest dev team news at the Dead Space website www.deadspacegame.com

2K Sports Announces NHL® 2K9 Has Gone Gold

2008-08-29T11:29:00.001-04:00

2K Sports today announced that the highly anticipated hockey title, NHL 2K9, has gone gold and is now ready for production for Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, Wii™ home video game system from Nintendo, PLAYSTATION®3 and PlayStation®2 computer entertainment systems. Dedicated fans will enjoy this on-the-ice experience like never before as NHL 2K9 brings the fun back to hockey video games on September 9 in North America.

NHL 2K9 offers brand-new gameplay features including user-friendly controls, expanded superstar moves, friendly Zamboni® competitions, a revamped fighting engine, custom Stanley Cup™ celebrations, and six-on-six online capability. As the first and only officially licensed NHL and NHLPA video game for Wii, NHL 2K9 will also provide fans with a chance to play like the pros using the Wii Remote™ as a hockey stick, a wholly unique and entertaining experience.

A free demo is now available for download through Xbox LIVE® Marketplace for the Xbox 360 and PLAYSTATION®Network. Fans will have an early opportunity to experience the new simplified controls and relive the excitement of this past season’s thrilling Stanley Cup Final in a brief three minute period as either the Pittsburgh Penguins or Detroit Red Wings at Joe Louis Arena in Detroit.

NHL 2K9, developed by Visual Concepts, is rated E10+ for Everyone 10 and older by the ESRB and will be available on September 9 for Xbox 360, Wii, PLAYSTATION 3 system and PlayStation 2 system. For more information about NHL 2K9, please visit www.2ksports.com/games/nhl2k9.

SQUARE ENIX PROPOSES FRIENDLY TOB TO TECMO, LTD.

2008-08-29T11:28:00.001-04:00

SQUARE ENIX CO., LTD. (the “Company”) announced today that the Company submitted to the board of directors of TECMO, LTD. (Securities Code: 9650, 1st Section of the TSE, “TECMO”) a proposal for basic conditions of acquisition of shares of common stock issued by TECMO (the “TECMO Shares”) through a friendly take over bit (the “TOB”) (the “Proposal”) in order to obtain consent to the TOB by the board of directors of TECMO.

The Proposal was made in order to acquire the TECMO Shares through the TOB, and is subject to obtaining consent by the board of directors of TECMO no later than September 4, 2008. Therefore, please be advised that the Company will NOT acquire the TECMO Shares through the TOB as planned in the Proposal in case that the Company receives no response from TECMO or fails to obtain consent by the board of directors of TECMO to the TOB, by the date. This Notice shall not be construed as solicitation for sales and/or purchase of the TECMO Shares.

1. The reason to submit the Proposal
Video games have been globally recognized as a major entertainment genre, and have now become an industry receiving considerable attention in terms of its market size and growth potential. In the meantime, the game industry in Japan is standing at a critical juncture whether it continues to be a center of the video game industry in the world, or not.

TECMO is a group of excellent creators with proven track-record in the global market, which is a precious human resource of Japan. We, however, cannot be optimistic about the future of this significant resource, given the current circumstances surrounding TECMO.

We believe that TECMO will be able to make a great leap forward by joining the Square Enix Group, which will provide the group with further growth opportunities as well.

We are planning to position TECMO as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Square Enix Holdings maintaining TECMO’s current organization and brand as in the cases of Square Enix and Taito.

2. Major Points of the Proposal
(1) TOB Price: 920 yen per share
Adding a premium of 30%+ to TECMO’s closing stock price as of August 28, 2008 (706 yen).

(2) Number of the TECMO Shares to acquire
Lower Limit: More than half of the outstanding TECMO Shares upon fully-diluted basis (including residual shares subject to stock options).
Upper Limit: None.

(3) Deadline to reply the Proposal: September 4 (Thursday)
If the Company should, by the deadline, receive no response from TECMO, or fail to obtain consent by the board of directors of TECMO to the TOB, the Company will withdraw the Proposal, and will NOT acquire the TECMO Shares through the TOB as planned in the Proposal.

Castle Crashers giveaway! CONTEST ENDED,CONGRATS TO THE WINNER!

2008-08-29T01:36:00.004-04:00

We have 1 code to give away for Castle Crashers,yeah just 1 so your odds aren't good. But this game is 1,200 msp so it's at least worth trying to win this code to save yourself $15.00. Here is what you got to do,tell 360 Evolved what color your character in the game would be if you could pick any color you wanted. Leave your comment here on this post,the winner will be announced on the new site when it launches (hopefully this Sunday). Good luck!

The 360 Evolved Radio Network episode 11

2008-08-29T00:53:00.002-04:00

GIVEAWAYS!! JDB tells you about the upcoming giveaway for Shred Nebula next week,where you can win 1 of 5 free download codes for the game. Also news on Ninja Gaiden 2,Rock Band 2,and two words ROCKET BOWL! All this and more like our PAX coverage in episode 11 of the 360 Evolved Radio Network.

Rock Band 2 to get 6 full albums for DLC in the "coming months"

2008-08-28T22:29:00.002-04:00

Harmonix and MTV games have announced six full albums to be released for the game in the "coming months". This round of full albums will include the following........

Foo Fighters-"The Colour and the Shape"
Red Hot Chili Peppers-"Blood Sugar Sex Magik"
Jane's Addiction-"Nothing's Shocking"
Megadeth-'Peace Sells... But Who's Buying"
Stevie Ray Vaughan-"Texas Flood"
and a No Doubt best of has been announced as well.

360 Evolved PAX coverage begins!

2008-08-28T13:23:00.005-04:00

We may not get recognition for it,but that doesn't mean we are going to stop doing it. Stories,trailers,screenshots and anything else out of PAX will be posted here at 360 Evolved. So,if you are unable to go to PAX and you don't have time to sit and watch some long video stream of the events at PAX,make 360 Evolved your source for the news out of PAX. Check out the official PAX schedule below.

The organizers of the fifth annual Penny Arcade Expo (PAX) today sent a reminder that this year's gaming festival will begin later this week. PAX 2008, to be held Aug. 29-31, is expected to draw over 45,000 gamers, industry professionals and media to the Washington State Convention and Trade Center in Seattle for the 3-day gaming festival. Attendee badges may be purchased at the door at $30 for a one-day badge or $60 for all three days of the show.

Highlights of the show include:

FRIDAY
- PAX 2008 Keynote from Ken Levine 4:30-5:30pm
- Penny Arcade Q&A Panel #1 5:30-6:30pm
- "Video Games and Piracy" Panel 7:30-8:30pm
- Music Concert with The OneUps,
Freezepop and Jonathan Coulton 9:00pm-1:00am

SATURDAY
- "Game Criticism and Old Game Journalism" Panel 1:30-2:30pm
- Pitch Your Game Idea 5:30-6:30pm
- Music Concert with Anamanaguchi,
The Darkest of the Hillside Thickets,
MC Frontalot and the Minibosses 9:30pm-1:30am

SUNDAY
- Family Feud: PAX Edition! 11:00am-12:30pm
- The Wil Wheaton Panel 11:30am-12:30pm
- Penny Arcade Q&A Panel #2 12:30-1:30pm
- Omegathon Final Round 5:00-6:00pm

The complete PAX 2008 schedule can be found at http://www.pennyarcadeexpo.com/PAX_2008_Schedule.pdf.

Ninja Gaiden 2 sells over 1 million copies worldwide

2008-08-28T13:16:00.003-04:00

In a press release from Microsoft today,they have announced that the ninja action title from Tecmo/Team Ninja and Xbox 360 exclusive "Ninja Gaiden 2" has reportedly sold over one million copies worldwide. Also posted on the press release is the game is now enjoying a metacritic score average of 81,not bad! 360 Evolved extends a big congratulations to Tecmo/Team Ninja and Itagaki,wherever he may be now........

Rocketbowl trailer

2008-08-28T10:40:00.001-04:00

Raven Squad screens

2008-08-28T10:30:00.004-04:00

Rocketbowl coming to XBLA in September

2008-08-28T10:01:00.001-04:00

A refreshing twist on a classic sport, RocketBowl™ offers a 50’s style retro-futuristic vibe, out-of-this-world courses and rocket-powered bowling balls; Rocket Bowl rolls a perfect game of fun on the Xbox360™ LIVE® Arcade. Players will compete in tournaments, challenge their friends in multiplayer, test their bowling skills and more!

KEY FEATURES:

• Rocket-Powered Bowling Balls – RocketBowl takes the sport to a whole other level with rocket powered balls that can boost, jump and turn to help players knock down the pins and earn extra points with wild shots.

• 10 Crazy Bowling Courses – In addition to a regular bowling alley, RocketBowl features 9 crazy courses filled with ramps, tunnels, loops, hills, curves and more to create a bowling experience like never before.

• Fun and Varied Single-Player Mode – Single-player RocketBowl allows players to take on the variety of courses in Free Play mode; or challenge the course pros in Tournament and Challenge modes, where they can wager and win money to upgrade their equipment.

• Exciting Multiplayer Matches – Up to 4 friends can compete against each other over Xbox LIVE or locally on one system. Xbox LIVE play features Player (unranked) and Ranked matches.

• Upgrade Your Equipment – Using cash earned by winning matches players can upgrade from more than 15 unique bowling balls including Strawbally, 8-Ball, the Jupiter 5000 and the Kalamazoo Special – more powerful bowling balls feature enhanced boost and curve abilities.

Rush's Moving Pictures delayed for Rock Band DLC

2008-08-27T23:53:00.003-04:00

Rush's Moving Pictures was supposed to come out this week. But, in the Rock Band forums, they announced that it wouldn't be coming out for the 360 or the PS3, due to "technical difficulties".

They say that the "technical difficulties" are so bad, that they might not be able to get the album out for a couple of weeks.

Meteos Wars coming out on XBLA in Japan

2008-08-27T23:49:00.003-04:00

1up is reporting that Meteos Wars, a console port of the very popular Q Entertainment DS title Meteos, is coming out on XBLA in Japan in October. This port will include "a new multiplayer experience". It has not been announced for anywhere else outside Japan.

Shred Nebula developer walkthrough

2008-08-27T15:14:00.001-04:00

Five lucky readers will be winning this game from 360 Evolved. Check out this video to get "well aquainted" with the game.

Join our map!

2008-08-27T12:26:00.000-04:00

Castle Crashers now out on marketplace

2008-08-27T10:28:00.006-04:00

If you are looking for something new to play this week on the Xbox LIVE Arcade,look no further. From developer The Bohemoth comes a 4 player hack and slash Castle Crashers! Also along for the ride is a free Castle Crashers theme pack for download. Keep on reading for the 360 Evolved quick trial impressions for Castle Crashers,and then keep checking back for our review coming soon!

Castle Crashers right from the beginning will remind you of the The Bohemoth's last XBLA game Alien Hominid,the games look very similar in art style sporting the same cel shaded cartoony look. This game however is a hybrid of sorts. It plays just like the old school "go right beat em ups" back in the day such as Streets of Rage and Double Dragon,but it seems to go deeper with some RPG elements like being able to collect gold to buy new and better weapons and items. Also your character can level up like in an RPG and you can apply points to different attributes such as strength,magic,defense and agility.

The game has been definitely made with 4 player co-op in mind. You can play in single player mode,but it seems like it could get difficult. The controls are simple with 2 buttons controlling your attacks. You will also learn new combos along the way. There are neat additions to the levels such as merchants randomly placed in certain levels where you can buy items,etc.

This was a quick look at the new XBLA game to mark the finale of the Summer of Arcade promotion Castle Crashers. It looks great with sharp and vibrant graphics and plays easily enough to pickup and play. The game has a great sense of humor as well. This one will definitely be a blast with 3 other friends over Xbox LIVE. Keep checking 360 Evolved for our review of this Xbox 360 exclusive title before plunking down the 1,200 msp ($15.00).

Lords of Shadow concept art

2008-08-27T10:16:00.004-04:00

Here is some concept art from the new game coming to the Xbox 360 from Konami "Lords of Shadow",check it out. We'll have more info on this newly announced title as it becomes available.More images from Lords of Shaodw can be found at our photobucket site.

Today, Ubisoft and GeoEye, Inc. announce partnership

2008-08-27T10:11:00.003-04:00

Today, Ubisoft and GeoEye, Inc. announced that GeoEye, a premier provider of satellite, aerial and geospatial information, has provided high-resolution images taken from its commercial Earth-imaging IKONOS satellite for integration into Tom Clancy’s H.A.W.X for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, the Sony PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system and on Windows-based PC. Tom Clancy's H.A.W.X will be available in early 2009.

The H.A.W.X development team is working closely with specialists at GeoEye to integrate realistic satellite images for every location throughout the game, including Rio de Janeiro, Cape Canaveral and the Middle East. With more than 16 international locations in the game, every mission will have players flying over GeoEye-provided satellite imagery in a three-dimensional environment creating an unparalleled, dogfighting experience.

GeoEye's IKONOS satellite was the world's first commercial Earth imaging satellite and its imagery is currently being used for US national security, mapping, air and marine transportation, environmental monitoring and insurance risk management. The amazing quality and detail of the IKONOS images will lend realism to Tom Clancy's H.A.W.X giving gamers a feeling of immersion that will plunge them into the air combat mission of the game.

"High-resolution satellite imaging is moving from the black world of intelligence to the white world of commerce and Tom Clancy's H.A.W.X will bring that reality to gamers," said Mark Brender, vice president, corporate communications and marketing at GeoEye. "With video game graphics becoming more realistic, the use of high-quality photographic ground textures in H.A.W.X adds true photo-realism to the air combat experience."

During the development process the H.A.W.X team has also worked with the U.S. Geological Survey and the Center for Earth Resources Observations and Science (USGS/EROS) to understand how to best create a topographical 'underpinning' for the satellite imagery, creating a very realistic representation of the Earth.

"We are extremely grateful to GeoEye for their collaboration with Ubisoft and pleased with the level of quality and service we've received," said Travis Getz, authenticity coordinator for the H.A.W.X development team. "GeoEye's amazing imagery, combined with the intense aerial combat experience in H.A.W.X, makes this a perfect partnership for everyone-especially gamers."

GUITAR HERO® WORLD TOUR TO FEATURE EXCLUSIVE PARTNERSHIPS WITH PROMINENT MUSIC INSTRUMENT AND EQUIPMENT MANUFACTURERS

2008-08-27T10:09:00.001-04:00

After raising the bar of authenticity with every release in the Guitar Hero® franchise, Activision Publishing, Inc.’s (Nasdaq: ATVI) Guitar Hero® World Tour is cranking it to 11 by featuring several of the most influential instrument and equipment brands in the music industry. Gamers can score in-game sponsorships and gear from Ampeg, Audio-Technica, EMG Pickups, Ernie Ball, Evans Drumheads, Guitar Center, Krank Amplification, Mackie, Marshall, Orange County Drum & Percussion, Pork Pie Percussion, Regal Tip, Sabian cymbals, Vox and Zildjian drumsticks.

In addition to featuring products, the game lets virtual bands play on the same stage as many of their favorite musicians with digital re-creations of Amoeba Music, Live Nation’s House of Blues® Sunset Strip and San Francisco’s AT&T Park.

“Gamers have come to expect a certain level of realism in video games and by collaborating with key brands in the industry we’re able to deliver with Guitar Hero World Tour,” said Dave Anderson, Sr. Director of Business Development for Activision Publishing, Inc. “With the most advanced wireless instrument controllers, the in-game likeness of multiple multi-platinum recording artists and authentic on-stage gear, the game offers the ultimate rock and roll experience.”

The future of 360 Evolved is bright,you better grab some shades!

2008-08-26T18:12:00.002-04:00

As some of you may know,but probably most of our new visitors don't,is that we are launching a brand new site very soon. An exact date is still not set in stone but when I know more I will share the info with you. And don't worry,the address stays the same www.360evolved.com

The new site will be all nice and "shiny" and have an overall improved look compared to our design now. But that's not all,you wouldn't believe the fun we have planned to go along with the new site's launch! First of all,do you like golf? Do you like Xbox LIVE Arcade's Golf Tee it Up? Because we will be featuring an exclusive interview with the main man of the team at Housemarque (Tee it Up's developer) Mr.Jarno Elonen and we will be giving away 5 yes FIVE download codes for the XBLA game Golf Tee it Up to five lucky readers thanks to our great friends over at Activision!

Does the fun stop there? you ask? Of course not,also to celebrate the new site launch is our Shred Nebula giveaway and interview. Where we will be giving away 5 copies of CrunchTime Games' first XBLA title Shred Nebula!

So you defintely want to keep coming to visit us here at 360 Evolved. Follow 360 Evolved on Twitter at www.twitter.com/360evolved to stay updated on news headlines as well as our relaunch status!

New to retail this week

2008-08-26T12:10:00.003-04:00

Here are the games hitting shelves and Xbox 360 hard drives this week..........

Aug 26th-Tales of Vesperia
Aug 26th-Vampire Rain Altered Species
Aug 26th-Tiger Woods PGA Tour 09

Aug 27th-Castle Crashers

Aug 28th-Infinite Undiscovery

New Halo Wars and Fable 2 screens

2008-08-26T10:46:00.003-04:00

New screens of Fable 2 and Halo Wars are now available to check out on our photobucket page,just click on the corresponding album once you are there and you'll be able to see the new screens of two of the most highly anticipated Xbox 360 exclusives around!

Mercenaries 2 boxshot (UK)

2008-08-26T10:41:00.001-04:00

The boxshot of the UK version of Mercenaries 2 was released today,have a look!

Halo Wars box art

2008-08-25T17:23:00.003-04:00

Joystiq is reporting that this is the box art for the upcoming Halo Wars. It is also reported that it is made by the same artists that made the Halo 2 and 3 box art.

Castle Crashers this Wednesday!

2008-08-25T16:51:00.004-04:00

“Castle Crashers” will be crashing onto Xbox LIVE Arcade this Wednesday, August 27, 2008 at 9 a.m. GMT (2:00 a.m. PDT).

The award-winning development studio, The Behemoth, has created another unique and red-hot adventure with “Castle Crashers.” The game features hi-res illustrated visuals like nothing that you’ve ever seen before. Embark on the adventure on your own or with up to three friends and discover the mind-boggling magic and mystery in the mythical world. Play with more than 20 unlockable characters, 40 customizable weapons for your hero and an arsenal of combos and magical attacks to choose from.

Developed and published by The Behemoth, “Castle Crashers” will be available for 1200 Microsoft Points worldwide and is rated T for Teen by the ESRB.

Rock the Vote gamerpics now on the marketplace

2008-08-25T08:54:00.002-04:00

Now you can download free RTV gamerpics to your Xbox 360. Just go to the themes and gamerpics section of the marketplace,and under new arrivals you will see the Rock the Vote gamerpics. There is a pic sporting the Rock The Vote logo,an Obama pic,a McCain pic and a voter registration pic that by downloading will have a voter registration form sent to your email address. These four pics are seperate,so go have a look and download any that you may want.

New Supreme Commander screens

2008-08-25T08:30:00.003-04:00

More screens of the upcoming Supreme Commander have been added to our photobucket page. Go ahead,give 'em a look!

RacePro gameplay footage

2008-08-25T01:29:00.002-04:00

Some new footage of the Xbox 360 exclusive racing title RacePro,give it a look!

JDB Gaming Network

2008-08-24T14:27:00.005-04:00

http://www.justin.tv/networks/jdbgaming is the place where you can find our new gaming network. JDB Gaming Network is a brand new network of gaming related channels on Justin TV. JGN is also accepting gaming related websites to join up as well. So if you have a gaming site or channel on Justin.TV and want to join,join up at the link above or email pr@360evolved.com I hope to hear from you soon!

The 360 Evolved Radio Network episode 10

2008-08-23T22:55:00.002-04:00

We have had massive internet connection problems today,but FINALLY the connection has gotten stable,so episode 10 is finally uploaded! Check out episode 10 for this weeks Xbox 360 news!

Star Wars The Force Unleashed developer overview

2008-08-23T14:11:00.000-04:00

Duke Nuken 3D coming to XBLA "sometime in September", adds film feature and rewind gameplay

2008-08-22T22:15:00.003-04:00

Joystiq is reporting that Duke Nukem 3D has passed Microsoft certification, and will be released on Xbox Live Arcade "sometime in September".

They are also reporting that the game is going to have a saved film feature [where you can record bits of gameplay from multiplayer matches and send them to your friends], as well as gameplay rewind feature, a la Braid.

Big announcements from CrunchTime Games

2008-08-22T21:54:00.002-04:00

Coming soon at the start of September,there will be lots of surprises about Shred Nebula here at 360 Evolved. So keep checking the blog to get in on the fun starting with the launch of Shred Nebula,but in the meantime,check out this press release from CrunchTime Games.

On an exclusive webcast, Goddard revealed the company was in the midst of planning a major Shred Nebula tournament with the goal of raising $50,000 in cash prizes for top players. Goddard is no stranger to running competitive tournaments, at just 23 years old in 1991 he organized, promoted and personally ran Capcom USA's first Official California Street Fighter II Tournament where the top player took home a Street Fighter II machine. Much like that effort, Goddard plans to involve the future Shred Nebula community in creating the most competitive and fair rule set to hold tournaments on Shred Nebula and plans to personally divert some of the sales revenue to raise the $50,000 target goal while looking for the right sponsors to help with securing the venue and vast number of Xbox 360's needed to hold this event. Goddard has stated that Shred Nebula's deathmatch and deep gameplay system in all modes was built from day one with this in mind while leaving lots of fun and casual play for all player types. More details are scheduled to be revealed within the next few weeks somewhere around the games launch on September 3, 2008 on Xbox LIVE Arcade
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2. Shred Nebula Design Documents:

On the live show, Goddard completed the interview by stating that CrunchTime Games was very pro helping up and coming designers how to design games, therefore they would be releasing the documentation used to Pitch Shred Nebula to Microsoft and some other top secret design files associated with the title. Goddard went on to state that the industry keeps these documents secret for no reason after a game ships and could be helping new comers by showing them how it works. Goddard and co-owner of CrunchTime Games David Winstead combined have 35 years of experience and are documentation experts originally trained in Japanese style design techniques, they both have plans for this to be the start of a series of major step towards helping the rapidly growing homebrew and academic communities by sharing this information freely and changing the way the industry handles helping the up and coming developers. Goddard personally is dedicating this gift to everyone interested in doing games for the XNA Creators Club on the Xbox 360 along with anyone who has dreamed of designing their own game. The Shred Nebula documents will be released on www.shrednebula.com at 12pm PST on September 3rd, 2008, just hours after the game launches on Xbox LIVE Arcade.

Complete album from the band RUSH hits Rock Band August 26th

2008-08-22T15:35:00.001-04:00

Harmonix and MTV Games announced today the addition of the fourth complete album to the Rock Band™ Music Store catalog of downloadable content. Available August 26, the most commercially successful Rush album, Moving Pictures, will be added to the Rock Band DLC catalog giving prog fans the opportunity to build their own Rush setlist for play on their virtual world tour.

Moving Pictures joins the five other Rush tracks in the catalog including the recent release of the Rush Masters Vault selections which includes exclusive Rock Band versions of “Closer To The Heart” and “Working Man (Vault Edition)” and cover versions of “Tom Sawyer,” “Limelight” and “Working Man.” One of the most successful progressive rock bands in music history, the Canadian masters of the time signature change have sold more than 40 million albums worldwide and continue to sell out arenas across the globe.

Moving Pictures, Rush’s eighth studio album, released in 1981 has sold more than four million copies and includes the following tracks:

1. Tom Sawyer
2. Red Barchetta
3. YYZ
4. Limelight
5. The Camera Eye
6. Witch Hunt
7. Vital Signs

Moving Pictures will be available for $10.99 (880 Microsoft Points) for the album, or $1.99 (160 Microsoft Points) per track.

Ride to Hell screens

2008-08-22T15:29:00.003-04:00

Anyone interested in "Riding to Hell" with their Xbox 360? Sounds like it might be an interesting ride! Check out these new screens.........

Sacred 2: Fallen Angel (UK boxshot)

2008-08-22T15:24:00.002-04:00

dificulties

2008-08-22T15:10:00.001-04:00

Technical difficulties are in huge amounts right now.........hang in there,I'm doing what I can to get everything back in order,ahh,isn't changing computers and servers fun?

Star Wars The Force Unleashed demo impressions

2008-08-21T14:04:00.004-04:00

Wow,today is a great day to have your Xbox 360 connected to the online gaming service Xbox LIVE. LucasArts has gifted us today with a demo to their much anticipated upcoming title "Star Wars The Force Unleashed".

Right from the start you are treated with a cut scene featuring the apprentice (the main playable character) and Darth Vader. This cut scene quickly shows off the game's very high level of graphical detail,with an extreme close up of the apprentice's face showing off the facial expressions. The graphics throughout this demo are top notch,with a high level of reflections on floors and on the storm troopers uniforms,etc. The visuals are going to be one of this title's high marks when the game releases this September.

Now on to the other "stuff" I want to talk about from SWTFU. First of all,physics. The physics in this demo are some of the best around. This game is no doubt going to take "ragdoll" physics to the next level. In the demo you will learn how to control your force powers,like throwing objects with the force. How you do this is you first target who or what you want to pick up. Then press and hold the R trigger,while holding down the R trigger move your left stick around to move the object or person with the force,then release the R trigger to throw them. Once you do this for the first time,you will be hooked. Just playing with this demo's physics alone is fun enough to keep you entertained for quite a while.

Control wise ,the game plays like a "hack n slash" but in the Star Wars universe and flavor. You can execute a force push by pressing the B button,or when you acquire the ability,you can hold down the B button for an extremely powerful force push that can even knock doors out. While enemies are shooting at you,you can hold down the L trigger and this will execute your blocking ability with your lightsaber,which can deflect the blaster fire right back at the enemies. The controls in the demo are overall very easy to get the hang of and becomes a blast to play.

Right from the start you can pick from a selection of different difficulty levels,apprentice,sith warrior,sith lord and a locked difficulty which will be revealed in the full version of the game. You are also given the option to take the force grip tutorial to help you master the different force abilities. I don't want to spoil much more of the demo but at the end of the demo you have to execute a "quick time event" that requires you to hit certain buttons at certain times,and this results in a spectacular scene of destruction of a certain object that you are fighting against.

Going by the demo we definitely need to stay excited about this game's release. It is a blast to play,it looks great,the different abilities you have in the game are varied but are easy and fun to get the hang of. The file size of the demo is not to big either weighing in at just over 900mb at 905.

29 new Damnation screens

2008-08-21T13:00:00.003-04:00

The screenshot craze continues here at 360 Evolved. 29 screenshots of the upcoming game Damnation have been added to our media page,check 'em out!

New TNA Impact and Supreme Commander screens

2008-08-21T11:01:00.003-04:00

New screenshots of the upcoming titles TNA Impact and Supreme Commander have been added to the 360 Evolved screenshot database over at the main page,just click on the "screenshots/media" link and you will have access to all of the games that we have up for your "viewing pleasure"!

360 Evolved has you covered for PAX content!

2008-08-21T01:35:00.003-04:00

If you were wondering if 360 Evolved would be covering PAX,you have nothing to worry about! Any and all Xbox 360 PAX content that comes out will be collected and you will be able to see what we got on the main page via the small PAX logo by the navigation section. So relax and continue to visit us here at 360 Evolved,because we got you covered for PAX content.

Xbox and Rock the Vote to Give Voters a New Platform for Change

2008-08-21T01:08:00.001-04:00

A leading gaming and entertainment platform just became a leading platform for change. Microsoft Corp. and Rock the Vote today announced a groundbreaking partnership that will allow Xbox 360 owners to register to vote, participate in presidential polls and voice their opinions to the presidential candidates. It will all happen through Xbox LIVE starting Monday, Aug. 25, the first day of the Democratic National Convention.

“Xbox is a natural partner to help us reach out to youth voters,” said Heather Smith, executive director, Rock the Vote. “To realize our goal of registering 2 million young Americans by this fall, we need to go where young Americans are, and there’s no doubt in our minds that many are on Xbox 360 and Xbox LIVE.”

This is the first time that Rock the Vote has joined forces with an entertainment partner such as Xbox to reach voters under 30. Xbox LIVE is the largest online social network connected to the television, with membership totaling 12 million — if Xbox LIVE were a state, it would rank as the country’s seventh largest, giving it approximately 20 electoral votes.

“The Xbox LIVE community is active, vocal and passionate,” said Marc Whitten, general manager of Xbox LIVE. “We’re thrilled to partner with Rock the Vote to make it easier than ever for youth voters — and our members — to register and be heard.”

Through the Rock the Vote partnership, Xbox LIVE members will be able to register to vote, voice their opinions to the candidates through an exclusive forum and participate in potentially election-predicting polls. They will also be able to download Rock the Vote public service announcements.

Xbox also will have a presence at both the Democratic and Republican conventions, promoting the Rock the Vote partnership and educating delegates about creating a safer entertainment environment on Xbox 360 and Xbox LIVE using the built-in parental controls known as Family Settings. These industry-leading settings allow parents to limit their children’s access to video games and movies and manage their activity and communications on Xbox LIVE. For more information on Family Settings and other safety-enhancing gaming tools and resources, delegates can stop by the Xbox on-site kiosk or visit http://www.xbox.com/isyourfamilyset.

Digg the main site of 360 Evolved

2008-08-20T22:30:00.003-04:00

We here at 360 Evolved realize that alot of visitors might only be seeing this blog section. But there is alot more here at 360evolved.com Go to the main page at www.360evolved.com and check out our media database of screenshots,game trailers and editorials. Also you can swing by and sign the guestbook and check out the affiliate page and visit the friend sites of 360 Evolved. Also please Digg the main site via this link if you have the spare time,thanks!

Velvet Assassin trailer

2008-08-20T17:21:00.001-04:00

360 Evolved has just received this trailer to show our readers. Check out the latest trailer for Velvet Assassin!

Fallout 3 Available October 28th in North America

2008-08-20T15:20:00.003-04:00

Bethesda Softworks®, a ZeniMax Media company, announced today that its highly anticipated title, Fallout® 3, will be available on store shelves and online in Europe on October 31, 2008 and in North America on October 28, 2008. Developed at Bethesda Game Studios – creators of the 2006 Game of the Year, The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion® – Fallout 3 is slated for release on the Xbox 360®video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system, and Games for Windows.

“We are very excited to let gamers get their hands on Fallout 3, the latest chapter in this beloved and highly acclaimed franchise,” said Vlatko Andonov, president of Bethesda Softworks. “To meet the huge demand for this title by our fans worldwide, we are planning one of the biggest launches of any game released this year.”

Fallout 3 features one of the most realized game worlds ever created. Set more than 200 years following a nuclear war, you can create any kind of character you want and explore the open wastes of Washington, D.C however you choose. Every minute is a fight for survival as you encounter Super Mutants, Ghouls, Raiders, and other dangers of the Wasteland.

Hailed as one of the most anticipated games for 2008, Fallout 3 has already won numerous awards including Best of Show from the official Game Critics Awards at E3 2008, a selection voted on by an independent group of journalists from 36 leading North American media outlets that cover the videogame industry.

XBOX 360 CATERS FOR ALL WITH ITS STRONGEST-EVER LINE-UP AT THE LEIPZIG GAMES CONVENTION

2008-08-20T11:30:00.001-04:00

During this year’s Games Convention at Leipzig, Germany, Xbox 360™ presented its forthcoming range of entertainment offerings. The visitors of Europe’s biggest fair for PC- and video games were shown a unique range of titles, and Xbox 360 was once again able to underscore its leadership role in the field of digital entertainment.
Blockbusters for both the whole family and committed gamers – the 2008 lineup

Xbox 360 offers a broad range of entertainment. From now through to Christmas and beyond you can expect a top-class line-up of titles that offer the perfect games for everyone’s taste and interests. The highlights are:

Lips (iNis / Microsoft Game Studios): Exclusively on Xbox 360, Lips will be released in November and is the gotta-have singing party game. Players become stars with the help of the motion sensitive microphones that light up and pulsate light to the beat of the music and reward high-impact performances. Lips will come with numerous localized tracks, and loads of additional songs can be downloaded from Xbox LIVE Marketplace, with new songs by national and international artists being added on a regular basis. Lips also allows players to sing to their own music collection. Developed by Keiichi Yano of Gitaroo Man fame, Lips takes a totally new approach when developing this music game. Available for Christmas 2008

Fable II (Lionhead Studios / Microsoft Game Studios)
Peter Molyneux’ most recent opus is one of the most anticipated games of the year 2008. It will offer an unequalled level of freedom of choice and create a new gaming experience. Every decision has an immediate impact on the fate of the hero and his surrounding world. The game will be available in Europe from the 24th October.

Too Human (Silicon Knights/ Microsoft Game Studios)
“Too Human” is an epic action game with integrated role-playing game elements, and will be available in Europe on Aug. 29 – exclusively for Xbox 360. The game features a rich storyline with deep character development, both hallmarks of Silicon Knights’ legendary tradition of video game development.

You’re in the Movies (Codemasters/ Microsoft): Become a movie star with You’re in the Movies: players are filmed acting out film roles, from a kung-fu fighter to a zombie using the Xbox LIVE Vision camera. You’re In The Movies is the first game that allows you to become part of a movie with a different result every time. Available from November 2008.

Scene It? Box Office Smash (Krome Studios and Screenlife/ Microsoft Games Studios): Scene It? Box Office Smash is the second Xbox 360 instalment of the popular movie quiz. Totally new questions, puzzles and many movie clips in HD quality ensure a party atmosphere. Players can compete against each other on Xbox LIVE as well, with additional quiz packages available to download. Available from November 2008.

Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts and Bolts (Rare Ltd./ Microsoft Game Studios): Two of the most popular video games ever are back – exclusively on Xbox 360. From the developers at Rare comes Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts and Bolts, an innovative action adventure. Players are given plenty of material to design their own vehicles, and also get to choose how Banjo and his friend Kazooie overcome obstacles which come their way. Through Xbox LIVE players can compete with their vehicles and share their inventive talent.

Viva Piñata: Trouble in Paradise (Rare Ltd./ Microsoft Game Studios)
From early September, players can leave the boundaries of their gardens and discover the whole new world of the Piñatas. In two new regions, the arctic and the desert, new and unknown animals are hiding. Designed by Rare, Viva Piñata: Trouble in Paradise is a colourful entertainment experience for the whole family. Up to four players can create their gardens simultaneously or compete in the talent show P-Factor. Viva Piñata: Trouble in Paradise will be released on the 5th September.

Halo Wars (Ensemble Studios/ Microsoft Game Studio)
The Halo universe is growing. “Halo Wars,” developed exclusively for Xbox 360, is a real-time strategy (RTS) game that lets players experience mankind’s first encounters with the Covenant in the beginnings of the “Halo” storyline. “Halo Wars” gives players complete control of the battlefield, playing either as the UNSC or the Covenant. With the Xbox LIVE, you can see who the superior commander is through multiplayer online skirmishes supporting up to six players.

Grand Theft Auto IV (Rockstar North/ Rockstar Games): In autumn there will be news from Liberty City; the first episodes of GTA IV will be available for download exclusively on Xbox LIVE, underlining Xbox 360’s leadership role in the field of digital entertainment.

Even more screens from Leipzig added

2008-08-20T11:15:00.004-04:00

More screens are being added to the 360 Evolved photobucket page including Call of Duty World at War,Fallout 3 and Silent Hill Homecoming! The screens are pouring out of Leipzig and 360 Evolved will be working to keep up with the flow and will be adding them to the photobucket page all day!. Check them out here!

All kinds of new screenshots added

2008-08-20T04:20:00.004-04:00

Wow we got alot of screens for you! Over at our new Photobucket page. You can find a whole slew of new screens we got from Capcom including Resident Evil 5,Street Fighter 4,Dark Void and Moto GP 08. Go check out the Capcom goodness at our photobucket site now!

Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts Pre-orders Include Free Redeem Code and Early Access to Xbox LIVE Arcade Game

2008-08-19T12:41:00.001-04:00

Players receive a free Banjo-Kazooie Xbox LIVE Arcade redeem code with pre-order at participating retailers, and new game world Jiggoseum brings the Olympic spirit to Banjo’s next adventure

Ready your spring-loaded propeller boat and fasten your seatbelt, “Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts” is hitting U.S. store shelves on November 14, and pre-orders begin today. For the retail price of $39.99, those who pre-order at participating retailers will get in on all the Banjo fun right off the starting line, and as a special bonus, will also receive a free download code for the original “Banjo-Kazooie,” launching on Xbox LIVE Arcade later this fall.

As Kazooie likes to say, “The early bird gets the worm.” Since the original “Banjo-Kazooie” will not debut on Xbox LIVE Arcade until a couple weeks after “Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts” releases, pre-ordering the game gives you a two-week head start on the Arcade title and the opportunity to take advantage of “Stop N’ Swop” before anyone else. “Stop N’ Swop” rewards players’ accomplishments in the new game with extra content and features in the Xbox LIVE Arcade game, giving fans who pre-order “Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts” the chance to experience more Banjo action than ever.

Additionally, everyone’s favorite bear and bird duo has Olympic fever. What do Banjo and Beijing have in common? The newly revealed game world Jiggoseum (formerly dubbed World of Sports) will have you taking on a series of Olympic-inspired events for the jiggy gold!

This giant stadium evokes themes of ancient Rome and Greece with modern day sports activities. The Jiggoseum, common stomping ground for Mr. Fit and Trophy Thomas, will include 17 challenges to test Banjo’s (and his contraptions’) athletic abilities. In order to successfully complete his adventure in this world, Banjo must transport the Olympic Torch across a large body of water to help Captain Blubber light the Olympic Cauldron. A boat may seem like the vehicle of choice for the job… but with tons of options, it’s up to the player to decide.

For brand new art and additional information on the Jiggoseum, visit banjo-kazooie.com. For additional information on the “Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts” pre-order program, visit http://www.xbox.com/en-US/games/splash/b/bknutsandbolts/.

Supreme Commander UEF Fatboy T4-X Mobile Factory screens.

2008-08-19T12:16:00.005-04:00

Here are new screens from the upcoming Supreme Commander,coming to the Xbox 360 9/5/2008

Batgirl screens from Lego Batman

2008-08-19T12:11:00.004-04:00

Here are some screens from Lego Batman showing Batgirl in all of her glory.

CODEMASTERS® SIGNS ASOBO STUDIOS' FUELTM; REVEALS BIGGEST RACING ENVIRONMENT EVER.

2008-08-19T12:02:00.000-04:00

Set to revolutionise multi-terrain racing with the largest environment ever created in race gaming, Codemasters today announced signing the worldwide publishing rights to FUEL™ from Asobo Studios. Promising a truly next generation addition to the racing genre, FUEL is in development at Asobo Studios in Bordeaux, France, for the PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system, Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft®, Games For Windows® LIVE and due to release in 2009.

Born of Asobo Studios’ cutting-edge proprietary engine, the result of over four years in development, FUEL will present players with an astonishing no-boundaries playfield that’s over 5,000 square miles (14,000+ km²) in size. Creating the ultimate competitive go-anywhere racing experience, FUEL will have players competing across wildly different terrain and executing spectacular death-defying stunts as they race dozens of varied two and four-wheeled rides and explore this epic world on an unprecedented scale.

FUEL is set in an alternate present in which whole swathes of the globe have been ravaged by the effects of climate change brought on by decades of environmental abuse. Here oil prices have rocketed and yet a new breed of racing junkie takes to the wastelands, pitting their grungy home-tuned vehicles against each other in an all-new extreme sport as they compete to win fuel supplies. To triumph means travelling the wastelands to challenge the best; from the tsunami-wrecked pacific coast through the Nevada wastelands, including the Grand Canyon, up treacherous snow-capped mountains, thick forests, arid deserts, abandoned lakeside resorts and much more.

Bringing this vast, open ended landscape to life is a dynamic weather system with full day and night transitions, brilliant sunshine, torrential rain and everything in between, plus destructive tornados, sandstorms, thunderstorms, lightning strikes, and blizzards requiring mid-race strategy changes.

“FUEL raises the bar in terms of scale and exhilaration for racing games. We begin with the largest racing environment to appear in gaming – ever. With our accelerated effects of climate change and dynamic weather system we add an extra dimension that change races on-the-fly and constantly presents new challenges to players,” said Sebastian Wloch, Chief Executive Officer, Asobo Studios.

“Player choice lies at the heart of FUEL’s action-packed races and with a huge range of vehicles, packs of up to 16 vehicles speeding across diverse terrain and a no-boundaries, no-limits approach to racing, means players have never had so much freedom to conquer the wilderness and take the chequered flag.”

“The technology Asobo Studios has developed to build FUEL is ground-breaking. To create a game on this unprecedented scale to this level of graphical quality, complete with all the dynamic weather effects, is a great achievement,” said Barry Jafrato, Senior Vice President of Brand, Codemasters. “FUEL had to be a special title for Codemasters to include in our racing portfolio and we believe that from both a gameplay and a technical perspective, FUEL compliments our long standing tradition of driving excellence.”

Complete with the ability to go online to explore this massive world and compete in hundreds of multiplayer challenges, FUEL is coming in 2009 for the PLAYSTATION®3 system, Xbox 360 and Games For Windows. More on FUEL will be revealed from Games Convention Leipzig (20 – 24th August, 2008)

ENGLISH SPEED METAL BAND DRAGONFORCE TO DEBUT NEW SINGLE AS PART OF DOWNLOADABLE TRACK PACK FOR GUITAR HERO® III: LEGENDS OF ROCK

2008-08-19T11:57:00.001-04:00

From the band that is responsible for the hardest song in Guitar hero 3 comes three more songs to test your shredding skill. This will definitely be a must have for the hardcore players and probably only the hardcore. Some players were scared away from Dragonforce due to Through the fire and flames. So check out the full press release below....................

August 19, 2008 – Known for their out-of-control riffs, fast paced songs and twin guitar solos, DragonForce will ascend the virtual stage once again to unleash “Heroes of Our Time” – the debut single off their new album Ultra Beatdown – in a three-song track pack for Activision Publishing, Inc.’s (Nasdaq: ATVI) Guitar Hero® III: Legends of Rock. The DragonForce track pack will be available on August 21, 2008 giving gamers the unique opportunity to download and play “Heroes of Our Time” in advance of the album release.

After experiencing the furious fret work of “Through the Fire and Flames,” Guitar Hero® fans will have their shredding skills pushed to the limit with “Revolution Deathsquad” and “Operation Ground and Pound” from their third album Inhuman Rampage, in addition to “Heroes of Our Time,” which will set players’ fingers ablaze as they try to keep up with some of the most challenging riffs to date.

The three-song DragonForce Track Pack will be available for download on Xbox LIVE® Marketplace for Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and in the PLAYSTATION®Store for the PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system on August 21, 2008.

GAMEINVEST Developing World of Zellians for Xbox 360

2008-08-19T11:49:00.002-04:00

Portugal’s leading video games investor and developer, GAMEINVEST, is creating a beautiful and expansive world for multiple platforms this fall with World of Zellians. Currently in development for Nintendo Wii™, Xbox 360, PlayStation® 3, and PC platforms, World of Zellians is a strategic life simulation game where players must create, manage and grow a prosperous new civilization while caring for the wellbeing of the community. GAMEINVEST is currently looking for qualified distribution and publishing partners for World of Zellians on the various platforms.

“The concept of creating a balanced society in World of Zellians is truly engaging and challenging, and we are designing this experience to be fun and accessible for all audiences – from casual to core gamers,” said GAMEINVEST founder and CEO Paulo Gomes. “As the ruler of this society, players will be responsible for developing the community as well as providing a positive influence in the world – creating a very challenging and interactive gaming experience.”

In World of Zellians, players will develop and manage a civilization of villagers called Zellians. As the ruler over the Zellian planet, players must manage a “Maslow’s Pyramid” hierarchy of Zellian needs, and help evolve the primitive tribe of Zellians into a self-sustaining and prosperous urban society. Players will develop the society by building streets, farms, ranches, watermills, and more. Also, players can assign in-game “Disciples” for the recurring tasks like planting corn, watering fruit trees, and managing the marketplace for Zellians to prosper.

Players will be charged with protecting the Zellian society from an evil god called Zorm. The Zellians live in darkness and fear of Zorm, and players must provide a positive force that brings hope and happiness to the Zellian world. There are many “areas of influence” in the Zellian world that are controlled by Zorm, and players must take control of all these areas and increase their influence over the Zellians in order to succeed in the game. Engage in challenging levels of gameplay to create a balanced and thriving society of Zellians.

Duke Nuken 3D for XBLA achievements revealed

2008-08-18T17:54:00.003-04:00

Some people thought it would never happen, but now it is official. Duke Nukem 3D is coming out for XBLA, and the achievements for it have been leaked onto Achieve360Points.

The achievements are what you'd expect. 200 points in 12 achievements. But, there are some surprises in them. The ones that are beating a level specific say you can get them "on any difficulty or in co-op", which gives gamers the hope of co-op over XBL. There are also ranked achievements, which brings the fun of multiplayer Duke to XBL. The MP achievements are specific on ranked kills, which go from 100, 250, and then 500.

There are also a couple of funny ones. One requires the gamer to tip a stripper, which I'm sure people will be more than obliged to do. Also, one called Looks Like a Clean Up on Aisle 4 is given to someone who "step in a pile of excrement."

Have fun!

New screens of Tomb Raider Underworld

2008-08-18T15:44:00.006-04:00

Transport to Space and Ward off Enemies in Galaga Legions coming to Xbox LIVE Arcade this Wednesday!

2008-08-18T13:13:00.004-04:00

Microsoft's Summer of Arcade promotion continues this Wednesday with "Galaga Legions". Keep checking 360 Evolved,we are working to bring you a review of this coin-op classic remake! Read the entire press release below!..............

“Galaga Legions” will be shooting onto Xbox LIVE Arcade this Wednesday, August 20, 2008 at 9 a.m. GMT (2:00 a.m. PDT).

“Galaga Legions” is not just another boring remake! The same award-winning team that brought you “Pac Man Championship Edition” has created a revitalized game that features table-turning game dynamics, super – slick visuals, and mind-blowingly vast waves of enemies. “Galaga Legions” is the ultimate version of the arcade shooter classic!

Developed and published by Namco Bandai Games., “Galaga Legions” will be available for 800 Microsoft Points worldwide and is rated E for Everyone by the ESRB.

For more details on “Galaga Legions” please visit http://www.xbox.com/en-US/games/g/galagalegionsxboxlivearcade/default.htm

Rockstar Games Announces Release Date for Japanese Version of Grand Theft Auto IV

2008-08-18T11:30:00.003-04:00

Rockstar Games, a publishing label of Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. (NASDAQ: TTWO), announced today an October 30, 2008 release date for the localized Japanese version of Grand Theft Auto IV for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and the PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system.

Developed by series creator Rockstar North, Grand Theft Auto IV was released in North America and Europe on April 29, 2008, selling 3.6 million units on the first day of release, and 6 million units in the first week. Critics from across the globe have showered the game in unanimous praise for its immersive storytelling; culturally eclectic soundtrack; an unparalleled level of detail in Liberty City; and sixteen player multiplayer with more than a dozen online modes for endless replayability.

For more information please visit: http://www.rockstargames.com/IV.

Atari and Red Mile Entertainment to Bring the New Installment of Hit 'Heroes' Flight Combat Series to Xbox 360 in 2009

2008-08-18T11:24:00.003-04:00

Get ready to scramble! Atari and Red Mile Entertainment are bringing Heroes over Europe, an ultra-realistic seat-of-the-pants tactical flight combat game and the latest in the critically acclaimed Heroes series, to the PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system, Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, and Windows PC in 2009.

The sequel to the mighty World War II flight combat game Heroes of the Pacific, Heroes over Europe takes aspiring combat pilots into the bullet-ridden heart of major World War II European air battles in glorious dogfight-friendly high definition. Heroes over Europe follows the Allied campaign from the attacks on London to the destruction of Berlin, with players under orders to strap themselves into the authentically rendered cockpits of the campaign’s iconic aircraft. Their mission: to survive the most ferocious dogfights ever seen in a flight combat game.

“The Heroes series has brought some of the world’s most exciting air battles in history to gamers all over the world, and Heroes over Europe builds on the series’ impressive legacy with highly detailed realistic visual presentation and an even deeper online experience,” said Cyril Voiron, VP Brand Management Worldwide Publishing, Atari.

“Transmission Games did an incredible job on the first game, Heroes of the Pacific, and this second game in the series is definitely benefiting from that experience,“ said Simon Price, President of Red Mile Entertainment. “We are very excited to partner with Atari to bring this stunning title to gamers worldwide.”

Developed by Transmission Games (formerly IR Gurus) in Melbourne, Australia, and powered by an all-new engine, Heroes over Europe is set to raise the bar for flight combat games, with new and unique game modes, and deeper and more comprehensive online gameplay for up to 16 players. Visually, the game takes no prisoners with meticulously rendered environments including faithful recreations of London and Berlin, and ultra-realistic iconic warplanes of the era, all presented in stunning high definition graphics. With additional content available to download from launch, Heroes over Europe is scheduled for release in 2009.

Star Wars: The Force Unleased demo coming Thursday

2008-08-17T20:53:00.003-04:00

Joystiq is reporting that LucasArts is making good on their promise of bringing a demo of the highly anticipated Star Wars: the Force Unleashed to XBLM [as well as PSN], on Thursday, August 21.

The demo is said to take part in one of the first levels in the game, called the TIE Fighter Construction Facility. There will also be a tutorial.

SPOILER ALERT-Here are some endings for Soul Calibur 4

2008-08-17T20:31:00.002-04:00

Yes the Vader ending is from the Playstation 3 version,and yes I know that this is an Xbox 360 site,but if you don't have a PS3 you can see the ending here...........

Bionic Commando: Rearmed Review

2008-08-17T10:33:00.008-04:00

Bionic Commando: Rearmed is nothing like an archetypal retro conversion, taking games like DIGDUG and putting them completely to shame. BC:R is how retro conversions should be done, not taking what was there in the first place and adding a little bit nicer graphics, but taking the original game and then building on it. This is exactly what has been done here, Capcom have given this old gun a new lease of life with one of the best face lifts ever!

Capcom has made the old 2D side-scroll into a brilliant 3D side-scroll, with the 3D visuals taking some major glory, each of the areas look amazing with vibrant colors and lush settings. One thing that has been changed quite a lot is the music, which now has been given a modern feel to it but even through the new soundtrack you can feel and hear the old chimes singing along side, adding to the wonderful feeling of nostalgia that the game gives off in tidal waves.

BC:R has some great new features as well as the new art style, some things that would never had been possible on the original NES carts with a split-screen co-op campaign mode and a four player versus mode, which of course add a new angle to the classic game. This is especially true with the co-op mode as you and a mate can battle through all the levels in the normal game helping each other out as the game goes along.

Along with the new features BC:R keeps a lot of the older features which sometimes are overlooked in the era of easy and casual gaming. One is the old adage of lives, something that isn’t generally seen nowadays making sure that a game is accessible to all skill levels, each of the levels in the game you only have three cracks at, with a chance to add more lives to your roster in special rooms that can be found at your side's camps dotted around the world map.

There is another angle for the avid gamer, which are the challenge rooms. These rooms are again dotted around at the different camps on the world map, and each one offers a different challenge. The idea of these rooms is to test your skills with the one and only Bionic Commando, each one is set against the clock, but there is not only the personal satisfaction of completing the challenge but each one has its own leaderboard to which your time will be added making the challenges a bit more rewarding.

It is a shame that there is no Live access for the multiplayer only local, which would have added some more depth to the game, but even so,the leaderboards do use Live so it is no different to most of the recent Arcade releases.
Overall I have to say that Bionic Commando is one of the best retro releases to come in recent years. Although, mainly thanks to the Arcade, there has been a flood of rehashed 80s titles but none really have the level of completion that BC:R has. But the big question really is whether the upcoming new third person shooter taking the same name as this series can live up to the dizzying heights this Arcade game has claimed.

OVERALL 8/10

--- contest closed,congrats to the winner! ---It's a combo post! A new podcast and a Bionic Commando Rearmed giveaway!

2008-08-15T23:43:00.003-04:00

Check out the first episode of the newly titled version of the podcast,The 360 Evolved Radio Network episode 9. It's you weekly 30 minute dose of Xbox 360 news.

Oh yeah,we also have a code to giveaway to someone to download Capcom's Bionic Commando Rearmed for free! We only have 1,so good luck. All you got to do is leave a comment on this post,and a winner will be randomly drawn on Saturday. The winner will be announced over twitter so make sure you follow us on twitter,the address is www.twitter.com/360evolved.

Devo, Duran Duran, and the Janitors coming to Rock Band next week

2008-08-15T23:00:00.004-04:00

On Tuesday, these songs are coming out for Rock Band. All of them are 160 MS points each, besides the song by the Janitors, which is 80 MS points:

+ "Girl U Want" - Devo.
+ "Through Being Cool" - Devo.
+ "Girls on Film" - Duran Duran.
+ "Rio" - Duran Duran.
+ "Get Your Rock On" - the Janitors.

INTERNATIONAL BOX OFFICE SENSATION MAGGIE Q TO STAR IN NEED FOR SPEED UNDERCOVER

2008-08-15T12:46:00.001-04:00

Black Box, a studio of Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ:ERTS) today announced Need for Speed™ Undercover, the intense action racing title scheduled for release this holiday. The new game will feature international movie star, Maggie Q, as the lead character in the big-budget live-action sequences that propel the original story forward as players get behind the wheel. EA’s Need for Speed Undercover takes the franchise back to its roots and re-introduces break-neck cop chases, the world’s hottest cars and spectacular highway battles.

“Need for Speed Undercover features a deep and engaging story of spectacular Hollywood-style live-action that will transport players into the fictional world of the Tri-City Bay Area,” said Bill Harrison, Need for Speed Undercover Executive Producer. “Working with talent the calibre of Maggie Q allows us to deliver an unparalleled level of storytelling that will keep players engaged in between 180-mile-an-hour races.”

Maggie Q, who has starred in Mission Impossible III and Live Free or Die Hard, plays Federal Agent Chase Linh, a seductive handler who recruits and guides players as they go undercover. Players will take on dangerous jobs and compete in races in order to infiltrate and takedown a ruthless international crime syndicate.

“I’ve always been a fan of racing games and working on Need for Speed Undercover was an amazing experience,” said Maggie Q. “I was so impressed by the scope and quality of the overall production that goes into a videogame these days. It was like any other day on a Hollywood set; I felt right at home. The Black Box team is doing tremendous work here and I can’t wait to see the final game.”

Brother in Arms Hells Highway QandA

2008-08-15T10:41:00.002-04:00

1) BIA is known for its great Squad command system. Can you tell us a bit more about how it’s going to work in BIA HH?

Randy Pitchford: Brothers in Arms introduced a new way to think about working with a squad. The goal from the beginning is about accessibility – about making the interface work for you intuitively. For Hell’s Highway, we’ve taken some time since the last Brothers in Arms games to think about how the system can work better and to listen to players who have loved what we did and have challenged us to go even farther. This culminates to the best Brothers in Arms game ever made – by a wide margin.

We have established the system with the two previous games and expanded it in very interesting ways for players who are looking for new depth. We can do that without forcing any complexity for any users who may actually prefer if things were more simple to use.

The command system still remains as simple as shooting your gun, aiming at something and triggering the command button. If you're aiming at the ground, your command is "Move to that position!" If you're aiming at an enemy, your command is "Attack that enemy!"

Some of these orders are contextual and will vary depending of what you’re aiming at. A sandbag cover for example is something that you can destroy with your bazooka crew. In that case, the command ring will change and indicating that you can blow up this cover.

2) Just how advanced is the friendly and enemy AI in Hell’s Highway?

Randy Pitchford: How advanced is the AI – well... We’ve invested a LOT in it. The game relies heavily on the decisions of the AI, so it not only has to have a good, fair awareness of what is going on around each decision maker, but it must have really interesting things to do with each decision the AI makes. It’s become amazingly natural, but super sophisticated over the years. The more sophisticated the AI gets, the more simple and natural (human) it appears in the game.

3) We see during some parts of the game you’ll be without your team. How does this break down?

Randy Pitchford: In Hell’s Highway, the story sometimes separates Sgt. Baker from his squad. This is true for about 15% or so of the game. It’s great for variety – really changes the feeling and the game play. It’s also great for the story telling for reasons I don’t want to spoil. Another interesting side effect is that it reminds you how much better it is to play a first person action game with a squad that you have control over – it really makes us feel how shallow a lot of our shooting gallery experiences are with traditional first person shooters.

Warner Music Group today announced that it will make its music videos available to Microsoft’s Xbox LIVE community around the world.

2008-08-15T00:22:00.003-04:00

Warner Music Group (NYSE: WMG) today announced that it will make its music videos available to Microsoft’s Xbox LIVE community around the world.

Beginning this week, more than 12 million Xbox LIVE members worldwide can download music videos by featured WMG artists from Xbox LIVE Marketplace and watch them on their Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system. The music videos will be from WMG’s world-renowned roster of artists including Cute is What We Aim For, Death Cab For Cutie, Flo Rida, Matchbox Twenty, Panic! At the Disco and T.I. among others.

In making the announcement, Larry Mattera, Senior Vice President, Digital Sales & Marketing, WEA Corp., WMG’s U.S. retail sales and marketing company, said, “Xbox 360 has been an important partner in our efforts to offer consumers more ways to experience our artists’ music and this is especially true among gamers who are some of the most passionate music fans. With this agreement, we can take advantage of Microsoft’s music platform and provide gamers what they want: music videos from their favorite artists that can be downloaded quickly and easily.”

In the coming weeks and months the WMG offering on Xbox LIVE will continue to grow. “We’ve expanded on the strength of our gaming platform with new entertainment experiences,” said Xbox LIVE Sr. Group Product Manager, Peter Orullian. “We’re excited to offer WMG music videos to our 12 million members around the world as we continue to evolve our music presence.”

Xbox LIVE already offers much more than its great game line-up, providing its members with movies, TV episodes, and ways to stay connected with the global community. And coming this fall, Microsoft will introduce a new Xbox experience that will reinvent home entertainment from the inside out, changing the way people stay in touch and enjoy the best entertainment content. The addition of WMG music provides strategic growth for both partners, while giving consumers more entertainment options.

Red Faction Guerilla beta impressions

2008-08-14T23:26:00.006-04:00

As all of you should know by now,THQ and Volition (yes the guys that make the Saints Row series) has started a private online multiplayer beta for their upcoming title Red Faction Guerilla. We here at 360 Evolved were lucky enough to get keys for entry to the invitation only beta,which went to members of the staff here at 3EV. So now I think it is time to hit you with my impressions of the beta,how it plays and how it looks.

Right from the start of the beta you will have access to the quick match option that pretty much randomly selects who you will be playing with and throws you right into the action. However the game lobby is where one of the first problems you will notice shows up. Lets say you are waiting in the lobby for others to join in to get the game started,but you start to notice that every time someone else joins the game,the countdown timer resets back to 40. This will continue until nobody shows up and the countdown timer finally can make it to 0. But this is obviously why we have beta tests folks,and this problem should be fixed up by the game's launch. At least let's hope so.

So after I was finally able to get a game started,I noticed right from the start that the game does look good. It's visuals are sharp and well detailed. The color palette is somewhat dark and red tinted but fits the game's futuristic atmosphere well. The choice of weapons is where the beta shines. You will be started off with a random "futuristic style" gun and get this,a sledgehammer. The sledgehammer is where the most fun lies with RF. This game has a level of destructibility that I have not seen in pretty much any other game. You can use the sledgehammer to bash anything in you way to bits,and I do mean anything. Buildings,bridges,anything can be taken down by your sledgehammer. This makes multiplayer even more enjoyable since if you are getting bored shooting at the other team,you can take out your frustrations on a nearby building.

The game sports an "over the shoulder" almost Gears of War style camera for the action which gives you a great view and does not interfere with your vision of the other on-screen players. The goal to the game mode included in the beta is that there are two teams and each team must defend three points or bases on the map. And it is your goal to attack and destroy the other team's bases. There are two teams of 8 for a maximum total of 16 players on the map.

The beta is starting to lose some popularity just a little bit,at least going by how tough it was to find a game when I wrote this feature. I don't think this is due to the game's quality or how it plays though. I am pretty sure that gamers are just wanting to see more of this title and don't want to yet again play on the one and only map included in this beta. I believe that RF:Guerilla has a bright future ahead of it on the Xbox LIVE charts. The game should be met with positive reviews when the title launches. So if you don't have a key,ask around to a good friend you might know on Xbox LIVE,who knows,they might be able to get you in to enjoy this high quality beta before it closes. This beta is something all Xbox 360 gamers should experience,at least once!

Survey shows 360 has most developers

2008-08-14T18:19:00.002-04:00

IGN is reporting that the Game Developer Research team has surveyed more than 2,000 members of the gaming industry and found out what console they develop for the most.

According to the survey: 70% develop for PC/Mac, 43% develop for consoles, 26% develop for web, and 16% develop for handheld consoles. Upon further analysis, the survey showed that 73% develop for the 360, 58% develop for the PS3, 42% develop for the Wii, and 15% still develop for the PS2. For handhelds, it showed that 75% develop for the DS, while 45% develop for the PSP.

EA signs publishing deal with Epic

2008-08-14T17:37:00.003-04:00

Earlier today, EA announced that they have signed a publishing agreement with Epic Games for a new action/adventure game for the 360, PS3, and PC. The new IP is currently in development by Epic's People Can Fly studio in Poland.

Dell selling 360 Elite bundle for $350.

2008-08-14T16:19:00.004-04:00

Dell.com is selling a Xbox 360 Elite bundle, including the console, Forza Motorsport 2, Marvel: Ultimate Alliance, as well as two faceplates, for $350 with free shipping.

But, to get this price, you'll have to use a $100 off coupon code V8Q199$GCXJWL$ in the Coupon Entry field. This offer only lasts until August 20th.

Castle Crashers priced at 1200 MS points

2008-08-14T16:08:00.005-04:00

From the Castle Crashers dev blog:

"The price for Castle Crashers will be 1,200 Microsoft points. This month’s only online multiplayer XBLA game launches on Wednesday, August 27th, 2008, so get ready to grab some friends and prepare to smash stuff!"

This is obviously going to cause controversy, seeing as games like Braid and Penny Arcade Adventures were similarly priced. But, play the demo and judge for yourself.

SouthPeak announces a new IP "X-Blades"

2008-08-14T12:54:00.004-04:00

Get ready for "X-Blades" coming to the Xbox 360 and other platforms "later this year" from SouthPeak Games. Read the full press release below.......

"SouthPeak Games today announced that X-Blades will be available on the PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system, the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft® and Windows-based PC when it releases later this year. Developed by Gaijin Entertainment in conjunction with TopWare Interactive, the anime-inspired X-Blades follows Ayumi, a brave and beautiful thrill seeker, whose obsession with hunting lost treasures lands her in a fight for her life.

"One of the greatest challenges we face with multi-platform games is how to deliver an equally fantastic experience across each platform," said John F. Kaiser, III, Producer at SouthPeak Games. "With X-Blades, we've taken time to ensure the same intense hack-and-slash gameplay is delivered seamlessly on all platforms."

Ayumi, a stunningly seductive yet tenacious heroine, travels the world hunting highly coveted artifacts. After finding an ancient treasure map she sets off on the most dangerous adventure she's ever faced and quickly finds herself outmanned and outgunned. Armed with only her fighting skill, magic spells, guns and blades, Ayumi must fend off rival treasure seekers, hordes of evil creatures and powerful dark forces in order to survive."

Tiger Woods PGA Tour 09 demo

2008-08-14T10:45:00.001-04:00

Want something new to play? A demo to EA Sports' upcoming Tiger Woods PGA Tour 09 is now available on the LIVE marketplace! The demo lets you play 3 holes on the new Gary Player course in South Africa. You will also get to check out the new club tuner feature!

FIFA 09 Soundtrack revealed

2008-08-14T10:41:00.002-04:00

August 14, 2008 – Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: ERTS) today unveiled the complete music track listing for EA SPORTS™ FIFA 09, in stores from October 2nd. In a game already being heralded for its revolutionary gameplay enhancements, the new FIFA 09 soundtrack features 42 songs from 21 nations across multiple genres to create an unprecedented global music event.

In what has become an annual tradition, FIFA 09 features a handpicked roster of Platinum acts and new artists from around the world that defines the sound of the coming football season. This year’s soundtrack includes tracks from Scotland’s finest, The Fratellis, and Irish trio, The Script – currently on course for the number 1 slot in this week’s UK album charts. Other UK highlights come from pop sensations The Ting Tings, Kasabian, The Kooks, Foals and Duffy.

“We have exceeded our annual challenge to create videogames’ preeminent international soundtrack,” said Steve Schnur, Worldwide Executive of Music and Marketing at EA. “No other game has been as influential with regards to new music, and FIFA 09 truly raises the bar worldwide. We’re excited that Brazilian fans of Curumin will hear Spain’s The Pinker Tones and Norway’s Datarock. We’re proud that Canadians who love Chromeo will discover Ladytron from England and Junkie XL from Holland. We want fans throughout France, Mexico and Germany to find that their favourite new song is by Señor Flavio from Argentina, DJ Bitman from Chile or Jupiter One from New York. FIFA 09 will take music globalization to a whole new level.”

The complete in-game soundtrack for FIFA 09 includes:

Artist	Song	Country	Album
Caesar Palace	1ne	Italy	Dogs from V-Gas
Chromeo	Bonafied Lovin' (Yuksek Remix)	Canada	Fancy Footwork: Deluxe Edition
CSS	Jager Yoga	Brazil	Donkey
Curumin	Magrela	Brazil	Japan Pop Show
Cut Copy	Lights And Music	Australia	In Ghost Colours
Damian "Jr. Gong" Marley	Something For You (One Loaf Of Bread)	Jamaica
Datarock	True Stories	Norway
DJ Bitman	Me Gustan	Chile	Latin Bitman
Duffy	Mercy	Wales	Rockferry
Foals	Olympic Airways	England	Antidotes
Gonzales	Working Together (Boys Noize Remix)	France	Soft Power
Hot Chip	Ready For The Floor (Soulwax Remix)	England	Made In The Dark
Jakobinarina	I'm A Villain	Iceland	First Crusade
Junkie XL feat. Electrocute	Mad Pursuit	Holland	Booming Back At You
Jupiter One	Platform Moon	USA	Jupiter One
Kasabian	Fase Fuse	England
Ladytron	Runaway	England	Velocifero
Lykke Li	I'm Good I'm Gone	Sweden	Youth Novels
Macaco	Movin'	Spain
MGMT	Kids	USA	Oracular Spectacular
My Federation	What Gods Are These	England	Don't Wanna Die
Najwajean	Drive Me	Spain	Till It Breaks
Plastilina Mosh	Let U Know	Mexico	All U Need Is Mosh
Radiopilot	Fahrrad	Germany	Fahrrad
Reverend And The Makers	Open Your Window	England	The State Of Things
Sam Sparro	Black & Gold	USA	Sam Sparro
Señor Flavio	Lo Mejor Del Mundo	Argentina	Supersaund 2012
Soprano	Victory	France
The Airborne Toxic Event	Gasoline	USA	The Airborne Toxic Event
The Black Kids	I'm Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend How To Dance With You (The Twelves Remix)	USA	I'm Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend How To Dance With You
The Bloody Beetroots	Butter	Italy
The Fratellis	Tell Me A Lie	Scotland	Here We Stand
The Heavy	That Kind Of Man	England	Great Vengeance And Furious Fire
The Kissaway Trail	61	Denmark	The Kissaway Trail
The Kooks	Always Where I Need To Be	England	Konk
The Pinker Tones	The Whistling Song	Spain	Wild Animals
The Script	The End Where I Begin	Ireland	The Script
The Ting Tings	Keep Your Head	England	We Started Nothing
The Veronicas	Untouched	Australia	Hook Me Up
The Whip	Muzzle #1	England	X Marks Destination
Tom Jones	Feels Like Music (Junkie XL Remix)	Wales
Ungdomskulen	Modern Drummer	Norway	Cry-Baby

This year EA SPORTS™ is changing the way sports games are played online, enabling 20 individuals playing fixed positions to play a single game of FIFA 09 at the same time. Instead of thinking as an individual player, now the gamer has to think and play as a team in Be A Pro: 10 vs. 10 Online Team Play for the PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system and Xbox 360®™ video game and entertainment system.

To learn more about FIFA 09 visit www.FIFA09.ea.com. For news, exclusive downloads, streaming music clips and more visit www.ea.com/eatrax/.

The first screens of Overlord 2

2008-08-14T10:37:00.004-04:00

Viva Pinata Trouble in Paradise boxart

2008-08-14T10:34:00.001-04:00

New screens for MegaMan 9 Concrete Man, Magma Man, and Tornado Man

2008-08-13T20:08:00.005-04:00

360 Evolved has just received these fresh screenshots straight from Capcom showing off the "Concrete Man","Magma Man" and "Tornado Man" characters from the upcoming MegaMan 9 game coming to the Xbox 360 this Fall. Check them out on our flickr page now!

Microsoft to be absent from Leipzig

2008-08-13T13:37:00.002-04:00

videogaming247 has reported that Microsoft will not be holding a Xbox 360 press conference at the Leipzig Game Convention next week. They were told by a MS rep via email that there will be no press conference "per se", but they will have demos for the public, and behind closed doors.

This leaves Sony as the only company holding a press conference this year. Last May, Nintendo publicly backed out of the convention.

Invalid Fable 2: Pub Game pre-order codes

2008-08-13T12:20:00.002-04:00

For those of you who pre-ordered Fable 2 and got codes to get the Pub Games for free aren't going to be happy to read this.

According to many people on the internet, and places like the Xbox forums, as well as comments on Major Nelson's blog, are having trouble redeeming their Pub Games code. When they put in the code, they get an error message that reads "Invalid code".

But, according to Joystiq, Microsoft is aware of the problem, and they are issuing new working codes within the next 24 - 48 hours.

Brett Favre's name misspelled in Madden 09

2008-08-13T09:19:00.003-04:00

A reader from Kotaku has posted this screenshot, and points out that Brett Favre's last name is misspelled in the collector's edition in Madden 09.

Will EA be patching this soon? Or do they even notice?

Fallout 3 unbanned in Australia

2008-08-13T08:38:00.002-04:00

Gamespot is reporting that the highly anticipated Fallout 3 has been unbanned in Australia. The game was initially getting banned due to in-game drug use, which made it so that the game couldn't get classified, and made it illegal to sell in Australia.

The Classification Board in Australia has now given Fallout 3 a rating of MA+15, with listing it as having "strong violence, drug references, and coarse language."

In Australia, movies can be sold that have a rating higer than MA+15, but video games cannot.

This same thing happened with the game Dark Sector, that came out a couple months ago. The distributors came out with a much "toned down" version that was deemed acceptable to sell in Australia, and is coming out in September there.

Gamespot also contacted the Australia Classification Board, and they responded by saying that the game was able to be passed because of "the reward and incentive" for the in-game drug use has been toned down. They did not comment further in what else was changed in the game.

Batman: Arkham Asylum revealed by Game Informer

2008-08-13T00:38:00.003-04:00

Today, Game Informer revealed that they have information about the new Batman game, called Batman: Arkham Asylum, in their September issue. The game is being developed by Rocksteady Studios and Eidos. According to their post, the story will revolve around Joker and his prison break from Arkham Asylum. They also say "Arkham Asylum is setting the stage for a true-to-character Batman game."

Also, details from the Game Informer issue have been leaked onto NeoGAF. Some of the things leaked include:
+ Single player action game for the 360, PS3, and PC.
+ Coming out in 2009.
+ "Boasts a brand new story reminiscent of the depth and twists of Bioshock."
+ The characters are to be authentic, yet distinct.
+ Runs on Unreal Engine 3, with an over-the-shoulder perspective.
+ Some of the villans include Joker, Harley Quinn, Killer Croc, Penguin, Riddler, Scarecrow and more. The magazine also hints that you may be able to play as some of the villans.
+ Eidos has license over all 70 years of Batman comics, and may pull from that.

Even more Too Human screenshots!

2008-08-12T23:34:00.003-04:00

We now have even more screens up for the upcoming action RPG from Microsoft and Silicon Knights "Too Human. The screens are now up for your viewing pleasure at the 360 Evolved flickr page.

Fable 2 Pub Games

2008-08-12T19:58:00.002-04:00

Hi readers!,Fable 2 Pub games will be reviewed on 360 Evolved this week. So go ahead,download the trial,play it and have fun. But before you plunk down the dough to buy the full version,wait for the review right here at 360Evolved.com to make sure it will be worth your 800msp ($10.00)

Gymnastic Champion Becomes the New Face of Lara Croft

2008-08-12T19:38:00.001-04:00

The next Lara Croft has now been officially chosen,here is the press release........

In her latest incarnation the new Lara Croft isn’t just a pretty face - as a former gymnastic representative for Great Britain, she’s now got the all action skills to match.

Athletic and agile, 23 year old Alison Carroll from Croydon is set to be catapulted from her current job as a receptionist to a world of superstardom as she follows in the footsteps of Oscar-winning actress Angelina Jolie and model Nell McAndrew to become the new face of Lara Croft.

Unlike her predecessors Alison does not come from a modelling background, but with 12 years' experience as a professional display gymnast, she is completely at ease at the thought of appearing in front of thousands of screaming Lara Croft fans. She certainly had no trouble impressing the judges when she competed against hundreds of other hopefuls in the search to find the live model of the action heroine.

Alison is an elite gymnast who has flown the flag for Great Britain. She has performed across the UK and overseas as part of a team of twenty athletes, wowing Prince Charles when she appeared at a special event at Westminster Abbey. She is also a dedicated coach of younger gymnasts, and recently choreographed the routine for the junior team that won the British National Championships.

Alison already follows a rigorous training regime, visiting the gym six times per week, and will be well prepared as she embarks on the fast and gruelling training programme required to portray sexy heroine Lara Croft. Starting immediately she will undertake a series of courses which will include a SAS survival, combat and semi-automatic weapon firing courses in Eastern Europe, and a crash course in world archaeology, to become the world famous, archaeologist and action heroine.

Once completely trained in the ways of video gaming’s leading lady, Alison will be lining up a host of international modelling assignments, starring in TV commercials, appearing on chat shows and is set to travel the globe over the coming months.

Alison Carroll says; “This is a fantastic opportunity and I am really looking forward to embracing Lara’s world” said Alison Carroll “I still can’t believe they chose me to take on the role of Lara – and I can’t wait to get stuck in. This is my dream job – I have always wanted to be an action hero and hope to be able to use my gymnastic ability to perform all of Lara’s stunts. It is slightly daunting but I am really excited at the same time.”

Sarah Hoeksma, Eidos Group Marketing Director says; “With her tremendous athletic ability, dance training and striking look we feel Alison embodies all the assets required to be the live model of Lara Croft, and we are really looking forward to working with her.”

Alison follows in the footsteps of previous Lara Croft stars, Karima Adebibe, Lucy Clarkson, Rhona Mitra, Nell McAndrew, Lara Weller and of course Angelina Jolie in the Tomb Raider movies.

Tomb Raider: Underworld marks the first game in this popular, recognisable series that is designed specifically for next generation consoles. Lara Croft uncovers proof of the existence of the mythical hammer of the Norse God Thor, a weapon rumored to have the power to smash mountains into valleys and destroy the Gods themselves.

Setting an epic journey around the globe in motion, Lara visits the ruins of ancient civilizations, collecting clues that lead her to a forgotten power that could lay waste to civilization. Exploiting the power and capabilities of next generation consoles, Lara must hunt for clues across massive environments, solving multifaceted puzzles, facing foes both animal and supernatural, this time with the aid of enhanced weapons and abilities.

Mega Man 9 achievements are strictly for the hardcore

2008-08-12T17:41:00.003-04:00

Most people know that the Mega Man games are tough. But, with the release of Mega Man 9 on XBLA comes the achievements, and boy, they look ridiculous.

Some of the amazing things that you'd have to do to get these achievements include:

+ Invincible - Clear the game without dying.
+ Jitterbug - Clearing the game in an hour.
+ Gamer's Day - Clear the game five times in one day.

Think you're up to the challenge?

Edge gives innovation award to Halo 3.

2008-08-12T15:03:00.003-04:00

The UK game magazine Edge has given their "Edge Award for Interactive Innovation" to Halo 3. Edge has previously given this award to the same game last year.

Last year, the Edge staff said: "[Bungie] built Halo 3 to express what its fans dreamt it could be: four player online co-op, a level editor, screenshots, and the best matchmaking system in the world." They added this with this year's award: "From its Theater mode to Forge, and the way a party playing through Live can seamlessly manoeuvre between them, here is an experience that demonstrates an unparalleled understanding of the potential for console online play."

Roadrunner Rock Band pack released today

2008-08-12T13:19:00.002-04:00

Today, a pack of songs from the Roadrunner record label have been released on Rock Band. You can buy the tracks individually for 80 MS points each, or buy the pack of six for 480, under Roadrunner Records Pack 01.

The tracks are as follows:
"Runnin' Wild" by Airbourne
"Clouds Over California" by DevilDriver
"Constant Motion" by Dream Theater
"My Curse" by Killswitch Engage
"Aesthetics Of Hate" by Machine Head
"Sleepwalker" by Megadeth

New printable cover of Madden 09 avaliable

2008-08-12T12:41:00.003-04:00

For those of you who don't know, the cover of the highly anticipated Madden 09 features Brett Favre, in his Green Bay Packers uniform. About a week ago, Favre switched over to the New York Jets. To make the cover choice seem less awkward, yesterday, the EA Sports site released a set of downloadable/printable PDF files of the Madden 09 cover, with Favre in his Jets uniform. The new covers are available for the Xbox 360, Playstation 3, Playstation 2, and Playstation Portable versions of the game, excluding the DS, Wii, and original Xbox versions.

The blog post also mentions a new roster download available online today, which features Favre as the starting quarterback for the Jets. If you don't play online, you can always play as him in the NFL Giants roster.

Braid is now the highest rated XBLA game

2008-08-11T21:44:00.004-04:00

Braid has only been out for less than a week, five days to be exact, and it is already receiving universal acclaim by gamers and reviewers alike, despite its controversial $15 price tag.

But, to a lot of people's surprise, the game exceeded most expectations. According to the official Braid blog, the game is now "the highest rated game" for XBLA, with a 92/100 from both Metacritic and GameRankings. The blog also mentions that the wildly popular and addicting Geometry Wars 2 is second highest, with a 90/100.

But, as if that wasn't enough, Braid is in the 10th highest ranked game for the 360 on Metacritic, among the ranks of such amazing titles as GTA4, Bioshock, Gears of War, Oblivion, and Rock Band. The blog jokingly says that if they get one more point on the Metacritic rating, they will jump to 8th, surpassing Guitar Hero 2 and Rock Band.

vgcharts has also reported that the game has sold an astonishing 28,500 units in three days. It has beat out Rez HD in opening weekend sales by 3,000 units.