AceyBongos' Xbox Life: March, 2008

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March 31

Football Manager 2008 Demo Up Now

Grab yer sheepskin coat and prepare some footballing cliches for the media - a demo for the beautifully life-destroying Football Manager 2008 is now available on Marketplace. It's available everywhere except Austria and Germany.

Xbox LIVE Downtime Tomorrow @ 10am UK Time

You'll hopefully be aware of this thanks to the heads-up that dropped into your Xbox LIVE messages last week, but Xbox LIVE is going to be down for maintenance tomorrow morning from 10am UK time (11am in Central Europe) for approximately three hours. It's not a Dash update or anything, just some routine behind the scenes work.

March 30

Call of Duty 4 Boot Camp Event Debrief

First of all, I have two confessions to make:

1. I forgot my camera, and therefore have no pictures of the event to post. What a numpty Sad

2. While I was interviewing Infinity Ward programmer Jon Shiring I claimed to have beaten the last level of the game (the one storming the 747) on Veteran. I haven't. I've only done it on Hardened. Whoops! If that makes it into the Inside Xbox I know someone is going to check my Achievements and slate me...

Other than that, the Call of Duty 4 Boot Camp event was immense! I've seen lots of great feedback from those who attended so thanks for your kind words, and I'll definitely pass them on to Activision. Someone at Acti was telling me they were unsure how successful the event would be so I'll make sure they hear just how much you enjoyed it and appreciated it!

In terms of Inside Xbox stuff we recorded three interviews. One was with an ex-SAS officer called Robin Horsfall who was about as cool and nails as you would expect. He was telling us how he was an SAS sniper and helped design the modern Ghillie suit (the one you wear in the 'All Ghillie'd Up' level) and had some interesting views on how videogame interpretations of war differ from the real thing.

Then we spoke to Jon Shiring, one of the legendary programmers from Infinity Ward and a bloody nice bloke too. He had loads of interesting stuff to say about the maps, how the community helped shape them, and how Inifinty Ward still love playing the game after all the work they've done on it.

Finally there was Mark Rubin, Call of Duty 4's producer. Again, he was ridiculously nice and friendly - not only is Infinity Ward a stupidly talented dev studio it's obviously a nice place to be too. We had a great chat with Mark about the CoD phenomenon and he was always quick to point out how important the community has been in the game's success.

And I'm not forgetting Lee (sorry mate, can't remember your Gamertag but I know the cameraman has it), Dark Knightfall and Atheistium who gave us some quality voxpops on the new maps. Good work! Hopefully all three of you will make the final Inside Xbox cut.

We're looking to have the Inside Xbox vd ready for later this week, so I'll keep you posted. I think we're also going to cut the three seperate interviews too since they're too good to waste, so I'll let you know what we do with them.

And as for the Call of Duty 4 Variety Map Pack, according to the freebies we got at the event it will be released on April 4 for 800 MS Points. I have heard April 3 mentioned too, so I'll try to find out tomorrow and let you know. The overwhelming opinion was that all four are quality additions, so should be good.

Fine, fine work Activision - hopefully there'll be another event like this soon...

Marketplace Update - 30/3

Nice to see the clocks go forward this weekend, and it seems like it's brought some nicer weather too. I managed to get some quiet time yesterday to play loads of Bully - I'm about 50% complete now and areally enjoying it. I've also been grinding Forza 2 a bit. I have loads of Achievements still to unlock that I thought I'd never get, but someone recently reminded me that you can hire drivers to do the dirty work for you! I feel a bit guilty about it, but hey - I'm putting virtual food in the virtual stomachs of the virtual children of virtual race drivers for hire...

DICE Sessions: BioWare, Harmonix, and 2K Boston Panel: Free and available everywhere.
Dark Sector Voiceover Featurette video: Free and only available in the UK.
Dark Sector Webisode 2: Free and available everywhere.
Dark Sector Webisode 3: Free and available everywhere.
Dark Sector Webisode 4: Free and available everywhere.

UEFA Euro 2008 Demo Back Up

As loads of you have pointed out already (thanks guys - brilliant to see you all updating the site when I'm not online!) the UEFA Euro 2008 demo is back up and ready to rock. I believe there was a bit of confusion about whether the demo should be up or not as the US and Europe release dates are different, but hey ho.

I was playing the full game at work the other day and it's definitely getting better all the time (especially since in this version I can lead Scotland to its rightful place in Austria/Switzerland). You need to step up this year, Pro Evo...

March 28

Marketplace Update - 28/3

Just got back from the Call of Duty 4 Boot Camp event - was great, but more on that soon.

Rainbow Six Vegas 2 Theme Pack: 150 MS Points and available everywhere.
Rainbow Six Vegas 2 Picture Pack Deluxe: 60 MS Points and available everywhere.
Turok Multiplayer Map Pack In-Game Content: 400 MS Points and available everywhere.
Too Human Video Diary 3: Free and available everywhere.

Where Has The UEFA Euro 2008 Demo Gone?

Er, not sure - but I do know that we've temporarily removed it, so if you're looking for it I'm afriad you'll have to wait. I didn't have time to remove the Inside Xbox page today so apologies that it's still promoting it.

Will let you know when it's back up.

March 27

GTA IV Trailer IV Available Now On Marketplace and Xbox.com

Wow wow wow wow. The new Grand Theft Auto IV trailer - "Good Lord, What Are You Doing?" AKA "Everyone's A Rat" - is available now on Xbox LIVE Marketplace and Xbox.com (UK, Ireland, Spain, Italy, France and Germany tonight, everywhere else tomorrow). AND IT'S AMAZING. Honestly, can this game look any better?

You can also check out the trailer and loads more info on Liberty City at www.rockstargames.com/IV/.

Thoughts? Excited much? I seriously cannot wait...

Marketplace Update - 27/3

Sorry I'm posting so late today, had some computer-based 'mares and assorted busy-ness. Boo! Did manage to head over to OXM's office this afternoon to record another podcast, will let you know when it goes live next week.

Some cool stuff today:

Chessmaster Live Egypt Chess Set: 80 MS Points and available everywhere.
Chessmaster Live Mongol Chess Set: 80 MS Points and available everywhere.
Chessmaster Live Mushroom Chess Set: 80 MS Points and available everywhere.
Chessmaster Live Pyramids Chess Set: 80 MS Points and available everywhere.
Chessmaster Live Spheres Chess Set: 80 MS Points and available everywhere.
Halo 3 Heroic Map Pack Favorite Things Video: Free and available everywhere.
Red vs Blue: Episode 29 - Radar Love: 80 MS Points and available everywhere.
UEFA Euro 2008 Demo: Free and available everywhere.

March 26

Marketplace Update - 26/3

Today's XBLA game is TiQal, a puzzle game drawing on Mayan art. Cultural! More details on TiQal here. It's 800 MS Points or free for the trial version.

There's also a new update for SwitchBall today - it delivers improved graphics and new high score opportunities.

FIFA Street 3 Arena Theme Bunde #1: 150 MS Points and available everywhere.
FIFA Street 3 Arena Theme Bundle #2: 150 MS Points and available everywhere.
TiQal Pyramids Theme Pack: 150 MS Points and available everywhere.
TiQal Locations Theme Pack 1: 150 MS Points and available everywhere.
TiQal Totems Picture Pack 2: 100 MS Points and available everywhere.
TiQal Masks Picture Pack 1: 100 MS Points and available everywhere.
Gears of War 2 Unreal Engine Demo Trailer: Free and available everywhere.
Samsung Video: Free and available everywhere.
Dark Sector: Boss Strategy Video (Stalker): 50 MS Points and available everywhere.
Dark Sector: Boss Strategy Video (Nemesis): 50 MS Points and available everywhere.
Forza Motorsport 2 March Car Pack trailer: Free and available everywhere.
Red vs Blue: Episode 28 - In Stereo Where Available: 80 MS Points and available everywhere.

March 25

Call of Duty 4 Boot Camp Event Winners

Hello! I've sent messages to those of you who have been lucky enough to win two tickets to the Call of Duty 4 Boot Camp event - check your Spaces messages quickly to see if you've got in!

I'll take some photos on the day and we're shooting for Inside Xbox too, so should be cool.

Halo 3 Heroic Map Pack Now Free

Don't forget - you can now pick up the Halo 3 Heroic Map Pack for free. Sweet, sweet free-ness.

AND! The Halo 3 Legendary Map Pack will be released on April 15.

Marketplace Update - 25/3

Hope you had a cracking Easter weekend - I had a great (and tiring...) time in Brussels. The mighty Gaints even managed to win a game (doubling our win tally for the season!), the high point of which was a team goal reminiscent of that Argentina goal from the last World Cup where just about every player touched the ball before it hit the net. The assist was mine, by the way...

Back to business with a quick round-up of stuff that went live over the past couple of days:

Dark Sector: Boss Strategy Video (Colossus): 50 MS Points and available everywhere.
Corbis Sexy Sprites Theme: 150 MS Points and available everywhere.
CP3TV.com: "This is my Louisiana…": Free and available everywhere.

Cracking Down On Gamerscore Cheats

Uh-oh. If you needed proof that cheats rarely prosper Major Nelson has just announced that Xbox LIVE users who violate the Xbox LIVE terms of use by tampering with or glitching their Gamerscore or Achievements will get their just desserts - and I don't mean apple crumble.

The following action will be taken against Xbox LIVE users proven to have consistently cheated on their Gamerscore:

Resetting the entire Gamerscore for an account to zero
The account will be unable to regain all previously obtained achievements and Gamerscore, however, the players will have the ability to gain future Achievements by earning them fairly, like the majority of the Xbox LIVE community does.
The account will be clearly labeled as a cheater for the community to view on xbox.com. You can see an example here. In dash, the personal view of the gamercard will be labeled as well.

You can see an example of how a labelled account will look at Major Nelson's Flickr site.

Xbox takes any form of cheating over Xbox LIVE extremely seriously and is commited to dealing with it for the good of the wider Xbox community.

An FAQ has gone up on Xbox.com that describes more about the particular things you should NOT do if you want to avoid being branded a Gamerscore cheat, most notably:

Q: Under what circumstances does LIVE correct a specific gamerscore?
A: Specific and automated criteria are used to determine if a player has earned achievements by using tools that circumvent the game or avoid game play entirely. A player who meets these criteria has their gamerscore corrected.
Q: How does LIVE know a player has been cheating on their gamerscore versus another player?
A: We look for abnormal achievement and gamerscore activity using criteria that identifies users who have used external means to earn achievements without really playing the game. Users who play games legitimately to earn an achievements are unaffected by this.

So there you go - don't cheat your Gamerscore.

March 21

REMINDER: Easter Video Store Special Offer

Don't forget that the following movies are currently on special offer - 100 MS Points for the SD version and only 150 MS Points for the HD version! The offer expires at midnight tonight, but if you kick off the downloads before then you'll pay the reduced price and be able to keep the movie for two weeks on your hard drive, so it's definitely a good deal!

UK/Ireland

Transformers
Swordfish
1408
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Naked Gun

Germany

Black Snake Moan
Ocean's 13
Lucky You
Matrix Revolutions
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

France

Lucky You
Ocean's 13
Black Snake Moan
Shooter
Zodiac

Marketplace Update - 21/3

Happy Easter weekend! Wanted to remind you that I'm off to Brussels for the weekend in about an hour so no more posts from me this weekend - have a great time and make sure you eat plenty of chocolate.

Out today to keep you busy on your time off:

Rainbow Six Vegas 2
SEGA Superstars Tennis

And new on Marketplace:

This is Vegas World Trailer Announcement: Free and available in the UK, Ireland, France, Germany, Italy, Spain.
Fable 2 - Dev Diary: Episode 5: Free and available everywhere.
Need for Speed- Pro Street CCF0022: Porsche GT3 RS [Booster Pack]: 120 MS Points and available everywhere.
Need for Speed- Pro Street CCF0032: Porsche 997 GT3 [Booster Pack]: 100 MS Points and available everywhere.
Need for Speed- Pro Street CCF0037: Porsche Carrera GT [Booster Pack]: 200 MS Points and available everywhere.
Need for Speed- Pro Street CCF004C: Aston Martin DBR9: 200 MS Points and available everywhere.
Need for Speed- Pro Street CCF004D: Aston Martin DB9: 170 MS Points and available everywhere.
Need for Speed- Pro Street CCF004E: Audi R8 [Booster Pack]: 140 MS Points and available everywhere.
Need for Speed- Pro Street CCF004F: Bugatti Veyron [Booster Pack]: 250 MS Points and available everywhere.
Need for Speed- Pro Street CCF0051: Dodge Challenger [Booster Pack]: 60 MS Points and available everywhere.
Need for Speed- Pro Street CCF006E: Energizer Lithium Extender Pack: Free and available everywhere.
Need for Speed- Pro Street CCF006F: Coke Zero Booster Pack: Free and available everywhere.

I'll admit that I'm a bit confused by all the NFS: Pro Street content so if you need more info best to check out the dash details directly!

March 20

Get Yourself in Guitar Hero!

I hadn't heard about this but it just dropped into my email inbox - Activision are running a competition with the prize being the chance to have yourself digitised and included as a character in a future Guitar Hero game! Obviously you'll need to rock out to a RIDICULOUS degree to get picked, but all you really need to do is send in a video of yourself. Check out the details at www.ReleaseYourRockstar.com and check out this fine video featuring new Guitar Hero band from Northern Ireland, The Answer:

Quality!

Dreamfall: The Longest Journey Coming to Xbox Originals in Germany, France, Netherlands and Switzerland

Dreamfall: The Longest Journey is coming to Xbox Originals on Monday (March 24) but it's really important to note that it will only be available in the following European countries: Germany, France, Netherlands and Switzerland.

That's because the original Xbox game was never released in any other European country, so cannot therefore be released on Xbox Originals. Sorry everyone else, but enjoy it if you're in one of those countries!

Here are full details on the game, and I'll bring you more news on other upcoming Xbox Originals games when I have it:

Dreamfall: The Longest Journey

Funcom
US Rating: ESRB M (Mature - for Blood, Strong Language, Suggestive Themes, and Violence)
1200 Microsoft Points
(Available only in US, Canada, Switzerland, Germany, France, Netherlands, Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan, India, Australia, New Zealand)

Dreamfall: The Longest Journey, winner of multiple E3 awards as the best game in its genre, is the continuation of a saga that began with the award-winning The Longest Journey. In Dreamfall, prepare for an epic journey of exploration and adventure as you venture through a thrilling and emotional story line.

Dreamfall features a fully interactive world where beautiful music, stunning graphics, fascinating characters, and unparalleled gameplay variety promises to bring the adventure genre into a new era. Prepare for a spiritual, fantastic, and powerful gaming experience.

Unparalleled variety: Use your brains or your brawn—sneak, fight, or talk your way through the many challenges the game offers. Be polite or rude, threaten or sweet talk—in Dreamfall you make the choice, resulting in a game where you never quite know what to expect next.
Three characters: Experience the story from three separate perspectives, and learn how their destinies blend together in an epic finale. Each character has unique abilities and world views, giving you constant gameplay variations.
Three worlds: Dreamfall spans three beautifully realized worlds, multiple chapters, and a stunning number of detailed locations. Travel across a futuristic version of our earth, journey into a magical fantasy realm, and unravel the mysteries of the Winter.
Unique interaction: Bridging the gap between the classic "point and click" adventure game (where you could click on any given point at the screen) and the action adventure (where you need to move up to an object to interact with it), Dreamfall introduces the brand new focus field feature. In this easy-to-use context-sensitive interface, scan your entire visible environment as seen by the characters, and use it to get information on far away objects and trigger remote gameplay opportunities.
Thrilling story line: Dreamfall delivers a mature and compelling story line that mixes the futuristic, fantastic, and spiritual with a tale of murder, deceit, and a conspiracy threatening our very existence. Bringing the classic adventure game into the world of the modern action game, Dreamfall is a rare and special story experience.
Stunning sounds: Listen to an emotional and epic soundtrack in 7.1 Surround Sound. Hear gripping voices as recorded by more than 50 professional actors, and enjoy soundscapes bringing you to the edge of your seat.
Wide-ranging appeal: Half of the players of the original The Longest Journey were women. With its cinematic approach, believable characters, mature story line, and easy-to-grasp interface, Dreamfall is a game that any teenager or adult can pick up and enjoy, regardless of their gaming background.

WIN! Be An AceyBongos VIP At The Call of Duty 4 Boot Camp!

I've just posted about Activision's Call of Duty 4 Boot Camp event in London on Friday, March 24 from 1630, and you should definitely head to http://www.activision-win.co.uk/cod4/ to enrol for your chance to attend.

BUT! Activision have also been kind enough to arm me with 5 VIP passes to the event for battle-hardened AceyBongos readers! Each pass entitles you and one friend to attend the show and I'll be there on the day so together we can form a crack squad of Bongos soldiers of fortune!

For your chance to win one of my passes all you need to do is:

Send me a message through Spaces (Click 'Send Message' at the botto of this post) including your full name, date of birth and email address, and the full name and date of birth of who you would like to bring.
Also included a short description of why you deserve to be in AceyBongos' crack CoD4 squad.
Please note you have to be over 18 to attend the event.
The event will take place in a secret location in London on March 28 from 1630. The location will be confirmed to you if you are one of the winners.
You will need to pay for any transport and accomodation costs to get you to London.
If you know you cannot attend the event please do not enter!
Closing date for entries is 11.59pm GMT on Monday, March 24.

I'll pick the winners at random from all entries and let you know next Tuesday if you're in luck!

Right, better get some practice in or I'm going to get well embarassed...

Call of Duty 4 Boot Camp - Play the New Multiplayer Maps And Win Stuff!

Just put this together for Xbox.com in the UK. Activision are holding an exclusive Call of Duty 4 Boot Camp event in London next week to celebrate the game's success and the launch of the new multiplayer maps in April - and you can be there! Details below!

"Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare Boot Camp!

Win the chance to play the new Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare map packs before launch!

So you're a battle-hardened Call of Duty 4 veteran? Well, it's almost time for a new tour of duty! The new multiplayer map pack will hit Xbox LIVE in April, and thanks to Activision we've got a very special opportunity for you to try them out before the launch!

The Call of Duty 4 Boot Camp event is taking place in a top secret location in London on Friday March 28 from 1630 hours. It's a totally exclusive, limited-entry celebration of Call of Duty 4's huge success on Xbox 360 (Game of the Year 2007, anyone?) and the forthcoming release of the new maps.

Want to enrol for duty? All you need to do is report to www.activision-win.co.uk/cod4/ to sign up. If you're own of the lucky elite to be selected to attend you'll get all the details in an email direct from the top brass at Activision.

When there, everyone will receive a goody bag with exclusive Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare merchandise, including a token to download the forthcoming map packs in April. You will also get the chance to play the new download map packs before they are released and with enough practice you may be able to win the massive tournament and take home a 52” Samsung LCD screen, Samsung Blue-Ray Home Cinema system, an Xbox 360 and a copy of the game. Runners up prizes and other giveaways are happening on the day!

As well as all of this there will be special guest appearances including the Joystick Junkie girls to play with and the world famous developer, Infinity Ward, will be there to take you through the new maps.

Go on then, quick march to www.activision-win.co.uk/cod4/ and get signed up! Dismissed!"