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June 30 Rainbow Six Black Pack UpdateI was away from my computer all day yesterday so I didn't get the chance to update you on this, but it looks like the issue with the Rainbow Six Vegas Black Pack has sorted itself out for the best. Major Nelson has all the details, but essentially the pack will be available again now for FREE and anyone who downloaded it before it was pulled will have their 800 MS Points refunded in the next 8 to 10 weeks. Sorry for the hassle and thanks for your patience!
The Rainbow Six Red Pack will also be free as of July 6th. If You're Going to Send Me a Message Through Windows Live Spaces......Make sure your personal settings are configured so that I can message you back! I often get messages from people that I'd either like to try and answer or just drop you a line back to say thanks, but if your Windows Live account is set to private I can't! I don't want you to think I'm being rude :(
If you do want to keep your settings private stick your GamerTag in the message and I'll ping you over Live! Or, of course, you can always ask a question in the comments, or over Live. I can't promise to answer everything (and obviously there are some things that I can't answer even if I wanted to!) but I'll <Bon Jovi voice> give it a shot </Bon Jovi voice>. June 28 Civilization Headed to Next-Gen Consoles... Finally!It's not often I post about new game announcements these days, but when I saw this I just couldn't resist. 2K Games have announced the Civilization series will be coming to next-gen consoles (I should point out that Xbox 360 hasn't been explicitly specified) and handhelds, and I'm happier than a Settler laying down some irrigation on plains.
Called Sid Meier's Civilization Revolution, the new version is being built specifically for consoles and the man Meier himself reckons it's the game he "always wanted to make". Funnily enough, it's the game I've always been wanting him to make too! If you've never played a Civ game, it's a turn-based strategy game that encompasses 4000 years of human history as you guide your people to glory - or destruction. It's possibly the most addictive thing in the world (I'm pretty sure it almost caused me and TraceyBongos to split up) and it even manages to teach you a thing or two about history. I guess you could imagine something like Catan with about a million times the depth.
My favourite thing about Civ in the past was that it lets you build your own storyline. You set up your country, found a few cities, start to raise an army, make some allies, make some enemies, start wars, finish wars, endure uneasy periods of peace... It's like playing the most epic story ever told, and it gives you more freedom to tell that story than any other game I've ever known. Plus, what other game lets you guide the Scottish people to world domination and build the Pyramids in Edinburgh?
Sid Meier's Civilization Revolution isn't due until spring 2008, but EuroGamer reckons it'll be part of 2K's showing at E3 in a couple of weeks. We should get more info about if it definitely is coming to Xbox 360 then (and if it isn't I'll be well gutted!). Click here to read more info from Eurogamer.net.
Any other Civ fans out there or am I just a big nerd?
EDIT: Just noticed a video on Kotaku, plus the official website is up at www.CivilizationRevolution.com. GTAIV Trailer Available on Marketplace Now!The new GTAIV trailer - called 'Looking For That Special Someone' - is now available on Xbox Live Marketplace in HD, and on www.Xbox.com if you can't get to your box. It's free and available everywhere. Don't forget that there's a free GTAIV Theme and 4 GamerPics to download too.
Hanging off helicopters? So cool... Let me know what you think. June 27 GTAIV Trailer Plus FREE Theme and GamerPics on Marketplace Tomorrow!This is really cool - the next trailer for Grand Theft Auto IV will be available on Xbox.com and for download in HD from Xbox Live Marketplace from 6pm UK time on Thursday, June 28. Even better, there'll be a FREE GTAIV Theme and GamerPics available at the same time! The Theme and Gamerpic will be available to all regions.
"Grand Theft Auto IV: Looking For That Special Someone in HD On Xbox LIVE Marketplace, Xbox.com, and rockstargames.com/IV
On Thursday, June 28 at 10 am PST, gamers will be able to download Rockstar Games’ Grand Theft Auto IV trailer, “Looking For That Special Someone,” on Xbox.com and in high definition on Xbox LIVE Marketplace and, of course, rockstargames.com/IV. This will be the second trailer for the highly anticipated title slated to release on October 16 in North America and October 19 in Europe on the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft. The first trailer released in March, whetted the appetites of millions of gamers worldwide with the first peek at the epic title from Rockstar Games. The Grand Theft Auto IV trailer was one of the most downloaded trailers to date on Xbox LIVE Marketplace.
To celebrate the release of the second trailer, Xbox 360 gamers will be able to download exclusive Grand Theft Auto IV theme and gamer pics from Xbox LIVE Marketplace.
Grand Theft Auto IV is the next chapter of the award winning Grand Theft Auto franchise from Rockstar Games, and will feature episodic content through Xbox LIVE exclusive to the Xbox 360."
Can't wait to see the new trailer - I'm ridiculously excited about GTAIV.
EDIT: Fixed my typo in the headline, clarified that the Theme and GamerPic will be available everywhere (as will the trailer) and changed the time of the trailer's release to 6pm UK time - apologies, it's my fault for getting confused on the old GMT/BST thing...
I think I need a holiday... GTAIV Special EditionHow. Cool. Is this?
Marketplace Update - 27/6BUMPER Marketplace update today, and don't forget that today's Xbox Live Arcade game Carcassonne is now available for download. It's 800 MS Points and you can download a free trial version if you're cautious with the coinage. Carcassone screens and full details here.
June 26 UPDATED: Rainbow Six Vegas Black Edition Available NowContact! There's a new map pack available for Rainbow Six Vegas on Marketplace now. It's called Player's Packs: Black Edition, it contains 5 maps and will set you back 800 MS Points.
"Not to be outdone by the Red Edition, the award winning development team for Rainbow Six Vegas continues to raise the stakes on the game Team Xbox called the "Multiplayer Game of the year" with the all new Player's pack: Black Edition. This pack includes 5 maps; 3 new never before seen maps like Red Lotus and Wartown, a reduxed version of Streets, and a very special appearance by an original classic, PRESIDIO from the award-winning Rainbow Six 3. Place your bets on the Player's Packs: Black Edition to complete the ultimate Vegas experience."
I'm trying to scare up some screens of the new maps. Will let you know if I get 'em.
EDIT: The pack has been pulled. If you have already downloaded it you should still be able to play the new maps, but if you haven't downloaded the pack yet you won't find it on Marketplace at the moment. Will update when it goes live again - thanks for your patience. Xbox.com Gets a MakeoverHave you swung past www.Xbox.com today? You should, because it's looking good. The team have just pushed a makeover live and - while it's not a complete overhaul - it's a really nice start. The background looks a bit slicker and the navigation is much better.
This is just a small step in a long journey to make www.Xbox.com even better. Check it out and let us know what you think!
 Marketplace Update - 26/6Lots of games out this Friday: Overlord, The Darkness, Project Sylpheed, Tenchu Z and Vampire Rain. Got your eye on anything in particular? I think The Darkness is going to be pretty amazing, but I'm still so addicted to Forza 2 that I can't really see past it...
EDIT: Turns out there are even more games coming out on Friday - Hour of Victory, Harry Potter and the Order of The Phoenix and Call of Juarez will both also be on the shelves! Busy day... June 25 Dead or Alive 4 Real!French Xbox blogger Draak got in touch with me the other day to point me towards a video he recently put together, having been inspired by the fisticuffs in Dead or Alive 4. It's a brilliantly choreographed mash-up of game footage and live action that's just tongue-in-cheek enough to avoid being cheesy:
If you head to Draak's YouTube profile you can also watch a video of how they made the film and some cool training footage. Fine work! I'm looking forward to the Dead or Alive Xtreme 2 film, but I'd rather not see you and your mate in bikinis, okay?
Draak's Windows Live Space is also really good - if you can read French! Marketplace Update - 25/6I see Major Nelson is thinking about moving towards posting one list of new Marketplace content every day, just like me. Bongos FTW! Seriously though, I actually prefer the way he posts seperately about each new piece of content as it goes live, and gives the Dash details for each. Pop over to his blog and vote in his poll for what you prefer.
Carcassonne on Xbox Live Arcade WednesdayBoard? You won't be on Wednesday when Carcassonne, the latest Xbox Live Arcade game, hits Marketplace. It'll be 800 MS Points and it's an adaptation of a Catan-style strategic board game that, if anything, looks even deeper and more addictive than Catan.
From the press release:
"Build a Medieval Empire on Xbox LIVE Arcade with the Popular German Board Game "Carcassonne"
The classic, well-known European board game “Carcassonne” arrives on Xbox LIVE Arcade for Xbox 360 this Wednesday 27 June at 09:00 GMT / 10:00 CET.
Named after the medieval fortified town of Carcassonne in southern France, famed for its city walls, “Carcassonne” for Xbox LIVE Arcade starts with an empty landscape and a single square tile. Using strategic tactics and a little luck, one to four players take turns selecting from 72 tiles displaying various features of a city including roads, the walls of a castle or fields. The medieval countryside thrives as players and their opponents place tiles and complete towns, roads, and farms while competing to accumulate the most points.
The rules of the game are easy with fast game play and no elimination – perfect for just about anyone! Although simple, devoted players will find layers of strategy that will keep them coming back for more. Combining a fresh visual experience and the opportunity to always have a playing partner, “Carcassonne” is the future for board game fanatics.
“Carcassonne” from Sierra Online is the Xbox LIVE Arcade edition of the hit multiplayer tile-based German board game of the same name, designed by Klaus-Jurgen. Shortly after its release in Germany in 2000, the board game won Spiel des Jahres in 2001, the European equivalent of a Game of the Year Award.
Game Features
You can download “Carcassonne” beginning Wednesday 27th June from 09:00 GMT / 10:00 CET on Xbox Live Arcade. “Carcassonne” will be available worldwide for 800 Microsoft Points"
Sounds quality - I'm really looking forward to this one. If you want to learn more about Carcassonne you should check out the board game's extensive page on the ever-helpful Wikipedia. Screenshots below and in the Gallery, and remember that you'll be able to download a free trial version of Carcassonne before you spalsh out on the full version. June 22 AceyBongos GamerScore Challenge: Week 2 Update
It's the end of week 2 in the AceyBongos GamerScore Challenge and N47H is still in the lead with a stonking increase of 8430. I managed to get him to drop the controller for at least, ooh, five minutes this week to answer some questions about his attitude to GamerScoring - and whether he can keep up his phenomenal workrate!
First of all, how long have you had an Xbox 360 and been working on your GamerScore?
I got my first Xbox 360 about 2 months after the launch. I wasn’t always a gamerpoint whore that all began when I friend of mine on a forum I frequent started up a gamertag table.
What’s the story behind your GamerTag?
Well this is a bit of a boring one, my name is Nath (short for Nathan) and I just swapped two of the letters for similar looking numbers.
What does GamerScore mean to you?
I’d like to say it means the world to me, it proves just how great a gamer you actually are, if you’ve got a low GamerScore then you’re a nobody, a no-one. Saying that would help to justify my recent point whoring but it would be lying. It actually means very little to me, it was fun competing with friends in the league I mentioned earlier, but I never really pushed it to the extremes that I am now doing in this competition. I do however believe that achievements and gamerpoints are a great attribute of the 360, and when done correctly can keep me playing a game when normally I’d have stopped playing it.
How do approach a GamerScore gain session? What’s your strategy?
I may be sad enough to get as many GamerPoints as possible, but I wouldn’t go as far as to say I have a strategy. I just generally look at the achievements list and play through the game.
Is GamerScore or completion percentage more important to you?
If I’d have to choose I’d say the latter, because the feeling of accomplishment is much greater when you completely finish a game (and therefore up your completion percentage) than that of beating someone on GamerScore.
What’s your favourite Xbox 360 game (for GamerScore and just your favourite to play)? My favourite game so far would be GRAW just because of the great LIVE side of things, even if most matches resulted in someone resorting to spawn camping and sniping constantly (o Spectre o).
My favourite for Gamerpoints would be a toss up between Crackdown and Call of Duty 2. Crackdown because they were all things you’d do anyway at some point be it when you’re messing about or playing the game seriously, and Call of Duty 2 just for the Veteran achievements, because some of the levels were genuinely difficult.
What’s your favourite Achievement you’ve unlocked?
Probably the 500 Agility Orb one on Crackdown, because I was so relieved it was all over, I’d been stuck on 499 for quite some time and just wouldn’t give in searching for that last one.
What’s your GamerScore target before the end of the Challenge?
I’ve never really thought about it, but maybe something in the region of 15-20k by the end, although by the 10-12k mark I may take it down a notch or two so I can start enjoying Forza 2 properly, which I’ve barely played because everytime I get the chance to play it I end up getting hooked on the damn car painting thing.
Do you think you’ll be able to be top of the table at the end of the Challenge?
Probably not, this week has seen me fall into 2nd position a few times, although I do have a broken Xbox 360 and broken copy of Madden NFL 07 to blame on that slightly. But I’ll give it my best shot.
What games are you most looking forward to before the Challenge finishes?
To be honest I’m not that clued up on the release schedule for the next few months, I’ve just got my eyes focussed on the release of GTA IV.
Which games do you have in the locker for some quick GamerScore gains?
That question may as well have read ‘Give everyone else in this competition some tips on easy games to play to boost their GamerScore.’ I’m actually running out of ideas, there’s one or two achievements left on my current played games list that I’m yet to unlock, and I’m yet to really dig my teeth into Madden NFL 07, but after that I’m not sure, I may end up resorting to something like NFS Most Wanted, despite me despising those games with a passion.
What’s your top tip for GamerScore gains?
Now you’re really just trying to bring me down from that top spot aren’t you? Don’t go playing games like Open Season or Cars because they seem like kids games and an easy 1000, because they’re not, they bore you so much that getting the full 1000 becomes a struggle.
Finally, do you want to talk some smack to anyone else in the Challenge?
Not particularly, I don’t do drugs… Oh wait you mean who do I want to have a quick dig at anyone? Nah, I’ll just let the league table do all the talking for me!
Thanks N47H, now back to the unlocking with you. Do the rest of you think you can take him down? I think it's pretty funny that his target is more than my total GamerScore...
One last thing to do this week - announce the winners of a copy of TMNT! I asked you to tell me the reason why you need a copy of the game that's guaranteed to give you 1000 points, and aside from the weepies and the creepies I got a few funny answers too. Here are the winners (and yes, I must be a poetry fan...):
Winner Number One - Radical R:
"I think that I should win the prise,
Because I’m a turtle in disguise! When I’m not revising or learning at school, I play my 360 as I’m no fool! Id like to game all day and night,
Stick in some halo and finish the fight! I’ve played oblivion, and conquered the guilds, I ventured on totem, and started to build! PGR racing, earning kudos is fun,
Worms is a game that I’ve 100% done! Completed FIFA, won every match, Got hold of GRAW, but wait, here is the catch! Alas my mum, she won't buy me games,
She tells me to do homework, oh man, how lame! So I turn to you in this time of need, Send me some ninjas, I beg of you, please!" Winner Number Two - DazWorrall:
“I could do with a copy of TMNT to help me put my opponents through the Shredder. Ha ha! See what I did there? I’m as sharp as a Splinter me! Ha ha ha ha! See what I did there again! More imagination than Michelangelo and Leonardo da (Vinci) me. Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha haaaaaa!!!..... Seriously, if I don’t win the game, I may be forced to conjure similarly bad puns. You have the power to stop this Acey, you have been warned!”
Winner Number Three - Argy:
"Please will you give me TMNT for free,
I only have 9 games to play and one is Project Gotham 3, No matter how many hours I play or how many miles I clocked, All I ever seem to get is 5 gamer points unlocked, If you send me a free game, my gamerpoints will soar, And I can go from my lowly rank to Gamerscoring whore." Well done guys! Send me your mailing address to AceyBongos@AceyBongos.com or via Xbox Live and I'll get your copy in the post. Until next week, happy unlocking! Marketplace Update and Games Out Now - 22/6It's Glastonbury weekend - but would you rather be cold and wet in a field with thousands of nutters going off their heads, or sitting nice and cosy in your house racking up the Gamerpoints? Unfortunately I'll be doing neither, because I'm going up to Scotland to watch people dance. Don't ask.
Here's the new stuff on Marketplace today:
And here's the new Xbox 360 games in stores today (or yesterday if you live on the bit of Europe that isn't surrounded by water):
What are you getting? I might pick up FlatOut as the original got some good write-ups and it looks like loads of fun.
Marketplace Update - 21/6Did my first endurance race on Forza 2 last night - 45 laps around Tsukuba in a Honda Civic! Got me wads of cash though, enough to buy a Gallardo and soup it up to ridiculous levels. I love that game so much...
June 20 Lost Planet Map Pack 3 Coming TomorrowFor a Lost Planet, Capcom sure seem to be finding plenty of extra levels - the next Lost Planet Map Pack will hit Marketplace tomorrow morning (Thursday June 21) and will feature three brand new multiplayer maps. It'll be priced at 400 MS Points. The maps included are:
Ice Drop: A frigid glacier with lots of peaks, nooks and crannies.
Ruins: Ancient temples set amidst a lush jungle.
Lost Technology: A throwback to the good ol' days of pixelated 8-bit gaming.
Lost Technology looks particularly cool - I love how Capcom have been imaginative with the new Lost Planet maps instead of churning out the usual derivative environments. More screenshots below and in the Gallery.
Lost Planet Map Pack 3 will be available tomorrow morning for 400 MS Points. Remember that you can already download 2 Map Packs for the game and also snaffle the Battleground map distributed with pre-orders of the game for free. Halo 3 AchievementsNot sure if they're meant to be out in the wild (I suspect not) but definitely worth a look...
Marketplace Update - 20/6Remember that today's XBLA game is Band of Bugs. If you're a fan there are some extra goodies available too:
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