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Gaming for Life - September 2006

X06 News

September 28th 2006 08:29
Wow. The big X06 Microsoft conference that occurred overnight in Barcelona was chock full of big announcements. Here are some of the most exciting.

Ensemble (of Age of Empires fame) developing a Halo RTS called Halo Wars. A trailer was shown, and looked pretty impressive.

A Banjo-Kazooie game in development by Rare for Xbox 360.

Splinter Cell 5 to be a Xbox 360 exlusive.

GTA IV to be released next October, and to have a number of downloadable episodes available on Xbox Live, supposedly exclusive to Xbox 360.

Marvel developing an MMO only available on Xbox 360 and Windows Vista.


Doom available now on Xbox Live, complete with 4 player co-op, achievements, and Xbox Live multiplayer.

PGR 4 announced, and a gameplay trailer shown.

Gears of War was also demoed again, and had multiplayer code playable.

I'll update more tommorrow with any developments.

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Playstation 3 Delayed till April in Australia?

September 28th 2006 08:29
Now this is only a rumour, but its one that's gathering momentum, and fast. Apparently the PS3 will not see a release in Australia until April now, being pushed back by another month due to insane world-wide demand for Sony's new console.

From all reports the March release remains in place for other major PAL territories, but not over here in the land of the poor overlooked Aussie gamer.

I repeat that this is only a rumour, but some of the sources are relatively credible, and I'm starting to believe it, personally.

I'll keep you informed, don't worry.
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X06 Event Hits Barcelona

September 27th 2006 09:10
Today (Barcelona time), Microsoft's annual X06 game show hits Spain, and there are rumours flying around everywhere about just what MS has in store for the masses. Traditionally an event used for big announcements and to show much hyped games for the first time, Xbox Live will be showcasing numerous trailers and demos from the show.

MS are calling it 'Bringing it Home', and you'll be able to access all manner of goodies on the Xbox Live Marketplace from tonight. As a matter of fact, as I type, a demo of the Xbox 360 remake of Sonic the Hedgehog has been uploaded. Get downloading.

Here's what the rumour mill has churned up surrounding X06:

"Tommorow is the X06 conference in Barcelona. Some info has been leaked including some big surprises. Here is a list of what is going to be anounced tommorow. Tune in for the confernce at Xbox.com from 6pm GMT.

Gears of War single player and multiplayer videos shown. Playable on show floor.

HD-DVD anouncement. Release date and price for Europe and United States. £119.99/E149.99 and December 1st release in Europe.$199.99 USD and November 24th release in US.
All will be bundled with Universal Media Remote.

A new Halo 3 trailer is shown. Some multiplayer info revealed. Aiming for 50-64 player online. Announce that Halo 3 will be the first game to run natively on 1080p. They will make full use of this update. Available in 2007. Playable behind closed doors.

More info about 1080p and how it will be done. New dashboard announcement. Release date revealed for late November. Will allow users to try out homebrew content made with XNA game express.

More news on Live Anywhere and how it will function. Talk about function with Zune and XBLA titles.

Rare show off new version of Killer Instinct for the 360. Will support 4 player tag matches. Playable on show floor.

Alan Wake shown and fully playable. Will also be availble on Windows Vista. Coming this Spring.

Fable 2 trailer shown. Multiplayer confirmed.

Black Xbox 360 anounced. Available this Christmas around the world. New Xbox 360 core and premium bundles shown. Xbox 360 Classics game list. Kameo, PDZ included. More this spring including Oblivion.

Many more videos and games are playable. I have just listed some of the major ones.

Now here is a list of downloadble content on Xbox Live. As you know its Bringing it Home period. Much of what was shown at X06 will appear. This is from the 27th to midnight on the 29th.

Demos:

Splinter Cell Double Agent multiplayer
Crackdown
Forza Motorsport 2
Sonic the Hedghog
Viva Pinata
Need for Speed Carbon
Call of Duty 3
Pro Evolution Soccer 6
Mass Effect
MORE

Videos:

GOW single player and multiplayer
Halo 3 trailer
Fable 2
LOTS MORE....

Picture Packs and themes

Fable 2
COD3
Crackdown
X06
Community Pack
MUCH MORE

DONT FORGET TO WATCH THE CONFERENCE."

Source: Neo Seeker Forums

If you're super keen for all the info at THE biggest Xbox event of all time, it kicks off around 2AM tommorrow morning Melbourne time.



View it here.





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Nintendo Australia Flags Wii Launch Shortages

September 26th 2006 07:54
Nintendo Australia has refused to rule out shortages of its highly anticipated next generation console when its launched this Christmas. Although Nintendo plans to ship over a million units in North America for the launch of the console in the US, Nintendo is unsure how well recieved the Wii will be on our shores. They have planned to ensure that only a moderate supply of units are available to Australian consumers, wary of excess supply.

A number of demonstrations of the Wii hardware have been planned at major shopping centres across the country in an attempt to build anticipation for the December launch.

Source: Gamespot.au

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Vision Camera Attacks Xbox Live

September 25th 2006 09:42
This past week saw the release of Microsoft's Xbox 360 Vision Camera in the United States. The device, which will retail for around $70 AUD when released in Australia later this month, allows users to communicate via video chat in the Xbox 360 dashboard, and in a number of supported games, such as the Xbox Live Arcade hit 'Texas Hold 'Em Poker'.

It also allows gamers to take a photo of themselves, or anything else for that matter, and use it as their gamer picture, available for their friends to see in their gamer profile. Unfortunately for Microsoft and Xbox Live users, this little device is being snapped up non-stop in the US, to the point where the amount of players uploading their custom pics is literally overloading the Live servers.

A whole host of issues have been prevalent since the camera's release. Most noticably, there has been considerable lag in games, numerous system crashes and errors, and lock-ups and delays when using the dashboard and guide.

Microsoft is working on the issue currently, and whilst we are being told the issues should be resolved very soon, the software giant plans to upgrade the Live servers to prevent more issues as more users get their hands on the Vision Camera.

One would have thought problems like this could've been foreseen, especially considering the amount of beta testing this thing has undergone in previous months.
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Wii Launch Titles

September 21st 2006 14:11
This December the Nintendo Wii will launch in Australia. Below are the games that will launch with it.

Tony Hawk's Downhill Jam - Activision


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Xbox 360 to Support 1080p Resolution

September 20th 2006 12:28
This spring Microsoft will release their "fall" update for the Xbox 360, and a raft of improvements, adjustments, and changes will be made available to those with an Xbox Live account.

Whilst many of the new features are still under wraps, MS today announced at the Tokyo Game Show that the 360 will be upgraded to display resolutions of up to 1080p, on top of the 1080i which is the current maximum


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Microsoft Zune to Launch this Christmas in the US

September 19th 2006 06:27
The first Zune branded portable media player will be released by Microsoft this holiday season in the US. A 30 GB music player, Microsoft's first entry into this Apple dominated frontier will have a built in FM tuner, an 3-inch screen, and will be capable of sharing files with other Zune media players.

It will also be launched alongside a 'Zune Marketplace', which will allow the purchasing of music tracks, much like Apple's iTunes service.
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December Launch for Wii in Oz

September 17th 2006 08:49
Nintendo Australia has announced that its entrant in the next gen console war, the 'Wii', will be released here on December 7th. Retailing for $399, it will be an affordable and attractive alternative to the Playstation 3, which will arrive in the first quarter of next year.

The Wii will come with the Wii Remote controller and the Nunchuck attachment, and will be bundled with a collection of sports games, five in all, to show off the system's unique control features


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Saints Row Review

September 14th 2006 12:50
Last week Gaming Life gave you the news that the eagerly awaited Xbox 360 title Saints Row had finally hit store shelves in Australia.

To read my comprehensive review of the title, head on over to Xboxzone


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Sony's Online Service to Mimic Xbox Live

September 13th 2006 10:48
In an interview with video games website 1up.com, Sony Online Entertainment's Chris Kramer has outlined just how Sony plans to out do Microsoft's award winning Xbox Live online gaming service.

The industry giant has signed a deal with Xfire, and aims to use a version of their already established online networking systems for use with the upcoming Playstation 3 console. Xfire allows users to maintain a friends list, use text and voice chat, matchmake amongst servers, and view detailed play statistics


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PGR4 in the Works

September 12th 2006 06:15
French car manufacturer Peugeot has let the cat out of the bag in regard to Bizzare Creations' next Xbox 360 release. In an official press release from the company, promoting an upcoming competition allowing fans to help create a new model, it is stated that the best car design will be chosen to "be featured in the Project Gotham Racing 4 videogame, only on the Xbox 360".

Whilst news of another installment in the award winning Project Gotham Racing franchise is no huge surprise, neither Microsoft nor UK developer Bizarre Creations have announced anything officially as of yet


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Splinter Cell set for Wii Launch

September 11th 2006 06:54
Ubisoft Montreal have announced that they are working on a Wii version of their upcoming Splinter Cell: Double Agent title. The Wii version will make full use of the new Nintendo console's innovative 'Wii-mote' and 'nun-chuck' control setup, and will be based on the Gamecube and Playstation 2 versions of the game.

An Ubisoft representative has stated that "The Splinter Cell franchise has always translated very well across multiple platforms and we are confident that the Wii version will continue the tradition of maximizing the capabilities of each respective video game console platform


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PS3 Delayed in Europe and Australia

September 7th 2006 02:35
Sony Computer Entertainment Europe yesterday officially announced that the Playstation 3 console will be delayed in PAL territories, until March 2007. That means that European, Russion, Middle Eastern, African, and Australian gamers will have to wait four months longer than their Japanese and US counterparts.

Sony stated in an official media release that "the revision of the launch date in the SCEE territories is caused by the delay in the mass production schedule of the blue laser diode within the Sony Group, thus affecting the timely procurement of key components to be utilised in Playstation 3


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Playstation 3 Launch Titles

September 4th 2006 06:30
Later this year, on November 17th, the Sony Playstation 3 will be released to gamers across Australia. When you head down to your local store to get yourself some, chances are you'll be keen on picking up a game or two... or ten, to go with it. These will be the contenders for your hard-earned.

Fatal Inertia


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