This surprised this morning upong waking up to read the news, it seems that Rare has pulled a fast one on us. A demo for Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts and Bolts has been released over Xbox Live today. The game officially hits store shelves on November 11th.
“Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts” embraces new and old fans alike, as the famous bear and bird duo return in stunning high definition for a unique adventure of epic proportions. The Lord of the Games (aka LOG) is tired of the petty squabbling between Banjo and the evil witch Gruntilda (aka Grunty), and has arranged a showdown to decide the rightful owner of Spiral Mountain. Claiming to have created every video game ever made, LOG has built the game worlds in which the contest’s challenges take place. Banjo must complete LOG’s challenges to win, while Grunty tries to stop him using every method her devious mind can muster.
Check back later for our impressions of the demo.....
So, with every power in your being, I urge you to go and download this demo...
Microsoft has announced that their 60 second ad spot for Gears of War 2, titled Last Day, will premier today on Yahoo! Games online. The TV ad shows "the last precious moments that Marcus Fenix and other members of the intrepid Delta Squad spend above ground as they prepare for the most important battle of their lives – the battle for humanity’s very survival."
With 40+ songs on the disc and two microphones, Lips will be available on the store shelves for $69.99 this coming holiday season. The title should be available around mid-November, no exact release date has been announced yet. Pre-orders are now available at GameStop and Amazon.com.
Regardless of whether you consider yourself a singer or typically shy away from the microphone, there’s something for everyone in “Lips,” including the following:
Party Games. “Lips” has a variety of gameplay modes that will appeal to the gamer in all of us and possibly spark a little competition, while allowing you to experience and interact with your music in fun, new ways:
Kiss is the epitome of singing and flirting your way to a sweet reward, where duos who hit the notes and gestures together meet in the middle to share a kiss. Are you a match?
Vocal Fighters appeals to the competitor in all of us by pitting singers in one-on-one competition to win the most fans and boot one another off the stage. It’s a sing-off!
Time Bomb is a cooperative mode where players work together to perform well and stave off a time bomb. The clock is ticking!
Music videos. “Lips” has a variety of engaging music videos that enhance the game outside the original videos included with most songs:
Virtual Music Videos. The more you get into your performance, the better the video. An in-game virtual music video will enhance your performance because the screen will mirror your moves and the characters will lip-sync along with you.
Custom Music Videos. These unique, quirky videos add a humorous element to your routine and provide a music video for songs that may not have one.
Freestyle Mode. “Lips” also allows you to use digital rights management-free songs from your own music collection when singing or playing any of the Party Games. Sing along to your music collection and play up your gestures to add to your score, while a virtual music video accompanies your performance. It is as simple as plugging in your compatible MP3 player. Lyrics will not display for songs from your music collection. For a list of compatible music players, visit http://www.xbox.com/lips.
Play along. Inaddition to using the two mics as instruments, four of your friends can join in using the standard Xbox 360 Controller and choose from a variety of percussion accompaniment to play along with the music in “Lips.”
Download new songs. For those who like what they see and crave more, “Lips” will also have a regular flow of downloadable content available for purchase via the Xbox LIVE Marketplace, starting at game launch. Love Estelle’s “No Substitute Love”? It is there. You can get it and the latest tracks to continually update your “Lips” experience.
Split parts. Co-op Mode in “Lips” is designed to more accurately reflect songs that feature multiple vocalists. This gameplay mode enhances the experience by showing the lyrics and melody to all parts, helping turn a singing duo into a professional act.
Check out the 40 song list over at the Gamescore blog...
Fable II has officially hit stores nationwide and worldwide today. Those looking forward to entering the world of Albion. So, were one of the special ones to hit the midnight launch party, or are you just picking it up today? Either way, hopefully Fable II lives up to the hype for fans everywhere....
The time has come for you to test your moral boundaries and embark on a voyage that will either leave you heralded or condemned throughout the world of Albion. “Fable II” has completed its long awaited journey with standard and limited collector’s editions landing on retail shelves throughout North America today. Developed by Lionhead Studios exclusively for Xbox 360, “Fable II” combines thrilling action, heart-wrenching emotional experiences and a genre-bending Xbox LIVE multiplayer mode, making it the must-have blockbuster for 2008. The standard edition “Fable II” will have an estimated retail price of $59.99 and the Limited Collector’s Edition will retail for an estimated price of $69.99. “Fable II” is rated “M” for Mature.
Source: Team Xbox You can even check out Team Xbox's review of Fable II here...
So, Left4Dead is tagged with the cliche "most anticipated title of the holiday" bit here. However, what's interesting is that Destructoid is reporting that zombie shooter is rising above The Orange Box in pre-sale. Now we've seen this happening alot more often lately, and usually ends up meaning that the title will hit the 1 million mark in retail sales. Now about how much is Left4Dead beating out The Orange Box in pre-sale?
Destructoid is rounding their numbers out too around 65%...
That sounds like quite a lot too me....Left4Dead will be hitting the Xbox 360 and PC on November 18th.
Only 4 days until the launch of one of the most anticipated sequels this holiday season. A final launch trailer has hit the Xbox Live Marketplace. Fable II will hit store shelves for the Xbox 360 on October 21st, 2008.
“Fable II” is the sequel to the award-winning “Fable,” and features a deep and enriching tale of adventure, companionship and infinite choice, developed exclusively for Xbox 360, by legendary video game developer Peter Molyneux.
“Fable II” offers players the opportunity to choose their own destinies as they traverse through the expansive world of Albion where the possibilities are limitless and every decision and interaction will weigh heavily on the path to becoming a hero or villain. Innovative combat, a loyal dog companion, thrilling quests and the ability to play co-op with a friend are just the tip of the iceberg in this exciting new chapter of the “Fable” franchise.
Can’t wait four days? Gamers can get a head start on their “Fable II” experience by testing their luck in the “Fable II” Pub Games, available for 800 MS Points on Xbox LIVE Arcade. Developed exclusively for “Fable II,” the Xbox LIVE Arcade title contains three high stakes, casino-style pub games that challenges players to wager their gold to strike fortune or win treasures in preparation for the release of “Fable II.”
As the title states, Tom Clancy's End War has officially been given the demo treatment and thankfully before release. Those still iffy about the title can download the demo today on Xbox Live to make your final decision. Unfortuantely Playstation 3 users are left in the cold and won't be getting a demo until release it sounds like.
The demo features both single-player and multiplayer gameplay. The single-player portion of the demo is part of the “Prelude to War” campaign, serving as a tutorial for players. The multiplayer portion contains one mode, Conquest, and one map, La Mancha, Spain. The multiplayer demo contains one-versus-one functionality and includes full match-making capabilities.
Tom Clancy’s EndWar will ship in EMEA territories on November 4, 2008 for Xbox 360 and the PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system.
With the New Xbox Experience release coming upon us very soon, Microsoft has released a statement concering the gamers that may have entered the Xbox 360 user base with the Arcade console purchase. The New Xbox Experience requires in total, 126 MB of space and recommeneds a hard drive for the most optimal experience possible. However, there are a couple of other ways to get around the fact that Arcade console owners are without a hard drive and left with a memory card.
"The New Xbox Experience will require 128MB of free space. A hard drive is recommended for the optimal experience, to take advantage of some new features, and to be able to enjoy the great movies, TV shows and games available on Xbox LIVE. While we expect the majority of consumers to download the New Xbox Experience without a problem, a small percentage of Xbox 360 owners do not have enough memory to accommodate the update. To help ensure all Xbox LIVE members are able to download the New Xbox Experience and enjoy its new features, Microsoft will be offering storage solutions to the Xbox LIVE community. We are not sharing details of this offering yet. Be sure to check xbox.com."
There are rumors going around that we could see a deal where gamers could possibly reduce the price of the 20 GB hard drive down to $19.99 with a few simple steps.
Major Nelson has announced that the Brothers in Arms: Hell's Highway demo has hit the Xbox Live Marketplace. The demo is free to download and comes in at 1.32Gb. However, Asian and German gamers have been left out of this demo download.
Only 4 days until the launch of one of the most anticipated sequels this holiday season. A final launch trailer has hit the Xbox Live Marketplace. Fable II will hit store shelves for the Xbox 360 on October 21st, 2008.