Serious Sam HD Has A Confirmed Release Date

Are you ready for some serious gun-play? Ready to mow down hundreds upon hundreds of nameless baddies with some of the genre's greatest weapons? Well don't worry my fellow maniacs!

Serious Sam HD now has a confirmed release date so be sure to mark it off on your calendar made from the dried skin of your defeated foes.

On January 13th of next year, the Xbox Live Arcade will be graced with Serious Sam HD for 1200 Microsoft Points ($15) and will feature 4-player online co-op and highly improved graphics.

I can't wait to fire into the air screaming like a rabid monkey over the bodies of my enemies.

12/12/09 Colton West

Call of Duty Classic arrives on XBLA on Wednesday

For fans of the Call of Duty franchise who have had their fill of Modern Warfare 2 (highly unlikely) and who did not purchase the 'Hardened' or 'Prestige' editions of the game will be able to get their World War 2 fix this week on Xbox 360.

'Call of Duty Classic' will be launched on the Xbox Live marketplace on Wednesday and European Xbox Community Manager Graeme "AceyBongos" Boyd says the game will set you back 1200 Microsoft points as well as new achievements for those of you who crave them.

Remember to check which copy of MW2 you bought on launch day, as you may already have a code to download 'CoD: Classic' if you purchased the Prestige or Hardened editions. It would not be fun to waste 1200 points on something that's already yours.

11/30/09 Colton West

MW2 cost $50 million to make, 8 million played online in one week

This is no small fit, Modern Warfare 2 is more than just a game it seems, there's a movement behind this juggernaut title. According to the L.A Times more than 8 million played the game online in it's first week at retail, which means that the game has really outdone all all the estimates set for it.

It cost $40-$50 million to produce MW2, people close to the close to the project reckoned, about as much as a mid-size film.

"My goal was to create a launch that would compare very favorable with the biggest box offices of all time," Activision/Blizzard boss Bobby Kotick said.

"With multiplayer we deliver hundreds of thousands of hours of gameplay for about the same price as taking the family to the movies," he bragged.

And with good reason, the man's bathing in millions of dollars from his stock options, tens of millions actually. Support Kotick some more will ya? Go buy MW2 if you haven't as yet, you're missing out on some serious fun. Wait, that don't sound right.

11/19/09 Ernice Gilbert

HSI providers put kink in Next Gen DLC plans

After 2 years and a hand slap from the FCC, Comcast comes clean on its plans for bandwith restrictions. Click the link for all the Gritty details and a link to the official FCC filing. Essentially it states that if you are a bandwith hog your traffic will be throttled down. In addition a 250GB a month limit on total data is impossed.

The implications of such a policy seems to work in direct conflict with current industry trends. It seems that all three major players in the console war, Sony, Nintendo, and Microsoft are shooting for a greater degree of downloadable content. Combine this with the current generation increase in online gaming, video streaming through Netflix, and media hub programs like PlayOn and Tversity, and you start to see why this is a major issue. So far Comcast is the only ISP to take these steps but its only a matter of time before other players start to reduce the amount of data you download.

If we combine this trend with the lack of penetration of true high speed internet throughout many countries, the US being one of the worst among developed nations. Currently the FCC regulations on ISPs state that 128kb/s is all that is required to be considered an HSI provider. If you have ever tried playing an online deathmatch over a legacy type DSL connection you know this is a bogus standard since you get pwned by those on FIOS and Cable services who's much faster and provide better refresh rates. The release of the PSPgo is proof that console makers are testing the waters of pure DLC platforms, but these limitations of bandwidth makes you wonder if the industry getting ahead of themselves. If they release the next gen of consoles with DLC only platforms, will we end up with a $500 dollar machine that takes 2days to get a game for?

There's a lot to be considered before such a direction is taken.

11/06/2009 David Allison

My thoughts on the Left 4 Dead 2 demo

So I just finished playing through the Left 4 Dead 2 demo that was released on the Xbox 360's marketplace today and I figured I'd do a little review on it. If you don't want spoilers, then I would suggest you stop reading this right now.

The only scenario available in the demo is called 'The Parish' which I is the stage in New Orleans stage that everybody got mad over. Just like in the first L4D demo, you can only play through the first two parts of the first scenario.

All four characters are available for you to use, I played through the demo twice and the weapon sets available to me at the beginning didn't change much except for a melee item. You start off holding a pistol and can decide to either drop it for the melee weapon, which happened to be a machete and a guitar. As far as actual guns go, you can choose between a 'Chrome Shotgun' or a 'Silenced Sub-machine Gun' from the beginning, but later on I found an 'Combat Shotgun' and an 'M16.'

The graphics have been improved over the last title and everything looks a bit more polished but there really isn't all that great of an difference. The biggest change I noticed as far as the graphics were concerned is that when you shoot a zombie, you can blow off their limbs but you can also blow their backs and ribs open and if you get a close enough shot, you can blast a hole clean through their stomachs and trust me, it's quite detailed.

The melee weapons are very powerful and I personally think they are a bit overpowered because every hit was a one-hit kill with the exception of those significantly infected. I also stumbled across an improved handgun which I'm assuming is a 'Desert Eagle' and it too had unlimited ammo. There were also some new items I came across during my playthrough which came in handy. Aside from the Pipe bomb and Molotov, you can also pick up a 'Boomer Bomb.' It's basically just Boomer bile set up to explode like a bomb which attracts the infected to it, similar to the pipe bomb except it doesn't kill them. It does however cover the infected in bile and they begin to kill each other, quite funny. You can also pick up an 'Adrenaline Shot' which makes your character react faster, but I honestly didn't notice anything different besides the sound getting weird when I used it. The shots take up the inventory space where the pills go so you have to choose which one you carry.

The infected don't appear to have changed at all which is disappointing, but I guess they are zombies so how smart can you expect them to be? There are also some new special infected as well as the old ones found in the original game.
The 'Jockey' is an incredibly creepy hunchback thing that laughs like a crazy person and rides on your back if he gets ahold of you.
The 'Charger' which is similar to a 'Tank' but much easier to kill, when he sees you, you hear him roar and then he runs at you or the group and when he hits, everyone staggers back which gives him time to grab someone and start smashing them on the ground.
The 'Spitter' looks like a woman but she spits acid and when you kill her, she leaves a big, steaming pool of goo that hurts you if you touch it, similar to the acid blood from the 'Alien' movies.
The 'Witch' makes a return except this time she isn't just sitting there..she actually walks around now!

The only event in the demo is when you open up this door that triggers an alarm. Now while this alarm is going off, you have to navigate through a small maze-like area while hordes of the infected attack you until you make it to the alarm and shut it off.

Overall, I had fun with it. It's Left 4 Dead so you know you really can't go wrong with it. Both it's downfall and it's saving grace is the fact that very little has changed, but keep in mind that this was just the demo. There could be more infected I haven't encountered yet and sadly, I didn't get my hands on the chainsaw but when the game is released later this month, anyone who was a fan of the first one will LOVE this game. I would definitely suggest it to anyone and if you're still unsure, go download the demo off the marketplace because it's available to every user now.

11/04/09 Colton West

Xbox 360 has the best games out, says EU XBL boss

And there you were thinking your PS3 was second to none in the games department. A bold statement isn't it? The Xbox Live EU boss didn't tie his tongue either, the words came out clearly and confidently. Here's Jerry Johnson speaking to videogamer:

"I'll come back and say that Xbox has the best games out there. It's got the best first-person shooters out there. The exclusives we've had over the past years and what we had going into this holiday prove the point that this is still very much at its heart a gaming console," Johnson said.

"There's nothing we're going to change with that. You will start to see us though, do things that are broader marketing and start to expose some of the things that are broader than just first-person shooters."

"There's nothing we're going to change that's going to not focus on those customers more. In fact, not just this year but in the next year, we'll continue to do features that are targeted at the hardcore gamer. At the same time we're going to start to do some of the things that appeal to both the hardcore game and the broader user, and continue to do things and start to do more targeted more at the broader user specifically."

Get the full vibe here.

10/30/09 Ernice Gilbert

Video Thirst: BioShock 2 trailer goes live

On February 9th, 2010, BioShock 2 will be available worldwide for the PS3, Xbox 360 and PC. Yesterday, 2K Games released a brand new single player trailer of the title.

If you're one who's just sick of games being pushed back into 2010, this should appease you.

Preview embargo of BioShock 2 ends this coming Thursday, so rest assured you'll be overwhelmed by the sheer amount of info that'll be available once it lifts.

Quench you video thirst after the jump, compliments of CVG.

10/27/09 Ernice Gilbert

Microsoft's Ent. and Devices Devision sees almost double profits

The results aren't shabby at all, profits rise from $159 million in last year's Q1 to $312 million this year. However revenue for the quarter remained flat, at $1.89 billion dollars.

The corporation as a whole suffered declines, as the market becomes tighter and its main rival Google ramps up the heat. More mobile phone companies are now jumping on the Android bandwagon, Google's mobile operating system it provides free of charge for anyone to use.

HTC, Microsoft's main carrier of the windows mobile operating system is said to be moving 50% percent of their cellphones from Microsoft's Windows to Google's Android. The two companies are in an all out war for online advertising dollars, a market Google dominates overwhelmingly, owning over 66% of market share.

Competition is indeed stiff, and sales were down 14% to $12.2 billion and income down 18% to $3.57 billion. Let's hope the Xbox and Zune division remains a bright spot in the company.

See the full break down here.

10/24/09 Ernice Gilbert

On Amazon, Modern Warfare 2 Xbox 360 & PS3 already at top spot

Uncharted 2 is out and selling great. But the sales juggernaut is in the room, and already, on amazon's bestsellers list, both the PS3 and Xbox 360 versions are atop the list. Make room for the king; Modern Warfare 2 is ready to rumble.

The biggest entertainment launch of all time is about take place on November 10th 2009, according to Activision's Bobby Kotick. The first game sold over 14 million copies, making it one of the best selling titles to date.

The Xbox 360 version has been leading the PS3's for a while now, but since the Slim launched, things are beginning to even out. It's still expected that the 360 version will sell more though.

Either ways, millions will be shooting at each other for another 2 years straight online, just like they did in MDW. It's a good year people, a good year it is.

10/22/09 Ernice Gilbert

Infinity Ward: 14 Million People Played MDW For 2 Years, That's A Long Game

It's a debate that's been raging louder and louder as the years pass on and video games get shorter. Most gamers believe a game purchased for $60 should give at least ten hours of single player gameplay, and of course endless hours from the multiplayer component. One of the titles most criticized for being extremely short in length is Call of Duty: Modern Warfare. The game's single player campaign is six hours long, a length that's unlikely to be bested by the sequel, Modern Warfare 2.

In an interview, the question was posed to Infinity Ward's Robert Bowling by IGN UK asking about the length of the original title and whether part 2 would give players more hours of play.

"We try and focus on the experience we're trying to deliver," Robert said and we really let the story dictate how long the game is."

"We never go into development saying 'we're going to make a 20 hour game because people want a 20 hour game' - we want to deliver an intense experience where you walk away and go 'wow' I want to play more."

"It's okay if you want to play more of something - that's a good thing," Robert said, "and then you've got all these other modes. You might love the story, it left you wanting more but that's great - jump into the multiplayer and 14 million people have been playing it for two years straight. That's a long game, no matter how you look at it."

Um, yeah, but Robert, people want longer campaigns. At least 9 hours, we're not asking for much more that.

10/21/09 Ernice Gilbert

Video Thirst: Major Nelson: PS3 will soon be collecting dust

Old news, maybe, Juicy stuff? Hec yes. Major Nelson told HipHopGamer at this year's E3 that the PS3 will soon be collecting dust, thanks to Metal Gear Solid: Rising going Multiplatform.

"I'm going to be happy when I come to your place next time and I see your PS3 off with dust on it," Nelson said.

"That's all I want to say," he concluded.

You sure that's all you want to say Major? Cause if you keep track of NPD, your hope it seems, have been dashed. Sure you don't want to backpedal Major? Ok, no problem, just watch your mouth next time, it'll get you in trouble.

Quench your thirst here.

10/20/09 Ernice Gilbert

Top 10 Xbox 360 Exclusive Games From Now through 2010

PS3 fans have been enlightened by the list we compiled with the top 10 PS3 exclusives from now through March of 2010, hailing Sony's lineup as second to none for the holidays into next year. Not to be outdone, Microsoft's lineup is nothing to scoff at.

Consoles don't sell games, games sell consoles. The Redmond Giant knows this and therefore, positioned itself to be leading the sales charts in both hardware and software for the holidays, and through all of 2010. The only way to achieve this victory, is by proving to the consumers that its offerings are better than that of Sony, Microsoft's closest competitor in the gaming industry. Let's see if the top 10 Xbox 360 exclusives can stand against PS3's stellar lineup.

Note: Some of the games listed here as Xbox 360 exclusives are also on PC, however we're solely talking about gaming consoles, and you won't find none of what we're about to list on any other console but Microsoft's. And with that, we proceed.

1) Mass Effect 2 ~ It has been a roller coaster ride with this title. EA has gone back on fourth with seemingly no way to make up their minds on whether Mass Effect 2 should remain exclusive to the Xbox 360, or go multiplatform. Recently, Bioware's Watamaniuk mentioned during a presentation that as much as three platforms were targets for Mass Effect 2, namely the Xbox 360, PC, and "probably PS3." If that is not a confirmation, then nothing else is right? Well the only problem is, today EA clarified the "misunderstanding," stating, "Let me clarify today: ME2 is coming to PC and Xbox 360 only." A release date was later announced, mark your calenders for January 2010.

2) Alan Wake ~ In a recent interview managing director for Remedy Entertainment said Alan Wake has been in development for 5 years, and they could release the game anytime. The highly anticipated title holds a lot of promise; here's to hoping it's able to deliver. The game will be available Q2 2010.

3) Halo 3: ODST ~ It's now the third fastest selling Xbox 360 title of all time and has sold over 2.5 million copies in two weeks. Those are outstanding numbers, and while some have complained about the game being an extension pack, millions of satisfied Halo enthusiasts are enjoying the title as we speak. Halo 3: ODST is available now, go pick it up if you haven't already.

4) Forza Motorsport 3 ~ The biggest exclusive racing sim on the Xbox 360 is also one of the best titles on any platform. Game reviewers have given Forza 3 nothing but high marks across the board and believe me, it's well deserved. The title will be available October 27th, 2009.

5) Gears of War 3 ~ No announcement yet on this one, and some may argue saying it should not be on this list, since Epic said the next Gears won't be released until the next generation. However, recent comments have been hinting to the opposite, and it would not be a surprise if this title sees the light of day at the end of 2010. I'm Keeping my fingers crossed, you do the same.

6) Fable III ~ This, the third Fable title for the Xbox 360 is extremely promising. With huge worlds to explore, tons of awesome details, lots of different quest types, enhancing graphics and moving music, extremely funny, the conclusion must be, Fable III, although not released yet, but when it does, the game will be one of the best to grace not only the Xbox 360, but any other gaming platform. Look for it Q4 2010.

7) Left 4 Dead 2 ~ Not many other titles have caused such a stir in the gaming community. The title also has very loyal fanbase that closely follow its progress. It's also a very successful franchise for Gabe Newell and his team. Play it later this year.

8) Splinter Cell: Conviction: Hands down one of the most anticipated Xbox 360 exclusives. Some have compared the game to the venerable Metal Gear Solid franchise, and while I would not so far, I would say the title, like Metal Gear Solid, has redefined it's genre, being in fact the best stealth/action game on any system.

9) Crackdown 2 ~ The criminal destroying sanbox game made waves when it first came on the scene, so obviously fans the world over have been impatiently awaiting any tidbit of info that comes along. Look for it some time in 2010.

10) GTA IV: The Ballad of Gay Tony ~ It's DLC, but exclusive, really long DLC nonetheless, so expect fans of the long running, best selling title to get all over this one when it's released on October 29th of this year.

And there you have it folks, the list of exclusive Xbox 360 titles Microsoft is hoping will give them the edge for the rest of this year into all of 2010. Question is, compared to Sony's lineup, does Microsoft stand a chance? You be the judge.

10/17/09 Ernice Gilbert

Need a trophy guide for Uncharted 2? Get it here.

Aaron Greenberg: Exclusive Blockbusters separates us from Competition

With Sony, Microsoft's main competitor in the game consoles business recently cutting the price of the PS3, for the first time the two systems are the same price. Many have voiced their opinions on the matter, they said because the PS3 was more expensive, Microsoft's console was dominating the sales chart, and that as soon as Sony would slash the price of their system, a drastic change of fortunes would occur. As stated, Sony has done exactly that, but Aaron is not worried.

Director of product management for Xbox 360 and Xbox Live Aaron Greenberg doesn't believe nothing much will change, and is confident that the content on their platform is second to none. And according to him, because of it, they will remain strong this holiday season.

GameInformer ask, "going into the holiday season, how would you rate Microsoft's position in the market?" Aaron then expressed his confidence and optimism:

"I think this holiday will be very interesting as we continue to expand and reach a more mainstream consumer, but I do expect Xbox 360 to have a strong holiday and remain competitive. We really separates Xbox 360 from our competition is the massive amount of exclusive blockbuster games and entertainment that you can only get on our system," Aaron said.

"Just on the game side alone we have exclusives like Halo 3: ODST, Forza Motorsport 3, Left 4 Dead 2, GTA IV: Ballad of Gay Tony (exclusive downloadable content), and a ton of Xbox Live arcade titles like the recently launched "Shadow Complex."

Aaron really was on a roll talking up the offerings of the Xbox 360, this time hyping up services like Twitter, Facebook and the ability to watch movies on the fly.

"Then you have to add in things like Facebook, Twitter, Last.fm and the ability to instantly watch movies in Instant HD in 1080p with no disc or download required. So I would say that with the combination of our exclusive content along with our very competitive console pricing starting at just $199, we continue to remain the best value in home entertainment and feel very confident about our position this holiday."

This Christmas season will be one for the history books, with Microsoft and Sony selling their main console at the same price, it's up to you the consumer to make the decision on which system offers the best bang for your buck.

10/16/09 Ernice Gilbert

Video Thirst: Footage of Techmo Koei's New Game

According to the upcoming issue of Japanese magazine Famitsu, Techmo Koei is working overtime on Fist of The North Star for PS3 and Xbox 360.

The game for now is dubbed Hokuto Musou and is set for release sometime next year. Quench you thirst.

Via kotaku

10/14/09 Ernice Gilbert

Xbox 360 sells twice as many games as PS3 in America

It's true, the PS3 is on a rapid rise. From Europe to Japan and even The United States, but in the latter, the road is rough to say the least.

Microsoft's early arrival in this current generation was bittersweet; because they rushed out the Xbox 360 a hefty price was paid, over $3 billion in repair costs for the dreaded RROD. But at the same time, they managed to build an insurmountable lead on their competitor, namely Sony. That lead has afforded them to gross substantially more from the Xbox 360 over Sony's PS3, and according to three sources, it will be extremely hard, in fact almost impossible for Sony to overturn Microsoft's fortunes in the U.S.

Through April 2009, the Xbox 360 sold 14.4 million pieces of software accounting for 35.49% of market share, while the PS3 sold 7.5 million pieces of software with 17.93% of the market belonging to Sony. As you can see, during that time, the Xbox 360 sold double the amount of software compared to the PS3, numbers that must be pleasing to the Redmond giant. The Nintendo Wii is on a cloud of its own, with apparently no one to reach it. Wii has 46.58% percent of markert share, selling over $19.6 million pieces of software.

In my humble opinion, I see the PS3 coming close to matching software sales of Xbox 360 especially with the smashing success that is the redesigned PS3 Slim. It is for now outselling the competition which will undoubtedly close the gap between said consoles. But to be realistic, that's as close as it's going to get. The Xbox 360 has already won the race in the U.S.

But is winning The United States enough to declare victory in this generation? It's a question many would answer with a resounding no. If you want to win this war, you'll have to do it like Nintendo did in its day, like Sony did with the PS1 and PS2. If you're going to win this console war, you must win at least Europe and America to get a clear cut victory, something that's very hard for either the software or hardware giant to do in their current state.

Sources: 1 2 3

10/14/09 Ernice Gilbert

Ubisoft: Assassin's Creed III could star female assassin in world war II setting

This critically acclaimed sequel from Ubisoft won't see the light of day until November 17th, 2009, but game Producer Sebastien Puel is already dreaming of the follow up to the unreleased follow up of the first game. Still with me? Okay. You could only be this bold when you're confident the title you produce will perform well, and if the history of this awesome franchise is any indication, we will definitely have another hit to boot.

Sebastien sees the next installment having a female assassin and taking place in a world war II setting. It's in the latest issue of Xbox 360 World, Mr. Puel said:

"We've had discussions on that very topic," he said when pressed on the possibility of female assassin. "It could be really interesting but we'd need to find the right time, period and place for that."

"Where would that make sense? We don't want to just decide we want to change and have a female hero as the first inspiration is always the time period, but if you're talking about say, world war II the economies in England and France were run by women because the men were fighting."

"So maybe in the context you were a woman in England during world war II. Why not? Nothing prevents us from doing it," he said.

Sebastien also said that they could make 35 Assassin's Creed games, "I'm often asked if we're going to do a different game after Assassin's II...... I mean, we could do 35 of these."

You heard the man, stop asking him to make other games, the wheel is not broken, Why try and fix it?

10/13/09 Ernice Gilbert

November date for Facebook/Twitter no longer on Xbox website, removed by Microsoft

They're the features Microsoft spoke very highly about at E309', talking up that value adding facebook, twitter and last.fm would bring to Xbox Live. The company has been working overtime to make sure promises are delivered on time, but sometimes you just can't help but delay services to make sure customers get great service once it's made available.

The Redmond giant has removed the November 17th date that was on the Xbox website over the weekend for Last.fm, Twitter and Facebook.

The website was updated with a date that gives the software giant a little more wiggle room. The date now set for Facebook, Twitter and Last.fm to appear on Xbox Live is autumn 2009.

We'll keep you posted as more news about the situation goes live.

10/13/09 Ernice Gilbert

In Reality, PS3 Leads the Xbox 360 by 1.5 Million Units in Europe

Microsoft says there's 1 million more Xbox 360s in homes across Europe, but according to our research, their numbers don't add up.

In a conversation with UK magazine MCV, Microsoft's regional director boss Chris Lewis said that the Xbox 360 is leading the PS3 across Europe, with the Xbox 360 having sold 1 million consoles more.

"We're confident we're actually around one million units ahead. We count install base differently to them," Chris said.

"We count the number of units in the hands of consumers. We are committed to continuing that momentum - not only in places like the UK, France and Germany. Continued growth in all parts of Europe is integral to winning overall."

So are Microsoft's numbers accurate? We wanted to know for sure, so we delved into the task of finding out for ourselves. What we found however, was not only does Microsoft not lead in Europe, Sony is actually ahead by 1.5 million units.

Our research places the PS3 ahead by a good margin. As of August 14th, 2009, Microsoft sold 9 million Xbox 360s across Europe, and as of August 11th, 2009, there were 10 million PS3s in European homes. The PS3 Slim offically launched on September 1st, 2009, however as soon as the newly redesigned 120GB PS3 Slim was announced on August 18th, 2009, the existing models got a price cut of $100.00 effective immediately after the announcement, sending sales of said models significantly higher across the board.

From the US to Europe to Japan, the PS3 Slim has dominated sales charts and in the first month of availability, Sony's flagship console went on to sell 1 million units world wide, with almost half of them in Europe. It's not difficult math at all, in fact, if Microsoft does not revise their strategy, the Xbox 360 will be facing a blowout in Europe against the PS3 in the coming months and years.

10/12/09 Ernice Gilbert

Pachter: Microsoft will release 250GB Xbox 360 model early next year

Think the 120GB Elite Xbox 360 is Microsoft's final version? According to Michael Pachter it's not. The Webush Morgan Securities analyst believes we will see another iteration from Microsoft sooner rather than later. It's in a discussion about the Modern Warfare 2 Xbox 360 bundle Michael lets it slip.

"They are going to have a 250 gig box. That's the point. They didn't buy 5000 of these for a test. There's going to be a 250 gig 360 some day. So I actually think your're going to see the 120 gig priced at $249 whenever they feel like it, which might be January, February, it's going to happen. So, if I were a gamer, I would be watching for that."

Since Sony released the redesigned PS3 Slim, Microsoft has been losing momentum, and now the PS3 is leading not only the Xbox 360, but the Nintendo Wii in the weekly hardware sales charts globally, so Michael's prediction makes a lot of sense if Microsoft wants to remain competitive. This Christmas will be an interesting one to say the least, but with The Redmond Giant constantly forging ways to stay relevant in the industry, I doubt it'll be a bad season for them.

However, in the coming year one must wonder what will Microsoft do to sustain momentum; with the PS3's games constantly outdoing its counterpart in pushing innovation to the next level, what will be their response? Natal is good, but no one knows how the motion device will be received, it could be very successful or a total flop. If the current situation holds steady, the years facing Sony's PS3 are much more favorable compared to the Xbox 360. I see only one route for the Redmond giant, a route I believe that's inevitable. Microsoft will have no choice but to jump into the next generation of consoles before Sony.

They will do it, but what will be Sony's response? Will the software maker follow suit and rush out the PS4, or will they let the PS3 take its course? But if they do allow a few more years before rolling out the PS4, there will be a huge gap in technology again, with Sony's PS4 leading the way because of its late introduction. Developers very much disdain this uneven balance, since it costs them substantially more money to develop games at the beginning of every cycle.

Question, questions, questions, and not too many answers in the mean time. But there's one thing that rings true, ever since Microsoft crashed the console war party, competition has become stiff. It's all good for consumers, so I'm not complaining.

10/12/09 Ernice Gilbert

Cross-game chat for PSN will even out the competition, eliminating XBL's advantage

It's the most requested feature from PSN users, they want cross-game chat and they want it now. Well fear not gamers, Sony it seems have heard your cries, and is incorporating the much requested feature into PSN as we speak, and according to recent rumors, will be made available in late October of this year. Question is, will the addition of cross-game chat to PSN quell once and for all the argument made by Xbox Live users, that their online community is better than that of the PS3's? And with the feature added, will it cause Microsoft to provide its own service free of charge? The reasonable answer should be yes, since after cross-game chat is integrated into PSN, both services will be equal. Here's why.

When the PS3 launched in 2006, it came with the Playstation Network, a network that was weak, in its infant stages and scorned at by Xbox Live users as being nothing even close to what Microsoft offered. The label was true; not only were there significantly less games available compared to XBL, the network was buggy, boring and seen as a half baked attempt by Sony. Things have changed though, and as time went on, PSN essentially caught up with Live, and in some cases outstrip its competitor. Let's look at the rare titles only available on PSN, titles like Wipeout HD, FlOw, and Flower just to name a few. Then add the PS1 classics like Final Fantasy XII, Metal Gear Solid, and much more too numerous to mention you'll realize, not only is PSN a great place, it's actually addictive. Third-party developers are constantly doling out content on both the PS3 and 360 equally, hence eliminating the edge Xbox Live once had. Of course, sometimes content arrives first on the 360, but not as often as before.

I'm not saying XBL is not a good service, on the contrary, it's the reason we had such a revolution in gaming when online play was introduced with the original Xbox, and most won't argue about the robustness of the Xbox Live market place. It's been the life and strength of the Xbox 360, consistently raking in major profits for Microsoft and delivering superb experiences to its members. What some would argue however, is why is it that Microsoft's service was better for so long, to which their inevitable answer is, it's because of the one year head start they had over Sony. To some extent their response rings true; for just as in any other situation, having an early start over your competition gives you time to fine tune your service, get rid of bugs, learn new techniques, and incorporate fresh ideas. Sony was late, but they're making up for that with great additions to PSN, additions like Home, which certainly has come a long way, and is gaining traction, with developers showing support by creating special Home spaces for their games, making the service even more attractive. No doubt, many will point to the user base of Live, claiming it's substantially bigger, yet we can universally agree that PSN has grown exponentially over the years. Sony's service is also free, where as Xbox Live members pay a yearly fee of $50. There are many more comparisons we could list, all showing PSN is on par with its competitor. So why is Xbox Live deemed a better service than PSN, even if they're equal on so many levels? One reason, cross-game chat.

Imagine yourself playing, Killzone 2, or Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, with or against your friends on the other side of the ocean, and instead of just messaging, you can talk directly to them, all without paying a staggering phone bill. Now how awesome would this be? Really awesome. It's a feature called cross-game chat Xbox Lives users take for granted, but PS3 owners have yet to enjoy. It's often used as bragging rights by Xbox 360 owners against their PS3 counterparts, and is the sole reason Xbox Live got the edge. So if the rumors are true, (looks like they are), then come October, the 360 crowd will have nothing to brag about. Nothing.

09/26/09 Ernice Gilbert