I knew this was gonna happen, but I kind of forgot. Best Buy stores around the country have set up 'Rock Band' demos to get everyone excited about the impending massive release of the game in the next few weeks.

Here are my thoughts about the game in a bulleted list:

• The drums are awesome. Well, the playing part is awesome (more on this later). I was wondering if the hi-hat was going to come into play... and it does, it feels pretty real. Actually it's more real than any guitar game.
• I felt completely ridiculous playing the drums in front of a crowd of onlookers.
• The songs were really fun, I love drumming for the Hives.
• The guitar looks really cool. The buttons are at the top of the neck and also a double set at the bottom (so you can pretend to do solos... uh, that's so cheesy).
• The guitar feels a little too plasticy... but so do the 'GH' guitars.
• The timing seemed way different from 'GHIII' or the guitar might not have been synced properly, either way, I could barely make it through a song.
• You're gonna have to get another guitar for bass parts (which are not as exciting as guitar parts).
• The weird breaking-glass effect (on the on-screen note indicators) when you hit a note is kind of cool and satisfying.
• The microphone is smaller that I thought it would be, but substantial for most hands.
• There were wires EVERYWHERE! This set-up is a living room nightmare.
• After two days of drumming (not by me, but customers in the Best Buy) the drum set was war-torn dented and scratched. The d-pad didn't seem to working either... looks like it had been smashed with the drum sticks. I could still navigate on-screen menus with the drums, though.
• I can't wait to play the drums in the privacy of my home!

Just recieved word on Rock Band's awesome and HUGE set list. When your fingers need a break fromGHIII, check out this list of songs from the 60's-2000s!

Rock Band Set List:
In addition to the 45 tracks listed below, Rock Band will also
feature 13 songs ranging from a variety of established bands to
up-and-coming independent artists that can be unlocked as you play
through the game.

1960s
Rolling Stones "Gimme Shelter"

1970s
Aerosmith “Train Kept a Rollin’”*
The Who "Won't Get Fooled Again"
Boston “Foreplay/Long Time”
Mountain "Mississippi Queen"*
The Police “Next to You”
David Bowie "Suffragette City"
Black Sabbath "Paranoid"*
Blue Oyster Cult "Don't Fear the Reaper"
The Ramones "Blitzkrieg Bop"
Deep Purple "Highway Star"
KISS "Detroit Rock City"
Molly Hatchet “Flirtin’ With Disaster”
The Outlaws “Green Grass & High Tides”*
Sweet “Ballroom Blitz”*

1980s
Rush "Tom Sawyer"*
Bon Jovi "Wanted Dead or Alive"
The Clash "Should I Stay or Should I Go"
Faith No More "Epic"
R.E.M. “Orange Crush”
Iron Maiden “Run to the Hills”*

1990s
Foo Fighters "Learn to Fly"
Metallica "Enter Sandman"
Nirvana "In Bloom"
Stone Temple Pilots "Vasoline"
Weezer "Say It Ain't So"
Smashing Pumpkins "Cherub Rock"
Radiohead "Creep"
Beastie Boys "Sabotage"
Hole "Celebrity Skin"
Garbage "I Think I'm Paranoid"
Soundgarden "Black Hole Sun"

2000s
The Hives "Main Offender"
Queens of the Stone Age "Go With the Flow"
The Strokes "Reptilia"
Jet "Are You Gonna Be My Girl"
OK Go "Here It Goes Again"
Nine Inch Nails "The Hand That Feeds"
Pixies "Wave of Mutilation"
Yeah Yeah Yeahs "Maps"
Red Hot Chili Peppers "Dani California"
Coheed & Cambria “Welcome Home”
Fallout Boy “Dead on Arrival”
The Killers “When You Were Young”
New Pornographers “Electric Version”

* Indicates a cover song, all others songs are original master
recordings

'Guitar Hero III' is turning out to be as fun as I expected it to be, IT RAWKS!!!

I have to contradict myself (from an earlier comment) because the timing is noticeably looser than 'GH II', which is better for the beginner to average player. However, the expert player might find this robs some of the fun out of the game. I say this because during some of the perplexing note patterns, I feel like all I need to do is "mash buttons" to get by. You can tell they spent a lot of time designing the note patterns, as it really feels like you’re playing guitar (yes, I play a real guitar aside from GH).

The addition of the boss battles makes the game for me, because they are VERY challenging. They key to winning in these battles is knowing when to deploy your attacks against the competitor. What I really enjoy about the boss battles is that the songs you play really showoff the style of the real counterparts (probably because they actually wrote and recorded those tracks for the game).

In previous GH games, we were treated to excellent covers of some great songs. Here in 'GH III' we are able to enjoy the original recordings of a lot of the tracks. This makes the Guitar Hero experience seem just a little more authentic (I'm playing guitar for Pearl Jam!!!).

With the 70+ songs on-disc (what a killer song selection it is), and more to come via Xbox Live download, I'm sure I'll be enjoying this game for quite a while...at least until RockBand is released. IMHO, replay value in the 'Guitar Hero' series is quite high.

There are some rumors floating around about IPTV coming to the Xbox 360. Maybe in the Fall update.

Rumor here

OMG! This list made me laugh out loud.

It's from Stuff Magazine and these moments are spot-on. Some old, some new... the 'Top Gun' and 'Tetris' moments are perfect!

I would have added: "Beating the Rob & Big Pro-Challenge in 'Skate'!" It took me four hours!

Article from Stuff

I love my wireless guitar controller thingy. It makes 'GHIII' so much better.

I was jumping around on the furniture and playing from across the room... just because I could.

I feel sorry for wired guitars. They go back into the box... and then: maybe eBay.

I'm no "guitar hero" myself, I actually suck at the game, but 'GHIII' is a blast. The songs are way-fun and the encores and boss-battle are a nice addition. My fingers are bleeding though... I get too caught up in the game to relax so I put a lot of pressure on the buttons and strum-bar.

Thank goodness the timing was improved from using my old Explorer Controller with the demo version of the game. I think the new game is actually easier than 'GHII;' I was cranking our 200-note combos with ease. Then I'd get all worried about messing up and I would mess up. The darn pop-up progress messages actually freak me out and I totally lose concentration.

I'm interested to see how the 'GH' nerds Marc and Melcolm like the game.
Marc Comment: Did he just call me a GH nerd? I prefer GH Enthusiast! TXG review coming soon!

Oh yeah, I hate Tom Morello. Not personally... just in the game.

Besides the upcoming WiiWare program (info here) that allows Wii users access to developers' games without massive budgets (and developers' experiments), Nintendo is also hinting at what's to come next year.

You can't read the whole article (requires WSJ subscription), but Wall Street Journal is saying that Nintendo has a lot of plans for the DS and Wii that include projects not meant to entertain, but are for practicality. HUM?

More fitness stuff? Cooking apps?

Apparently it's continuing effort by the big N to keep this new generation of non-gamers that were wooed over by the Wii and DS with non-traditional games.

WSJ article here

Kotaku is quoting the British Official Xbox mag saying that 'COD4' single player is only about 5 hours long on normal difficulty.

I like quality games, even if they're short. But what's up with the trend of really short short short games like this?

I'm thinking I can make it longer by playing it upside down with one eye covered.

story here

I was trying to suffer through the 'Guitar Hero III' demo, on the 360, using my old 'GHII' guitar. It seems like I couldn't properly hit any notes.

Strangely at the end of each game I was receiving 97% scores, but I was still hearing the clunky missed-note sounds.

I thought maybe something was wrong with the guitar, so I went through the tutorial... no problem at all. I popped in 'GHII,' and no problem at all. But back to the demo game... I can't seem to hit a good note.

punchbutton! guest-poster Melcolm also had this problem.

What's up? Is the timing really that different in the new game? Is it the guitar?

Marc's played it... what does he think?

I had a great opprotunity to hang out at T. Newman's house and jam out with Romo and some of the 'Boys! Lucky Romo got to go co-op with Carmen Elektra via LIVE.

Hey! I pay for my games.

Some people don't.

Those people will burn in... uh, I mean, will get stopped by the angry Nintendo police.

The big "N" is cracking down on copying devices that allow miscreants to copy and download games over the internet. Looks like they're starting in Hong Kong.

Read the article here.

Somewhere, a game developer's tiny child will have more food on the table tonight.

You HAXRs should be ashamed.

Enjoy the review!

texasgamer@wfaa.com
Email Texas Gamer

If you haven't finished 'Portal' (part of the 'Orange Box') or you're expecting to play 'Portal,' stop reading now. This is a huge spoiler.

The infectious song at the end of the game is taking on a life of it's own. It's all over YouTube (like here) and it's haunting my dreams (I can't stop humming it).

So what's the story behind it?

MTV has posted an article about the song's writer here and the man himself, Jonathan Coulton, has come clean in his blog here.

Was the cake a lie?

I know it's too early, but I'm bored and I need to vent.

Here are my top 10 games from 2007 (so far... subject to change):

1. Skate (Xbox 360, PS3)
2. Puzzle Quest (Xbox 360 arcade, PSP, other platforms)
3. Crackdown (Xbox 360)
4. Orange Box (Xbox 360, PS3, PC)
5. Lumines Live! (Xbox 360 arcade)
6. MotorStorm (PS3)
7. Halo 3 (Xbox 360)
8. Call of Duty 4 beta (Xbox 360)
9. Metroid Prime 3: Corruption (Wii)
10. Brain Age 2 (DS)

'Skate' rules all.

So there's this rumor on Australian site Smarthouse (via Kotaku) that Microsoft is working with Toshiba on a 360 with a built-in HD-DVD drive.

The machine would also include television tuners (so you could use it like a TiVo) and docking ports for MP3 players.

The site says the new configuration wouldn't be available until the end of 2008 at the earliest.

BUT... I got a call from Microsoft today asking to set up an interview next week to discuss an Xbox announcement. I'm out of town on vacation next week, so I can't do the interview and they wouldn't just go ahead and tell me what the announcement is, but Microsoft doesn't call me often to discuss new product announcements.

Now, this announcement could be about anything (Microsoft has repurchased Bungie! Nintendo has purchased Microsoft! Google has purchased Nintendo!), but it's curious timing.

So next week could be interesting.

Johnathan Mac has a 12" TV and can't stay awake more than 8 hours a day; but, MAN, does he make good game... like 'Everyday Shooter' on the PS3.

Here's his recent, and disturbing, blog entry on the PlayStation official blog: read it here

• $399 40 gig PS3 with no backward compatibility, no memory card slots and two less USB ports is coming next month... here
• EBGames has the 80 gig PS3 (with MotorStorm) and the 60 gig PS3 for the same price ($499)... here
• Someone got the 'Portal' gun to work in 'Half-Life 2'... here

Amazon is giving away 90 Xbox 360's designed by artist Tim Sale. Each will have a "Heroes" theme based on the TV show.

You also get an HD-DVD player accessory and the first season of "Heroes" on HD-DVD.

Groovy!

Amazon's game page

If you've played Valve's 'Team Fortress 2' (part of 'The Orange Box') on Xbox Live, you've probably found that games, with large numbers of players, tend to lag horribly.

Good news, Valve has finished the patch to correct the problem... it should be out soon.

1up.com story here

I get a little frustrated with the PlayStations store's launching of paid content minus the free trials. I want to know what a game is like before I invest my $5-to-$15.

This weekend I took a leap of faith and purchased "Everyday Shooter" based on pre-release hype alone.

I'm glad I did.

'ES' is one of those games that destroys your expectations. From the get-go everything is so understated. The menu is completely utilitarian... to the point of it being comical. There's no flashy intros, no over-designed junk, no space giraffes, just simple text to help you start your game. And what a game it is.

You play as a square. Really. You're a square that shoots in all directions... kind of like 'Geometry Wars'... kind of like 'Asteroids.' Enemies trace across the screen in seemingly random fashion, and you begin take them out. Sounds like every other arcade shooter, huh?

But here's where it gets good: there's some groovy music playing in the background and I soon noticed that shooting the bad guys adds to the music... with guitar chords, riffs and what not. It reminded me of Sega's brilliant 'Rez' on the PS2. The improvised music score is very cool indeed; it's like half game, half musical instrument.

The graphics are hypnotic. They seem ultra-simple at first, but become more artistic and strange as the levels deepen. It's amazing how cool simple graphics can be.

But, the best part of 'Everyday Shooter' is the gameplay. Not content with straight-forward rules, this shooter make you watch closely to discover how to ultimately cause enemy-destroying chain reactions. It's different for each level, so you have to pay attention if you want to rack up points. Seriously, you can't earn a lot of points until you learn how each particular level operates. Very neat.

And once you've earned enough points, you can use them to buy stuff when the game ends. The in-game store offers extra lives, different graphic styles and numerous gameplay enhancements. So, in addition to a cool game, there's increased motivation to keep playing... you want to unlock everything!

I commend Sony for taking a chance on 'Everyday Shooter,' it's a marvelous addition to the PlayStation store. It's already also one of my favorite games of the year. A wonderful return on investment!

I hate RPG's. I hate games with overly complicated story-lines. I hate medieval, renaissance-fair, stuff. But, I love puzzle games.

I saw 'Puzzle Quest' on Xbox Live this weekend and reluctantly downloaded the trial... because it's free. I achingly plodded through the eighty gajillion text screens and twenty minutes later... I'm so hooked, it's not even funny! Thankfully you can buy the full version and not lose your progress from the trial.

I've been reading glowing reviews for 'PQ' for the last few months, but the "RPG" mentions kept me from tracking it down. Wow, was I misguided. This game is spectacular.

It's a simple puzzle game with a 'Bejeweled'-esque style of gameplay. The "twist" is that each color-match you make adds to the levels of your character's powers. You use your powers to cast spells and battle against an opponent that is taking turns on the same puzzle grid. You can add skills, weapons and accessories to you character too... that's the RPG part. Even better, the enemy can be the game's AI or a real person via the Live interface.

I'm probably not explaining it well, but to sum it up: it's a turn based PRG with puzzle battles. And it rocks.

'Puzzle Quest' quickly wiped out much of my weekend. If RPG's could be half as engaging as this, I would be such a dork... because I would never stop playing 'em. And, I might even go to a renaissance fair.

A little late to the party, but worth taking a look at if you want to kill a few hours.
Enjoy this week's review!

Looks like holiday news for the Wii keeps getting more frustrating. Not only will it probably be amazingly difficult to find a holiday Wii due to anticipated shortages; but now we get word that some of the most anticipated games won't make it to the popular console until 2008.

'Super Smash Bros. Brawl' is heartbreakingly being delayed until February of next year. Dang!

Wired's story

How much does it cost to buy BioWare (developers of Mass Effect) and Pandemic (developers of Mercenaries 2)?

Almost a billion dollars.

(Seriously, peep the dollar figures in the press release below).

But you can't buy the love of the gaming community.

As expected, the forums on the gaming blogs are boiling cauldrons of rage, as if Exxon Mobil decided to build a refinery in Yellowstone.

EA TO ACQUIRE BIOWARE CORP. AND PANDEMIC STUDIOS

Leaders in RPG, Action and Adventure Genres

Ten Franchises in Development – Six Wholly Owned

REDWOOD CITY, Calif., October 11, 2007 – Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ:ERTS) today announced an agreement with Elevation Partners to acquire VG Holding Corp. -- the owner of both BioWare Corp. and Pandemic Studios. This acquisition gives EA a strong competitive position in key genres in interactive entertainment: action, adventure and role-playing games. The two studios have been recognized for creating some of the highest-quality games in the industry.

BioWare Corp. and Pandemic Studios have ten franchises under development, including six wholly owned games. BioWare Corp. is currently developing the highly anticipated Mass Effect, which will be published by Microsoft in November, and is in the early development stages of a massively multiplayer online game. Pandemic Studios is redefining open-world games with its upcoming Mercenaries 2: World in Flames™ and Saboteur™, in addition to several unannounced projects.

Pandemic Studios and BioWare Corp. employ roughly 800 people across four studios located in Edmonton, Canada; Los Angeles; Austin; and Brisbane, Australia.

“These are two of the most respected studios in the industry and I’m glad to be working with them again. They’ll make a strong contribution to our strategic growth initiatives on quality, online gaming and developing new intellectual properties,” said John Riccitiello, EA’s Chief Executive Officer. “We also expect this will drive long-term value for our shareholders.”

Pandemic Studios is led by Andrew Goldman, Josh Resnick and Greg Borrud. BioWare Corp. is jointly led by Greg Zeschuk and Ray Muzyka. These teams will join the EA™ Games Label run by Frank Gibeau, President of EA Games.

“Pandemic Studios remains focused on attracting the best talent and creating blockbuster action games,” said Josh Resnick, President and Co-founder of Pandemic Studios. “As a worldwide publishing leader, EA represents the ideal partner to bring our titles to market as global entertainment events.”

“We are truly excited by John Riccitiello’s new vision for EA,” said Ray Muzyka, Co-founder and CEO of BioWare Corp. “This vision is consistent with BioWare’s focus on crafting the highest quality story-driven games in the world. It will enable us to further the careers of the passionate, creative and hard working teams at BioWare Edmonton and BioWare Austin.”

EA will pay up to $620 million in cash to the stockholders of VG Holding Corp. and will issue up to an additional $155 million in equity to certain employees of VG Holding Corp., which will be subject to time-based or performance-based vesting criteria. EA will also assume outstanding VG Holding Corp. stock options. In addition, EA has agreed to lend VG Holding Corp. up to $35 million through the closing of the acquisition.

'Gears of War' will be transferred to the big screen... and green screen.

I didn't know this was in the works, but I guess every game has Hollywood potential.

Read the article about the movie based on the game

The new UPC code that was showing up for Nintendo's Wii was just the package with the Wii-mote rubber cushions.

Read here

Activision let this one sneak in under the radar: 'Soldier of Fortune: Payback.'
It hits stores for the 360 and PS3 just in time for the holidays (November 13). And in keeping with the holiday spirit, 'SoF' is quite possibly the goriest and grossest games I've seen in a while.

I can't wait. It looks awful! Uh, that's "awful" in a good way.

Kotaku's got the VERY R-rated trailer (YOU'VE BEEN WARNED!)

I'm predicting it'll get banned before it even hits the shelves.

An Australian gaming site, Gameplayer, gives their 10 reasons why the next Xbox is only two years away.

Start saving your dimes

...in months, my Wii was glowing blue this morning.

Is it announcing a message from a family member or friend? Is it an update?

I'm too lazy to check. Did anyone else wake up to a glowing Wii?

High hopes and broken dreams from Sony's Lair, however Heavenly Sword delivers the goods, just not for very long.

There's a new Wii UPC code floating around.

Is it a bundle? Is it a DVD-playing Wii? Is it a Wii that's fully encased in rubber padding to prevent injuries?

Read about it here

The departure of Bungie is just about the worst possible news that Microsoft could have received.

Forget about Microsoft retaining the rights to the Halo IP and Bungie continuing to make games for Microsoft.

Microsoft no longer has the power to order up Halo games at will from Bungie.

Bungie now has the freedom to say "no" when the Halo request comes over the transom.

What's more, how long will it take for a Bungie game to show up on a Nintendo or Sony platform with the words "From the creators of Halo" on the cover?

No matter how this gets spun -- and expect Microsoft to spin faster than a hula hoop on this announcement -- this is a terrible outcome for Microsoft.

The only way it could get worse is if Bungie gets bought by Sony or Nintendo.

After all, while Microsoft says it will be retaining an equity interest in Bungie, it's obviously no longer a controlling interest.

So there's nothing to stop Sony or Nintendo from stepping in and doing what Microsoft did when it bought Rare, which was until then a Nintendo-centric developer.

What a colossal, nearly-unmitigated disaster for Microsoft.

Kotaku's does it again... learning that Sony Computer Entertainment of Europe has announced a PS3 price drop for October 10th. Sony, we're waiting for ours!

Read here

Kotaku's got the press release: Bungie has freed itself from the grasp of Microsoft!

Read here

Direct from Bungie

I've noticed a trend in the last few weeks. Maybe it's the approaching holidays or maybe it's better marketing; but the standard $59-priced next-gen game is getting cheaper.

Here's some examples from GameStop:

• Sega Rally Revo (360/PS3): $49.99
• Beautiful Katamari (360): $39.99
• Tony Hawk Proving Ground (360/PS3): $54.99
• Orange Box (360): $54.99
• Tomb Raider Anniversary (360): $39.99

Granted, they're aren't all huge releases, it's a great sign that companies setting prices correctly, instead of a blanketed flat fee.

Acitivision just released some additional tracks to be included in the already massive song list for the upcoming Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock

The additional tracks:

>Same Old Song and Dance (by Aerosmith)
>Helicopter (by Bloc Party)
>Stricken (by Disturbed)
>Monsters (by Matchbook Romance)
>Before I Forget (by Slipknot)
>Kool Thing (by Sonic Youth)
>When You Were Young (by The Killers)
>Devil Went Down to Georgia (as made famous by Charlie Daniels Band)
>Sunshine of Your Love (as made famous by Cream)
>Holiday in Cambodia (as made famous by Dead Kennedys)
>Cliffs of Dover (as made famous by Eric Johnson)
>Hit Me with Your Best Shot (as made famous by Pat Benetar)
>Black Magic Woman (as made famous by Santana)
>Story of My Life (as made famous by Social Distortion)
>Pride and Joy (as made famous by Stevie Ray Vaughn)
>The Seeker (as made famous by The Who)
>Black Sunshine (as made famous by White Zombie)

Click on the read through for the entire release

In addition to the newly announced tracks, previously announced songs in Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock include:

>Miss Murder (by AFI) .
>Minus Celsius (by Ba.ckyard Babies)
>Sabotage (by Beastie Boys)
>Hier Kommt Alex (by Die Toten Hosen)
>Through Fire and Flames (by Dragonforce)
>In the Belly of a Shark (by Gallows)
>Welcome to The Jungle (by Guns N’ Roses)
>Avalancha (by Heroes Del Silencio)
>Take This Life (by In Flames)
>Number of the Beast (by Iron Maiden)
>Ruby (by Kaiser Chiefs)
>Closer (by Lacuna Coil)
>Cult of Personality (by Living Colour)
>One (by Metallica)
>Knights of Cydonia (by Muse)
>Mauvais Garcon (by NAAST)
>Even Flow (by Pearl Jam)
>Lay Down (by Priestess)
>Bulls on Parade (by Rage Against The Machine)
>3's and 7's (by Queens of the Stone Age)
>Suck My Kiss (by Red Hot Chili Peppers)
>Generation Rock (by Revolverheld)
>Raining Blood (by Slayer)
>Cherub Rock (by Smashing Pumpkins)
>Radio Song (by Superbus)
>The Metal (by Tenacious D)
>I'm in the Band (by The Hellacopters)
>Anarchy in the U.K. (by The Sex Pistols)
>Reptillia (by The Strokes)
>Paint It Black (by The Rolling Stones)
>My Name is Jonas (by Weezer)
>Slash’s Original Boss Battle Recording
>Tom Morello’s Original Boss Battle Recording
>School’s Out (as made famous by Alice Cooper)
>Paranoid (as made famous by Black Sabbath)
>Cities on Flame (as made famous by Blue Oyster Cult)
>Slow Ride (as made famous by Foghat)
>Barracuda (as made famous by Heart)
>Rock and Roll All Nite (as made famous by Kiss)
>Mississippi Queen (as made famous by Mountain)
>Rock You Like a Hurricane (as made famous by Scorpions)
>La Grange (as made famous by ZZ Top)

Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock will include explosive new content and features including a multiplayer action-inspired battle mode, grueling boss battles, a host of exclusive unlockable content and visually stunning rock venues. Expanded online multiplayer game modes will also allow axe-shredders worldwide to compete head-to-head for true legendary rock status. While continuing to retain all the key features from their prior legendary performances, fresh downloadable content will be offered on multiple platforms, and players can now shred to a killer set list from many of the most popular rock songs ever recorded.

For the first time ever, Guitar Hero fans will also be able to thrash and burn with new wireless guitar controllers available for each platform, including exclusive Gibson Guitar's Les Paul model for the Xbox 360™ video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, Wii™ home video game system from Nintendo, and PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system. PlayStation®2 gamers will also get to shred on a new exclusive shape, Gibson’s Kramer guitar, popularized by hard rockers and known for its body design, pickups, electronics and construction for furious finger fretting.

Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock, published by RedOctane® and developed by Neversoft, is rated ‘T’ for Teen by the ESRB and will be available October 28, 2007. For more information about the Guitar Hero franchise, please visit the dedicated community site: www.guitarhero.com.

Now I'm starting to get excited about the movie.

The blog-o-sphere is rampant with rumors and postings. Nothing earth shattering but here's the Cliff's Notes version:

• Rumor: $399 40-gig PS3 (rumor-in-rumor: maybe with reduced or no backward compatibility??) on October 28th. May have been confirmed by Best Buy inventory leaks.
• Xbox 360 Arcade for $279.99 showed up on Amazon (oh, here it is!) with an October 23 release date.

Finally! I've not only fought through waves of Covenant, but my severely scratched disc and have finished the game. Enjoy the review!

Game Informer has posted a doozie of a rumor on their website.

According to the game magazine (citing a Seattle blog and an unnamed source supposedly close to Bungie), as of yesterday, 'Halo' creators Bungie are no longer part of Microsoft.

The rumor further states that Bungie is relinquishing 'Halo' rights to Microsoft and the big M will have right of refusal for future Bungie titles (meaning they still have a chance to publish them... or not).

I thought the saddest element of the rumor is that Bungie is saying that they are tired of making 'Halo' games.

Read rumor here

In an effort to humiliate every svelte Wii remote out there, Nintendo is including these new Wii Remote Jackets in all new Wii systems currently shipping. If you bought your Wii a while ago, you can get free Jackets by going here.

Supposedly, these Wii bumpers will reduce the Wii-related fatalities and damage caused by flung remotes. How? With lots of rubber padding! This will aid in better controller grip and more cushion during cranial impacts.

Nintendo points out, even with an attached Wii Remote Jacket, gamers still need to follow procedure and attach the wrist straps properly. Dang!

VICTOR COMMENT: So let me get this straight. We're supposed to wrap our Wiis in a protective rubber coating to prevent unwanted "accidents," but we also need to remember that there's no such thing as guaranteed protection? Okay. Should I tell Nintendo that my older brother asked me to pick up his jacket?

The selection is pretty slender so far, and the prices are a little steep, but this really is an under-served market.

Good luck, G8 Brand!

Engadget is linking to this rumor: the lovely, and expensive, PS3 will drop in price again. This time the magic number is $399 on the magic date of October 12th.

Time will tell.

Rumor here

CVG has three cool video clips showing off the amazing sense of speed and weather effects from 'Project Gotham Racing 4'... it releases later this week for the 360.

Check out the snow... clips here

This has to be a flat-out lie.

According to this rumor, there will be another 'Halo' game set to release, day and date, with the 'Halo' movie.

1. I thought the 'Halo' movie was dead.
2. I don't trust a PS3 fan site with accurate Xbox info.

Here's the rumor