Buyer's Guide: Xbox Live Marketplace

So, what to spend your Microsoft Points on? The choice can be quite daunting. After all, there's a lot of content on Xbox Live Marketplace.

With this handy guide, we give you some solid suggestions to spend your points on based on several categories and include everything from Xbox Live Arcade games to Indie Games to Avatar props. Just select from your favorite genres below. (Joytip: Click on a game title to see its Xbox.com listing; and check out our links to reviews and XBLA in Brief videos to help make crucial purchasing decisions.)

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E3 2010 dates revealed

I KNOW THIS IS OLD NEWS BUT ITS JUST A HEADS UP REMINDER

The 2009 E3 show is over and key industry executives are already coming out to praise a "rejuvenated" show.

More than 41,000 people attended E3 2009, which featured 216 exhibitors.

EA CEO John Riccitiello labelled it "a great show [that] reflected the vitality, innovation and global presence of a rapidly growing industry," while Microsoft's Don Mattrick said that the company "was pleased to be a part of a rejuvenated E3 this year and to see the interactive entertainment industry really shine and reach new audiences."

The next E3 Expo will take place from June 15-17, 2010, at the Los Angeles Convention Center.

What did you think kids? Back to previous form?

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Mass Effect 2’s Cerberus Network Announced

BioWare today revealed ‘The Cerberus Network’, an in-game portal within the highly-anticipated Mass Effect 2 that aims to “keep fans enganged with the rich and dynamic Mass Effect universe through downloadable content and news.”
Interesting.
Here’s a description straight from BioWare:
‘The Cerberus Network’ is activated exclusively by original purchasers of Mass Effect 2 through a single-use unlock code that comes included in retail and digital versions of the game worldwide. ‘The Cerberus Network’ is a conduit for players to receive bonus content as well as daily messages and news on upcoming releases for Mass Effect 2 for no extra charge. For players who do not buy the game new, ‘The Cerberus Network’ can be unlocked through a one-time, in-game purchase of a new activation code
“The Cerberus Network augments and extends the rich universe of Mass Effect 2,” said Dr. Ray Muzyka, co-founder, BioWare and Group General Manager of the RPG/MMO Group of EA. “We’re thrilled to be able to reward loyal BioWare and Mass Effect fans with ongoing, high quality content and provide a direct channel for our players to dive deeper into the intriguing lore of Mass Effect.”
Players who access ‘The Cerberus Network’ will receive the first DLC pack on January 26th (launch day in North America) featuring new missions and in-game items. Included in this pack is a mission that introduces Zaeed, a rugged and deadly gun-for-hire who is recruited to join Commander Shepard’s mission to save mankind.
After launch, BioWare will release another DLC pack for Mass Effect 2 that introduces the Hammerhead, a new vehicle in the Mass Effect universe.
Here’s a description of the Hammerhead:
This agile hover tank features improved handling on rough terrain and maneuvers deftly in combat- a necessity for players traveling across harsh planetary environments throughout the galaxy. In addition to this new vehicle, BioWare will release new missions and unique in-game items, including Cerberus Assault Armor which boost shields, health and heavy weapon ammo and the M-22 Eviscerator Shotgun.
Of course, Mass Effect 2 is scheduled for release on both the Xbox 360 and PC on January 26 in North America and January 29 in Europe.

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PlayStation 3 Motion Controller Update

Sony issued a press release this morning regarding its upcoming Motion Controller. In it, we learn a few things. First, the controller still does not have an official name. “Motion Controller” will have to do until they come up with something more snazzy. Second, the thing isn’t coming out this spring but rather during fall 2010 with that decision being chalked up to the fact that this fall will be when Sony will be able to offer up “an exciting and varied line-up of software titles that will deliver the new entertainment experience to PS3 users.”So, to recap…No name yet, fall 2010 instead of spring 2010…There ya go.
Those are pretty much the take away points from the press release, which you can read in full after the jump if you so desire.
PRESS RELEASE
Sony Computer Entertainment (SCE) today announced that it will release its new Motion Controller (tentative name) for PlayStation3 (PS3) computer entertainment system in fall 2010 in Japan, Asian regions and countries, North America and Europe/PAL territories together with an extensive line-up of exciting software titles. The new controller, combined together with the PlayStationEye camera, can detect the natural and intuitive movement of the hand and reflect the precise movement within the game, delivering a whole new entertainment experience on PS3.
“We have decided to release the Motion Controller in fall 2010 when we will be able to offer an exciting and varied line-up of software titles that will deliver the new entertainment experience to PS3 users, ” said Kazuo Hirai, President and Group CEO, Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. “We will continue to work to have a comprehensive portfolio of attractive and innovative games for the Motion Controller, not only from SCE Worldwide Studios but also from the third party developers and publishers, whom we have been working closely with. We look forward to soon unveiling the exciting software line-up that further expand and define the PS3 platform as the ultimate entertainment system for the home.”
SCE will vigorously promote the Motion Controller as the de facto controller of the PS3 platform along with the DUALSHOCK series controller and will deploy various measures to enhance the software title line-up for the Motion Controller, delivering groundbreaking interactive entertainment only possible on the PS3 platform.

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First Halo: Reach Screens Leaked

Accidentally posted by mega retailer EB Games and then passed around the internet like a viral vid of Kim Kardashian, the first official in-game screens from Bungie’s Halo: Reach are now available for you to gawk over.
There’s really not much more to say. You can check out the new pics here.
Halo: Reach, available exclusively on the Xbox 360, is expected to, uh, reach retailers this fall.

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Rock Band Network Beta Opened To Public

Rock Band junkies will be happy to learn that Harmonix today announced that the Rock Band Network beta program has been opened to the public. For those that don’t know, the Rock Band Network provides all the tools and backing to basically let both emerging and established artists convert their music for use in Rock Band, opening up new avenues of distribution and revenue while providing a new content stream for players.
A rather long press release accompanied the announcement, but there’s a lot of important and informative info in it if you’re thinking about getting involved so we’re putting the whole thing after the jump for those of you that are interested. All the rest can just keep playing Rock Band…
PRESS RELEASE
Harmonix Music Systems and MTV Games, a part of Viacom’s MTV Networks, today announced that the Rock Band Network beta program is now open to the public, giving emerging and established artists the tools needed to start authoring and submitting their music into Rock Band. The Rock Band Network, announced in July,is aground-breaking initiative that gives musicians, publishers and record labels the ability to author their original recordings into gameplay files to promote and sell their music as playable Rock Band tracks through the soon-to-launch Rock Band Network Music Store (RBN Store).
“We are excited to democratize the Rock Band platform and expand the music discovery experience to the greater music community with the Rock Band Network,” said Alex Rigopulos, CEO and co-founder of Harmonix. “We believe this will be great for fans, music lovers, bands and the music industry as a whole.”
“The Rock Band Network opens the Rock Band universe to musicians at any stage of their career, empowering them to release the songs they choose, on their timetable, via our proven music distribution platform,” said Paul DeGooyer, Senior Vice President of Electronic Games and Music for MTV Networks Music Group. “It is a high-value business proposition that features powerful promotional impact for artists and songwriters, while at the same time adding real sales to their bottom lines.”
Artists who submit songs for the Rock Band Network Music Store will be able to choose from multiple pricing tiers for individual tracks and receive a royalty of 30 percent of the retail selling price (excluding tax) for every track purchased through the RBN Store. Before they are approved to be sold, songs are submitted to http://Creators.RockBand.com. The author submits the song to one of two areas: Playtest, where the community delivers feedback on a work in progress track, or Peer Review, where a revised song goes when it is considered a final draft and ready to be posted for sale. Once in Peer Review, songs are tested for playability and checked to check for violations of XNA Creators Club Online community standards (vulgarity, adult content, legal concerns, etc.). Peer Reviewers have the unique opportunity to play Rock Band NetworkRock Band 2 for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, can join the Playtest and Peer Review processes by purchasing an XNA Creators Club Online Premium membership through http://creators.xna.com/membership. content for free, well in advance of a track’s commercial release. These fans can help shape the track’s final form, rating how fun and challenging the authoring is, and helping flag issues to make the song the best it can be. Anyone who owns
Once tracks are approved, they will be transferred to the Rock Band Network Store, an in-game music marketplace where the millions of Rock Band fans will be able to both hear and play samples of songs before they purchase. Songs will debut exclusively on Xbox 360 for 30 days. A selection of standout tracks will then be made available on the PlayStation® 3 computer entertainment system from Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. and the Wii™ home videogame console from Nintendo.
How to get started:
• Wondering How to Submit a Song? Go here and scroll down to “Adding a song to the pipeline.”
• Want to Become a Peer Reviewer? Go here.
The Rock Band Network Store will open to consumers in the near future to be announced at a later date. With more than 1,000 tracks available to date in the standard Rock Band platform, the Rock Band Network Music Store will exponentially increase the number of available songs, further securing MTV Games and Harmonix’s position as the leading provider of downloadable content for music-based video games.

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Rumor: Next Zelda Game Will Be Sequel To Majora’s Mask

Let's get this straight: There are rumors about video games, and then there are crazy internet rumors about video games that are so intriguing you can't help but get excited about them, even though you don't believe they're anything more than products of an overactive fan imagination. This post is about the second kind.

Information has bubbled up from the Japanese 2chan message board about the new Wii Zelda game and, while 2chan's record on rumors hasn't been bad (they've broken information on Japanese anime, Resident Evil and other games that later turned out to be true), these rumors are crazy. Like Majora's Mask crazy. See what we mean after the break.
We'll warn you once more: These are uncorroborated from an online message board. A message board that's right sometimes, to be sure, but a message board nevertheless. So before you decide to burn your Link plushie in protest after reading these, you'll want to wait for official confirmation.

• The game will be very different from the traditional overworld/dungeon/overworld Zelda style.
• Link will be left- or righthanded depending on whatever option you select as a player.
• Mechanics and gameplay are done in terms of development, and dungeons, story, and characters are still being fleshed out. Part of the story will involve an innkeeper in Link's hometown and her young son.
• The girl in the teaser picture above may be named Adelle, Adella, or Aderu, though that picture was a placeholder, not her real face. She won't be with you throughout the game, but she will communicate with Link through his sword.
• The sword itself is not the Master Sword, but it will develop and release unlockable abilities as the game goes on.
• There will be horseback combat, and your horse (possibly Epona, though that may just be a nickname for the horse in the translation) will be much better at avoiding obstacles.
• And finally, the Link in this game may be the Hero of Time from Ocarina of Time, the game itself may contain time travel, and the overworld may include more than just Hyrule, and/or may not be Hyrule at all. That means that the Wii Zelda may in fact be a direct or indirect sequel of Majora's Mask, a fact sure to raise the ire of some (and the hopes of others).

Remember that none of this information is confirmed (and to be honest, most of it is pretty vague). Feel free to commence arguing whether or not these rumors fit with what we already know.

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Heavy Rain Demo Dated

Those hopeful of seeing Quantic Dream’s forward-thinking yet risky PS3-exclusive Heavy Rain fulfill its lofty expectations will get the chance to sample the title via a demo coming to PSN on February 11. This according to a comment by Mike Kebby on the EU PlayStation Blog which was spotted by VG247. The game itself will be releasing in late February.
While the demo is currently only specified for Europe, it seems more than likely that it will be released everywhere, although we’ll have to await official confirmation to be sure.
So, who plans on giving this a whirl?

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Capcom announcing exclusive Xbox 360 game

On the Xbox.com Japan website, (by scrolling throught the numbers on the left side of the screen) it shows "Capcom x Microsoft  - 2010.01.26 - CAPCOM title Premiere for Xbox 360."  Sounds like CAPCOM is cooking up an exclusive Xbox 360 IP in conjunction with Microsoft.  I guess we will just have to wait and see what is announced in 4 days which is this upcoming Tuesday the 26th.
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SOURCE ::: http://www.xbox.com/ja-JP/default.htm

Rein: "Pachter Comments Not True - Happy with Microsoft"

A few hours ago we posted a story on what the almighty games analyst Michael Pachter had to say regarding the relationship/contract between Microsoft and Epic Games; Mark Rein, Vice President of Epic Games, gave us his take on the seemingly impossible comments made on the Bonus Round. We asked the folks at Epic, what we already knew to be untrue, if they felt strained or pressured in their relationship with Microsoft and the Xbox 360. Read up on Mr. Pachter's comments in our original story, by clicking here. Once you are all caught up find Mark Rein's prompt, and to the straight to the point response below.
"We have a great relationship with Microsoft and we have no regrets."
Seems to me as that Epic is standing behind the Xbox 360 and their relationship with Microsoft, which by all accounts is making them tons of money. Gamers everywhere are expecting Gears of War 3 to be announced soon enough and I have a feeling that will be coming to the Xbox 360 and PC exclusively. Stay tuned for anymore updates on this story only on PlanetXbox360.com. Click here to discuss this news story in our official forums, and let us know whether you agree with Rein or Pachter (or neither).

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Microsoft Points Were Never Meant To "Mislead People"

Like Nintendo's currency of the same name, Microsoft's "Points" have been confusing people since they were first released, humans being accustomed to think of money spent in terms of, well, money spent. Not some abstract points scheme.

If it makes you feel any better, Microsoft never meant for MS Points to confuse you. To mislead you. "We never intended to ever mislead people", Microsoft's Aaron Greenberg told G4. "I think we want to be transparent about it, and so it is something that we're looking at. How can we be more transparent and let people see it in actual dollars?"
He goes on to explain "no matter if you're on the yen or the euro or the dollar — something that's 200 points is 200 points everywhere around the world", which apparently makes things easier on Microsoft. Except...the points themselves don't cost the same from region to region, undermining that uniformity.
On the bright side, when it comes to Microsoft's Games on Demand pricing - which uses real currency - Greenberg says the "response has been good and absolutely it's something we're looking at doing [elsewhere]".

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Teardown finds Sony closer to breakeven on PS3

SAN FRANCISCO—The latest incarnation of Sony Corp.'s PlayStation 3 reduces hardware and manufacturing costs to near the breakeven point on the video game console, according to a teardown analysis performed by market research firm iSuppli Corp.
The new 120-Gbyte hard disk drive version of the PS3, released in September, carries a combined bill of materials and manufacturing/test cost of $336.27, according to iSuppli. At a new retail price of $299, the latest version comes closer to breaking even than any previous version of the product, iSuppi said.
"Since the introduction of the PlayStation 3 in late 2006, Sony has subsidized the price of every console sold, a deficit the company has made up for with game sales and royalties," said Andrew Rassweiler, director and principal analyst of teardown services for iSuppli, in a statement.
Rassweiler added that Sony has aggressively designed out costs with each new revision.
Still, Sony is taking a loss of $31.27 on each sale of the PS3 in the U.S., iSuppli noted. But the firm's teardown analysis services determined the that the previous-generation PS3 sold for $49.72 less than its manufacturing and materials cost, based on pricing from October 2008.

 ISuppli said the U.S. price for PS3 likely is somewhat lower than overall worldwide average. Ongoing reductions in component pricing will cause the materials cost to decline significantly in 2010, the firm said.

"In light of these factors, the PlayStation 3 probably is already at or near the tipping point for profitability," Rassweiler said.
According to Sony, 440,000 PlayStation 3 consoles were sold in the U.S. during the "Black Friday" week of Nov. 29, a record for the product.
The latest generation PS3 is significantly revised from previous versions, according to iSuppli. The major changes involve the use of less expensive semiconductors, a general redesign of the product and a reduction in the number of components in the console, the firm said.
The new version employs chips manufactured at the 65- and 45-nm technology nodes, iSuppli said. It features approximately 2,568 components, down from 4,048 in the original version, iSuppli said.
The Nvidia Reality Synthesizer remains the most expensive chip in the PlayStation 3, at $45.82, iSuppli said. But that's a 21 percent decline from the Reality Engine employed in the previous version of the PlayStation 3 hardware, based on pricing in October 2008, the firm said. ISuppli said it believes Sony is employing a 65-nm part, compared to the 90-nm part used in the initial version of the PlayStation 3 in October 2006.
 
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Halo: Reach takes series to a 'new level' - Microsoft

Halo: Reach can outsell the likes of God Of War III and Call Of Duty 7 to be 2010's biggest game on all formats, Microsoft has told CVG.

The platform holder told us today that the game takes the Halo series to an "entirely new level" - and that it is confident it will attract new players to the franchise.

Director of Xbox marketing Stephen McGill said:

"It's an exciting time for Halo fans and we're thrilled by the response from trailer shown at the VGAs last month which was phenomenal.

"Our hope for Halo: Reach is to be the biggest title of 2010 not only for Xbox, but across all platforms - a forecast which has been mirrored by industry professionals.

"Halo: Reach takes the legacy of Halo's rich multiplayer gameplay to an entirely new level, delivering experiences that we think old and new players alike will enjoy for years to come.

"The Halo franchise is an entertainment phenomenon comprised of best-selling novels, collectibles, industry acclaimed anime and genre-defining games that have already sold more than 30 million units worldwide."

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**LEAKED** Halo Reach BETA Video: Real or Fake?!