Game News: December 22, 2006

Stainless Software, the creators of the renowned vehicle-combat franchise Carmageddon, return to their roots with Novadrome, an original 3-D smash-em-up game. This unique combat-driving game will be available for download on Xbox Live Arcade for Xbox 360 beginning Wenesday, Dec. 20, at 9 a.m. GMT (1 a.m. PST).

Xbox 360 owners can now say hello to Scarface The World Is Yours (Xbox) right on their next-gen hardware thanks to the latest compatibility update by Microsoft. The #1 selling video game and #1 selling Xbox game of October in North America made the list of updated titles, enabling Xbox 360 owners to join more than a million other gamers worldwide in becoming the one-and-only Tony Montana, to reclaim his fallen empire from those who stole it from him.

Pack up and get ready to move out. Activision, Inc. Announced plans today to release two waves of Call of Duty 3 multiplayer maps after the holidays the Bonus Map (free) and the Valor Map Pack (800 Microsoft points). The Bonus Map, named Champs, will take players to Port Royal de Champs, France for classic Call of Duty infantry-based combat that’s great for small to medium-sized online games. The Valor Map Pack will contain five new multiplayer maps that will take players through a maze of French locales that serve up settings primed for intense close-quarters action, whether via online, split-screen or System Link play.

On Jan. 18, gamers will get the chance to battle their way through the roads and rooftops of Crackdown as the Xbox 360 explosive demo lands on Xbox Live Marketplace. And for the ultimate payback, they will combine forces in online co-op play for twice the thrills and double the retribution.*

Microsoft and Bethesda are in the Christmas giving mood for owners of Oblivion and the Xbox 360. According to an email just sent my way the expansion pack Mehrunes Razor will be free starting December 22 - December 31, 2007. After Jan 1st the download goes back to the full price, so take advantage of the holiday spirit and grab a great download pack for Oblivion.

When Rare announced that they were parting ways with Nintendo, it caused shock waves throughout the gaming world. Let’s face facts, when the creators of Golden Eye and other huge hits decides to leave, it makes news. Then Rare made even more news when they announced that their first game without Nintendo would be for the Xbox family. The rest is old news but after a successful release of Kameo and then of Perfect Dark (while not that perfect), it seemed Rare had left their mark on the Xbox 360.

At E3 behind closed doors, Rare showed off their latest creation, a game based on a unique idea. Piñatas come to life in a magical garden with a tie in to a children’s TV show targeted at all ages. The game won over the press at E3 in the early stages, but as we all know E3 hype is one thing. What about the final game? Is Viva Pinata as good as they claimed it would be? Read the full review to find out as we take a whack at Rare’s Viva Pinata.

Months prior to release, many were dubbing Gears of War as Halo for the Xbox 360, the killer app for the holiday season. Yes, Cliff Bleszinski’s labor of love had reached an unprecedented level of hype. From specials on MTV to Cliffy himself kicking off Microsoft’s E3 press conference with a demo of the game, there was no avoiding Gears of War and its inevitable release a.k.a. Emergence Day.

So how can destruction be so beautiful? That’s what you’ll be asking as you play through Epic’s insanely over-hyped third-person shooter. But as you take on the role of Marcus Fenix, a former soldier who escapes from prison, and battle your way through planet Sera and the hordes of locust that have inhabited it, you’ll soon realize that the game achieves the near impossible: it lives up to the hype.

In a move to benefit customers, Microsoft Corp. announced today that it will change the Xbox 360 warranty from 90 days to one year from the date of purchase in the United States and Canada. Microsoft extended the warranty in these territories to be consistent with the standard one-year Xbox 360 warranty that is available throughout most of the world. The news is reason to celebrate this holiday season; it applies to both would-be purchasers and those who already have Xbox 360 and are still within their first year of ownership.

To further sweeten the holiday season, Atari today released a new downloadable car set for Test Drive Unlimited, the ultimate automotive and lifestyle gaming experience for the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft.

The official worldwide website for BioShock, 2K's highly anticipated and award-winning innovative first person shooter, is now active at http://www.bioshockgame.com/.

[UPDATED: 2:41pm PST] Today's regularly updated newsbriefs include news of a new patch for Sony's PS3 launch title Resistance: Fall of Man, the price for "Mehrunes' Razor" expansion to Xbox 360 RPG Oblivion being shaven down to nothing, and a special numbered collector's edition for the upcoming PC strategy title Command & Conquer 3 Tiberium Wars.

AFP - Microsoft announced that it was extending the warranty on Xbox 360 from 90 days to a year in the United States and Canada to entice buyers in the hot video game console market.

[UPDATED: 11:15am PST] Today's regularly updated newsbriefs include news of the price for "Mehrunes' Razor" expansion to Xbox 360 RPG Oblivion being shaven down to nothing, and a special numbered collector's edition for the upcoming PC strategy title Command & Conquer 3 Tiberium Wars.

AP - Microsoft Corp. is extending its warranty on the Xbox 360 video game console to one year from the previous limit of 90 days. The change announced Friday applies to future and present owners.

NaturalMotion, developers of Dynamic Motion Synthesis (DMS) technology, have announced its new Academic Partner Program, which offers leading colleges, universities and 3D animation schools subsidized fast-track access to endorphin and select upcoming 3D technology from NaturalMotion.