"Mad Tracks" is an original game coming to the Xbox Live Arcade (XBLA). The game takes place in "real world" environments where toy car racing tracks are set up.
From Load Inc.: "‘Mad Tracks’ is a toy car game in everyday environments (restaurant, toy store, mini golf) featuring 23 original mini games and 23 crazy races for everyone. Get ready to battle with 12 stackable pick ups and power ups!"
Today the Xbox 360 title "Dead Rising" will be released, with a special event taking place in Redmond Washington. Major Nelson gives the heads up on this signing event with Dead Rising Executive Producer Keiji Inafune. Taking place in Xbox's hometown, Major Nelson will also be showing up.
Dead Rising Signing Event with Keiji Inafune
Tuesday, August 8, 2006
4:00pm – 6:00pm
EB Games at Redmond Town Center
16495 NE 74th Street
Redmond , Washington 98052
425-895-8331
An article posted, then later modified on IGN.com gives some release date rumors and pricing on the Wii.
The original article from IGN: "A number of big-name publishers are set to release their Wii games in mid-to-late October, which suggests that a system debut could not be that far off. And several insiders have told IGN that Tuesday, November 2 could, in fact, be the big day.
Thing is, not all of our contacts are in agreement on the date. Some have suggested that November 12 could, instead, by Wii's launch date. Regardless, though, it seems that Wii fans can look forward to their console sooner rather than later.
Sources suggest that Wii will launch with a $229 price tag and will be available in both black and white.
Insiders claim to have seen final hardware. The Broadway CPU is allegedly in the 750 CL line, a continuation of the 750 GX series. IBM may be working on a revised Broadway chip with a lower clock speed for a future Nintendo handheld -- presumably one that plays GameCube discs.
Nintendo has allegedly bumped production of Wii hardware to 5.5 million units by the end of the year, a significant upgrade to previous numbers. The jump is purportedly based on the positive reaction to Wii from press and industry analysts at E3 2006.
The console is unlikely to be region-free, although the lock is unrelated to hardware; a firmware update could theoretically allow gamers to play import software."
Nintendo said it would not comment on the rumors. More info may be released at the Leipzig Games Convention in Germany in the last week of August.
A PC demo for Lego Star Wars II is now available for download. The upcoming Lego Star Wars II will feature characters and scenarios from Star Wars IV, V and VI. Look for a September 2006 release, across all platforms (read and see more on Lego Star Wars II here).
In a listing on its official PS3 web site (#11), Sony says a memory card adapter will allow PS2 saves to be downloaded to the PS3's "virtual memory card within the hard disk."
From the site: "To use saved data on a PlayStation 2 memory card, you must copy the data onto a virtual memory card within the hard disk. This requires a PS2/PSone memory card adaptor to copy the data to your PLAYSTATION 3. A memory card adaptor is designed to edit, up/download game saves to and from EMS flash card or smart media card."
The specifics on the adaptor have yet to be released (and what kind of "edits" you can do). It's good to know you will be able to continue to use your existing game saves from your PS2 on the PS3. Sony has at least one plus with that feature, where the Xbox 360 was lacking.
Get armed and be quick at the trigger with the Wolf King Warrior at your next FPS LAN (or online) gaming match. This USB keypad has been designed strictly with the FPS gamer in mind. Designed in a uniquely circular form, the 55-key layout puts critical options at your fingertips. This comes in handy for such things as jumping to weapons easily. FPS games typically have a weapon assigned to numbers 0 through 9. By having the numbers arched around your palm (and from 0-9), weapon swapping is easily within a finger's reach. The layout is based around the traditional "W, A, S, D" movement controls with the space key positioned at the thumb, typically used for jumping. There is also an Escape key and volume adjustment keys to the left of the keypad. The patented design gives you many options in its one-handed control scheme.
There is a slight learning curve to the new keypad layout, for those of us who are accustomed to using the traditional keyboard. With some practice, the Wolf King keypad makes for a better fit than the traditional rectangular keyboard layout. A re-configuration option lets you program keys to your individual preference.
To match customized PCs, the Wolf King Warrior is currently available in black, red, yellow or blue (*note: not compatible with Mac computers).
If you are a serious PC FPS gamer, we recommend giving the Wolf King Warrior a shot. It packs up easily as well, being about 8.5" x 8" in diameter. The Wolf King Warrior retails for $34.99 and can be purchased here. Read more about the Wolf King Warrior at the official web site here.
Electronic Arts will be bringing their FPS game, Medal of Honor: Heroes, to the Sony PSP. The PSP exclusive will feature online play for up to 32 players (with 15 maps) and a single-player campaign mode. Let's hope EA can get the FPS controls down on the PSP system!
The upcoming "STAR TREK: Legacy" and "STAR TREK: Tactical Assault" games will get an added touch of authenticity from a couple of Star Trek series writers.
From Bethesda Softworks: "Bethesda Softworks® announced today that acclaimed STAR TREK® writer Dorothy “D.C.” Fontana, with her partner, Derek Chester, have collaborated to write the scripts for its upcoming titles, STAR TREK: Legacy™ and STAR TREK ®: Tactical Assault. Fontana, a prominent creative force behind the STAR TREK franchise since its inception in the 1960s, continues to contribute to its broad-based appeal with vibrant and innovative story lines.
Fontana has written countless episodes, spanning the original STAR TREK series to STAR TREK: Deep Space Nine®. In addition to her collaboration on STAR TREK, Fontana has influenced television science fiction writing with her work on The Six Million Dollar Man, Babylon 5, and Earth: Final Conflict. In 2001, she was inducted into the American Screenwriters Association Hall of Fame and in both 1997 and 2002, received the Writers Guild Morgan Cox Award for her many years of service to the Guild.
"From TV to videogames, the STAR TREK story continues to excite and engage fans of all ages,” said Fontana. “I applaud Bethesda Softworks’ loyalty to the franchise and I am looking forward to providing fans with memorable adventures and characters, all set in creative, compelling storylines.”
STAR TREK: Legacy is in development for both the Xbox 360™ videogame and entertainment system from Microsoft and Windows, while STAR TREK: Tactical Assault is being developed for Nintendo DS™ and Sony PSP™ (PlayStation® Portable). Both titles are scheduled to launch this fall under license from CBS Consumer Products.
My launch Xbox 360 console died today. The Xbox 360 experienced a "hardware failure," indicated by the 3 flashing red lights (see video below). Not sure what caused the mysterious hardware failure, but it came at a bad time, with an upcoming Pac-Man release party we have planned!
if you are are in the Miami area and can bring a 360 with you to the party!
OneOrbit lost his launch 360 a couple months ago too, as well as Anxiety83, both part of the GamingBits crew and also experiencing the same hardware failure! Not sure what is going on with all the Xbox 360 failures, but get an extended warranty while you can. Especially if you purchased the Xbox 360 at launch.
Let's hope the party can go on....
[Edit 8-7-06]: We have a 360 from Anxiety83, so we will be good for the party! Pics and video of the party will be posted after 8-12-06. I also found this post that may help some of you figure out what is going on with your 360. Not sure how valid this is, but according to it I have a "0110" hardware failure: "memory error."
If you have experienced a hardware failure, or recently purchased an Xbox 360, you may want to sign this petition here. Microsoft's Xbox 360 comes with a 90-day warranty. Microsoft offers a 2-year warranty for $60. Repair costs for an Xbox 360 out of warranty is about $130 the first time and about $95 the second time. The failure rate of the Xbox 360 was reported at under 3% at launch, but it is currently unknown what the rate of failures are now, a little under a year after its release.
Gears of War will be available in a "Collector's Edition" package, which includes the "Destroyed Beauty" booklet. The Collector's Edition will also include a making of the game DVD and will be packaged in a metal box. Check out shots and text of the booklet here at Xboxygen.
