The fall dashboard update for the Xbox 360 is running a little late this year. According to Official Xbox Magazine, it should happen on December 4th. Will it be worth the wait? Well parents will be able to use the new Family Settings to limit the time childen playing games. Thats enough Viva Pinata, little Jimmy. Sadly, this is unlikely to curtail the pint sized razor tongued demons I meet nightly in the Xbox Live lobbies of various M rated games. At least MS is trying.

Also coming with this update will be Xbox’s own virtual console! Original Xbox games will be available for 1200 Microsoft points ($15). The launch lineup will be the original Halo (obviously) Fahrenheit, Fable, Crimson Skies, Crash Bandicoot: The Wrath Of Cortex and Burnout 3: Takedown. Compatibility with Xbox Live is expected for those titles that supported it (Crimson Skies, Burnout).

Those in Europe will be pleased to find out they’re finally getting Video Marketplace. Now they too can finally download episodes of South Park for $2 a pop.

In a little more immediate news, Screwjumper is now Xbox Live Arcade’s 100th game. To celebrate this as well as 2 years of the service they’re promising a surprise new game next Wednesday that is a “sequel to Xbox Live Arcade’s most successful game.”
I haven’t checked the numbers in a while. That could be early hit Geometry Wars, the card game Uno, or even this year’s best selling classic arcade title Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

No matter what, there seems to be no shortage of downlaodable content on Xbox Live these days, which is frustrating since I’m still trying to clear Halo 3, haven’t touched Orange Box yet, and Assassin’s Creed comes out this week.

Powet fan Icarus Prime sent me this link to a brilliant send up of the popular cable obstacle course show “Ninja Warrior” and was featured on G4 recently.
A full run is done through the Halo 3 map “Last Resort” in the Forge editing tool.

The other day we found out the final track list of Guitar Hero III, and its only fair we post the other major music simulator. I’ve compiled (at great time expense) videos for the track listing. The lead off track is “Gimme Shelter” by The Rolling Stones, at least chronologically. You might remember this song being in the Martin Scorsese films Goodfellas, Casino, and The Departed, and as well as being the title to the historic documentary about the final show on the Stones final 1969 tour.
[Read the rest of this entry…]

So you’re bored at work on this Monday morning and humming “Suck My Kiss” by Red Hot Chilli Peppers and wondering when you’ll be able to expand upon this by duplicating the song’s rhythm on a fully plastic guitar. I’ve got good news for you then. That song is included in Guitar Hero III’s full song lineup. Xbox 360 Fanboy posted all the songs with links to youtube videos.

The much talked about demo, which is available on Tony Hawk’s Proving Ground, in Official Xbox Magazine, and as a torrent, will be available for Xbox Live members tomorrow.

Continue for the alphabetically organized song list. Cheer for the artists, jeer for the “as made famous by” listings. [Read the rest of this entry…]

At last, another installment in my favorite stop motion video game action figure internet series!

If you missed out on the first 2 parts, enjoy them after the break, but if you’re up to speed watch the new video above.
[Read the rest of this entry…]

Thoughts arrive like butterflies, yeah

Here’s a video of Pearl Jam’s “Even Flow” in Guitar Hero III. It amazes me how these games manage to pack more notes that are required to play it on an actual guitar, but they gotta add something for the higher difficulty levels! More videos at Gametrailers, including PAT BENATAR.
Nathan Smart tells me that the official Xbox 360 Magazine contains a demo with several songs and should be on newsstands soon. With GHIII less than 2 weeks away, its a short term stop gap to rock, but 360 owners with 10 bucks to blow on a demo magazine should be pleased.

Seems as though last weeks rumors were true, and Bungie has indeed split from Microsoft to pursue other opportunities. The Microsoft press release reads:

“REDMOND, Wash. — Oct. 5, 2007 — Microsoft Corp. today announced a plan for Bungie Studios, the developers of the “Halo®” franchise, to embark on a path to become an independent company. Microsoft will retain an equity interest in Bungie, at the same time continuing its long-standing publishing agreement between Microsoft Game Studios and Bungie for the Microsoft-owned “Halo” intellectual property as well as other future properties developed by Bungie.

The critically acclaimed Xbox 360®-exclusive “Halo 3” achieved $300 million in global sales in its first week. Released on Tuesday, Sept. 25, “Halo 3” is the fastest-selling video game ever and already one of the most successful entertainment properties in history.

“Our collaboration with Bungie has resulted in ‘Halo’ becoming an enduring mainstream hit,” said Shane Kim, corporate vice president of Microsoft Game Studios. “While we are supporting Bungie’s desire to return to its independent roots, we will continue to invest in our ‘Halo’ entertainment property with Bungie and other partners, such as Peter Jackson, on a new interactive series set in the ‘Halo’ universe. We look forward to great success with Bungie as our long-term relationship continues to evolve through ‘Halo’-related titles and new IP created by Bungie.”

“This exciting evolution of our relationship with Microsoft will enable us to expand both creatively and organizationally in our mission to create world-class games,” said Harold Ryan, studio head for Bungie. “We will continue to develop with our primary focus on Microsoft® platforms; we greatly value our mutually prosperous relationship with our publisher, Microsoft Game Studios; and we look forward to continuing that affiliation through ‘Halo’ and beyond.”

Bungie Studios will remain in its current location in Kirkland, Wash….”

What this means for Microsoft competitors Sony and Nintendo remains to be seen, but this is big news any way you slice it. More info as it becomes available.

OK, now you have it. Maybe you got it at midnight, maybe on your break from work or school, maybe on your way home today: but if you own an Xbox 360, today is the day you get Halo 3. What do you think? Chime in using the comments section for this post (No spoilers!) or register for our forums and visit the Halo 3 Appreciation Thread, where you can discuss the games’ story, revelations, and ultimate outcome.

Tonight, many Powet forum members and staff will be online playing matchmaking and co-op. Feel free to post your gamer tag at our XBOX Live section, and add us to your list. Its a weeknight, but we’ll be on as late as we can.

October 6th we’re going to have an official Powet Game Night for Halo 3. You’ll have a week and a half to work on your skills, learn the new maps, create your custom Spartan, and come up with some new game types to share. More details will be posted to the forums soon.

Happy Halo Day!