I innocentedly rented Burnout 3 a couple years ago. I think I read on Penny Arcade that it was fun.

Something inside me changed that day. I became a firm believer in not only crashing cars but also that Xbox Live is awesome. Burnout Revenge was even better, and even though I hated the DS entry, I still looked forward to a next Burnout. The pilot episode of Powet.TV was me gushing for over 20 minutes about Revenge. Don’t look for it, I wisely never posted it. I’m a Burnout fan and when I meet people who are not Burnout fans I can only assume its because they’ve not played the game and therefore are unaware of the awesome they are missing. Or, it’s because they are stupid.

1up has a preview of Burnout 5 on PS3 and Xbox 360. The game promises to use the Revenge feature from the last game and implement it into the multiplayer in a much bigger way and also into the single player. Oh yeah, Burnout is going for an open world this time. I don’t know if I like that, but as long as the races are nuts and the crash courses are deep and I can still use non-racer traffic like ballistics, I’ll be happy. Oh, they’re also bringing back all the goofy cars and trucks from Burnout 3 instead of focusing on just race cars.

Theres very little to show from the game now, but considering how good the previous games looked on PS2, theres little doubt they’ll blow away Motorstorm. And the new physics engine controlling everything (not just your car) definitely should yeild some more interesting crashes. Release date is set for summer, which is just the kind of excuse I need to stay inside when the weather is actually hospitable in Wisconsin.

Oh, and the series will continue on PSP and PS2 since that console still has some life left in it. Burnout: Dominator will be out in March. Dominator is being developed in house by EA and not the series creators Criterion Games, so it’s hard to say if it will offer any innovation or just more tracks. Either way, anyone who didn’t make the next-gen jump will have a pretty good game to play.

The #1 reason people were still buying Playstation 2 this fall is coming to Xbox 360. Guitar Hero II will sport a classy white guitar based on the Gibson Explorer and will likely feature online functionality like song downloads (starting with the entire original Guitar Hero song list). Theres a press photo on the left of the box and guitar as well as the sticker sheet.

This much we know. But at CES yesterday, Kotaku’s Micheal McWhertor not only played it, but found out some of the new songs. Team Xbox also dig up some info. from those 2 links I’ve culled 8 of the 10 new songs:

“Surrender” – Cheap Trick {Correction: Reader Matthew points out that this track is already in the PS2 version of the game.}
“Billion Dollar Babies” -Alice Cooper
“Dead!”- My Chemical Romance
“Hush” – Deep Purple
“Life Wasted” – Pearl Jam
“Rock N Roll Hoochie Koo” – Rick Derringer
“Possum Kingdom” – Toadies
“Salvation” – Rancid

Those worried that GHII had a little too much metal can rest easy and this is a generous helping of classic and modern rock.
While I understand that online co-op is impossible, online leaderboards is going to inspire some really dedicated players in ways YouTube can’t provide. And I’ll happily shell out for some, if not all of the original Guitar Hero tracks, especially if they’re enhanced for GHII’s co-op multiplayer.

Guitar Hero II for Xbox 360 is slated for a March release in North America and Europe.

A few days ago, engadget.com ran with a story that there was somewhere out there an Xbox 360 with an HDMI port on it. The above video provided by Xbox-scene shows a devkit 360 being plugged into an HDMI-DVI converter and then booting to Kameo on the monitor.

This may be more than a running upgrade. Running under the codename “Zephyr,” rumours point to a new 120 GB hard drive and smaller, cooler chips. The smaller chipset would reduce the cost of manufacture, and the larger hard drive would be a boon to anyone who has caught on with the Live Marketplace downloads and is running low on space.

This is of course all coming out just after a week where 3 Powet staff members (including myself) bought 360s….

I’ve never really been into racing games. The only reason I have this game is becuase my brother bought it for me as a christmas present. Once in a blue moon however, I have the itch for some racing action. For the most part Ridge Racer’s acrade-style action did it for me, but during the Playstation 1 era, there was one game that caught my attention becuase of it’s heavy handed approach to racing: Gran Turismo 2. I would spend hours trying to attempt the challenges and unlock all the cars. Now 7 years later, I got a racing simulation that was just as fun, and it took full advantage of Xbox Live.

[Read the rest of this entry…]

…Not in the literal sense, but for those who want in on the ‘Halo 3’ Beta, you may be required to buy ‘Crackdown’.  A bad move on Microsoft’s behalf?  No.  A cheap one?  Yes. 

The generic-looking GTA-clone from Microsoft and the developer “Real Time Worlds” (Formerly ”DMA Designs”) and lead designer David Jones is set to hit stores on February 20th.  In the newest issue of Gamepro Magazine an ad is featured for the game which reads “Includes Invitation to Halo 3 Beta” and cites it as a “Limited Time Offer”.  [Read the rest of this entry…]

Halo fans would do well to hop on Xbox Live Marketplace and get the new video documentary on the role of the Brutes in Halo 3. For those of us without access to the 360’s video download service, its also on GameTrailers.

At seven minutes, Bungie staff speak of the shortcomings of Brutes in Halo 2, and the masive overhaul the species will get in the sequel. With the Elites no longer in the Covenant, Brutes will become the dominant enemy in Halo 3’s campaign.

Much of the video is concept art and early animation tests, but we do see about 2 minutes of gameplay an in game graphics. Bungie.net is quick to point out everything is a work in progress and while there are new weapons in the video, they may look and/or function differently in the final game.

I got to hand it to Bungie on this one. As secretive as they continue to be, they are offering more access than many other developers do to the process of forming the game. It doesn’t come close to what fans have been clamoring for, but its more of an inside look than other AAA titles for 2007 like Mario Galaxy or Metal Gear Solid 4.

Amazon.com is listing for a very very limited quantity of 1,000 units, Microsoft’s Xbox 360 for only $100.00 US. The console normally retails for $299.99.

Of course there is a CATCH! The purchase must be made from the Amazon Customers Vote page, and it will go onsale at 11 AM Pacific time November 23rd. Thats Thanksgiving day. Tomorrow.

Remember, this may only be the Core pack, but at this price, the seperate purchase of a wireless control, headset, cables, and hard disc drive still net you a savings against the $399.99 premium.

Today marks the 5th anniversary of the release of the manliest console ever released, the Microsoft Xbox. It was so incredibly manly, it launched with a manly giant controller, came in all black (the manliest color), and shooter called Halo. The manliness of this game was diminished upon the release of the sequel 3 years later, when online play revealed the vast majority of players to be terribly immature pre-teens with a penchant for inappropriate language.
Blah Blah Blah started on Apple, Blah Blah Blah Xbox Live, Blah Blah Blah Halo 3. There, now you know the history.

Anyway, here is the important news: Bungie.net has announced a Halo 2 will get 2 new mulitplayer maps in the spring, available exclusively through Xbox Live Marketplace on Xbox 360. Now might be the time to upgrade, kids. I’m going to go out on a limb that they’re both maps that will show up in Halo 3 as well, as the idea of them building new maps 2 and a half years after the game’s release and so soon before the sequel borders on lunacy unless they were going for both.

Additionally, a PUBLIC BETA has been announced for Halo 3 Multiplayer. Why in the world would they do this? The complaints about Halo 2 were mostly fanboy whining. I certainly hope that comments don’t derail weapon balance and its instead used to test features rather than gameplay.

EGM’s 3 week Halo 3 Blowout is nearly over. I still haven’t gotten my subscriber copy. What gives Ziff-Davis Publishing? Mail it NOW.

thanks Max Con!

Update! 1up has posted a large screen gallery of hi res captures from the EGM issue. Halo 3 Mutiplayer screens.