Prior to launch sometime later this year, Bungie has already begun to hype up the game. In this new ViDoc, Bungie details a little bit of the design process behind Halo Reach. Bungie never ceases to amaze me, I cannot wait for Halo Reach!

This is looking like a great feature except for the fact that Microsoft shipped consoles with no hard drive or a 20gb hard drive for the early years and still sells units without a HD. I don’t know if this feature will make be go out and buy an overpriced proprietary HD from Microsoft but if I had a large xbox hard drive, I would use this feature for sure.

In case you haven’t seen or herd anything about this new software, bellow is a video showing off a lot of the cool new features.

…this may be set in the halo 3 world but you probably will be playing as someone other than the master chief

Well, I’m happy to say my prediction was correct; Halo 3: Recon is an expansion to and takes place before the action in Halo 3. You will be playing as an Orbital Drop Shock Trooper (ODST), one not as powerful as the master chief, in order to recapture the covenant infested city in New Mombasa. Besides some news maps, the multiplayer in this new game will essentially be the same as Halo 3.

With this in mind, Bungie has said that

“We’re not viewing this as a full game.”

So hopefully we will see a lower price point than the regular $60 USD but this has not been confirmed. An interesting comparison was made when Luke Smith told kotaku

“I would think of it [Halo 3: Recon] as our Frozen Throne,”

Referencing the very successful and fun expansion to Warcraft 3. The game is set to be released Fall 2009.

Starting on September 5th, 2008 Microsoft will officially start selling their xbox 360 consoles at a $50 price decrease. The prices are as follows:

Xbox 360 Arcade $199
Xbox 360 Pro (60gb HD) $299
Xbox 360 Elite (120gb HD, Black) $399

What does this really mean? Well, the console with the largest gaming selection and best online play is now also the cheapest. (The Arcade’s $199 price point compared to the $250 Nintendo Wii) At these lower prices, more people have an opportunity to jump in and play. I think this move is perfect for Microsoft. They now have the opportunity to draw in casual gamers and sell consoles to people upgrading from the previous generation. Even hard-core gamers who can’t afford a $400 system or don’t want to play party games all day, now have an option to frag their friends in halo 3 or slice them in half with gears of war all that a reasonable price.

This move is really tough on Nintendo. No longer is their console the cheapest and therefore casual gamers now have another option. When those people walk into a gaming store or their local big-box chain, they have the choice for a more powerful and cheaper console with a larger gaming selection to boot. People are still flocking to the Wii so it’s not a huge threat at this time, but it is something Nintendo needs to keep their eyes on.

As for the prices of the other consoles, I don’t foresee an immediate response. The Nintendo Wii, which is still in high-demand, is consistently outselling the competition. The PlayStation 3 is also selling well and has some great exclusives in the works. However, I think by the holiday season both companies will bight the bullet and lower their prices too. Honestly, this is great for the consumer whether you want a 360 or not.

Source

Halo 3, by Bungie, won an award at EFI. In their acceptance speech, for the edge award in interactive innovation, a prerecorded video was plaid revealing some interesting bits of information. Although nothing is set in stone, it’s pretty safe to say the halo universe is not completely closed.

Activision has formally announced Guitar Hero World Tour (GH4) this past week (Press release quoted bellow) and pricing was also confirmed thanks to gamestop. The game will sell in several varieties for the xbox 360, nintendo wii, playstation 3 and playstation 2.These include just the game for $60 , the game and guitar controller for $100 and the entire package (drum kit, microphone, guitar and game) for $190. (The game will sell for the PS2 $10 cheaper than the other systems)
The release date is Oct. 27, 2008.

Getting past the rock band like controllers World Tour does offer one feature that, to me, stands out from the rest: studio. Giving you complete controller over the game, studio mode allows the user to create your own music which can be played in the game. (no lyrics can be added for obvious reasons) Not only can you create your own tracks but you can then upload your creation and allow other users from around the world to enjoy them.

Overall, this new version of Guitar Hero really bugs me. Activsion sees the success rock band had and selflessly copies their ideas of having an entire band with multiple instruments. It’s basically letting Harmonix (the makers of rock band) test the idea and when it succeeded decided to release there own product eliminating the problems Harmonix had. As an owner of rock band myself, I truly hate Activision for this product and will never endorsee it to friends, family, or my viewers. Studio mode is great but other than that, it’s a blatant copy of rock band.

Press Release:

ACTIVISION UNVEILS GUITAR HERO® WORLD TOUR – THE DEFINITIVE ROCK & ROLL MUSIC VIDEOGAMING EXPERIENCE

New State of the Art Wireless Instruments

Innovative Music Studio Lets Players Compose, Record, Edit and Share Music

Biggest Selection of On-Disc Music with All Master Tracks

Robust New Eight-Player “Battle of the Bands” Mode

First Game Ever in the Guitar Hero® Franchise to Allow In-Game Downloadable Content on Wii

Santa Monica, CA – May 22, 2008 – When the house lights go down this fall, a new generation of axe shredders, drummers and fearless frontmen will come together and rock with Activision, Inc.’s (Nasdaq: ATVI) Guitar Hero® World Tour. The latest installment from the #1 best-selling video game franchise of 2007, Guitar Hero World Tour will transform music gaming by marrying Guitar Hero’s® exhilarating guitar gameplay, with a cooperative band experience that combines the most advanced wireless instruments with revolutionary new online and offline gameplay modes. The game will feature a slick newly redesigned guitar, a genuine electronic drum kit and a microphone, as well as an innovative Music Studio music creator that lets players compose, record, edit and share their own rock and roll anthems, along with online Band Career and 8-player “Battle of the Bands.”

Delivering the largest on-disc set list in a music-rhythm game to-date, Guitar Hero World Tour is comprised entirely of master recordings from some of the greatest classic and modern rock bands of all-time including Van Halen, Linkin Park, The Eagles, Sublime and many more. Additionally, the game will offer significantly more localized downloadable music than ever before on all of the next-generation consoles. Budding rock stars will also be given creative license to fully customize everything from their characters’ appearance and instruments to their band’s logo and album covers.

In addition to a newly designed more responsive guitar controller and microphone, Guitar Hero World Tour will deliver the most realistic drum experience ever in a video game with an authentic electronic drum kit. Featuring three drum pads, two raised cymbals and a bass kick pedal, the drum controller combines larger and quieter, velocity-sensitive drum heads with soft rubber construction to deliver authentic bounce back and is easy to set up, move, break down and store.

“Guitar Hero has set the standard for music-based gaming and with Guitar Hero World Tour and the game’s groundbreaking Music Studio, we are once again delivering unprecedented innovation that has the potential to revolutionize consumer generated music, much in the same way that video sharing hubs have driven user generated video,” said Dusty Welch, Head of Publishing for RedOctane. “With the introduction of our advanced high-quality new wireless instruments, in-depth customization options and advanced online functionality, the game enables music fans and gamers globally to share in the most social and expressive music experience ever.”

Guitar Hero World Tour delivers more ways to play than ever before. Virtual musicians can live out their rock and roll fantasies by playing either a single instrument, or any combination of instruments, in addition to the full band experience. In addition to all of the online gameplay modes from Guitar Hero® III: Legends of Rock, Guitar Hero World Tour introduces Battle of the Bands mode which allows eight players to join online and challenge each other band-to-band to determine who is the best of the best. In the Band modes, up to four players can jam together, online or off, as they progress through the game, and in single-player Career Mode, players can jam on any of the instruments in branching venue progression enabling them to rock out in the order of their choice.

The game’s innovative new Music Studio lets players express their musical creativity by giving them access to a full compliment of tools to create digital music from scratch, utilizing all of the instruments, and then play their compositions in the game. Music creators will also be able to share their recordings with their friends online through GHTunes™ where other gamers can download their unique compositions and play them.

Guitar Hero World Tour is being developed by Neversoft Entertainment for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system. The Wii™ version is being developed by Vicarious Visions. The PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system version is being developed by Budcat. The game is not yet rated by the ESRB.

With 2007 coming to close it’s time to reflect on the top games for the xbox 360 of this year. This is not only to give you some ideas on games you should pick up but also is a way to show and highlight what some amazing people created this past year. For more amazing games made this year, and in the past, you can check out the top games reviewed on gamespot and ign. So without further ado, here are my top five xbox 360 games of 2007.

1. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare

   This game is not only an amazing shooter it offers great replay and multiplayer options. The call of duty series has been leading the way in first person shooters for a long time but this game finally offers something I have wanted for a long time: the setting not being based in WWII!

2. Halo3

   This game was so hyped it was almost impossible for it to be as good as expected. I could tell you how it’s online play, and single player, is amazing but I’m just going to say this. I turned on my console when I got the game and my xbox wasn’t shut off until the game was over and I never play a game in one session, EVER.

3. Bioshock

   Bioshock is a game that differs from the average first person shooter in two distinct ways. First of all, it’s not all about the guns. In Bioshock you can alter your human abilities allowing you to shoot fire, bees, and other super human abilities in a simple way that integrates seamlessly into the game and in no way makes it feel childish. More importantly, you actually care about the story line. In some first person shooters you only care about blowing the brains out of your enemies but in Bioshock you truly want to listen to the amazing voice-overs and cut-scenes and ultimately solve the puzzle that is Bioshock.

4. The Orange Box

   This game has something for everyone: an amazing and simple multiplayer shooter that allows for quick and simple fun with a minimal learning curve. Arguably the best shooter ever made in Half Life 2 (The Orange Box includes Half Life 2 along with Half Life 2 episodes one and two for the complete story.) It also comes with a game called Portal which allows you to engage in a mind game that doesn’t involve killing.

5. Rock Band

   Rounding out my list of superb xbox 360 games I have Rock Band. This game comes from the developer, Harmonix, that brought us Guitar Hero one and two. Harmonix branched off after making guitar hero two to create rock band. Rock Band is basically the guitar hero game we have learned to love with the introduction of vocals and drums, hence Rock Band. Since the code had to be rewritten for legal reasons errors that plagued the guitar hero series have been removed from this game. The game is a little pricey but is something almost anyone would want and is a perfect party game.

This time of year it’s hard to make a decision on which console you want to buy. It seems like everyone has their opinion, “PS3’s suck, get a wii” or “The 360 is pointless, buy a PS3”. What you have to decide is what features matter the most to you. Each console has attributes that make them great but using the knowledge you gain in this article, you should be able to pick one that matches what you want to use it for. With the holiday season coming to an end, you can use the money you got from family and friends to the console that’s right for you. For starters, let’s compare the basics for each console.

Wii: The Wii has a revolutionary controller which allows developers to create games that work your mind and body- not just thumbs. If you haven’t heard, your motions control the gameplay. For example, playing madden to throw the football you have to make throwing motions similar to those you would use to actually throw a ball. The Wii also has a nice price factor. Only $250 compared to the Xbox 360 starting at $280 and the PS3 starting at $400. However, the Wii lacks Next Generation Graphics. Out of the box the maximum output of the wii is 480i with the option of buying separate component cables allowing you to output at 480p (EDTV). This is pretty low compared to the 360 maxing out at 1080i and the amazing clarity of 1080p on the PS3. (Both of these are considered HDTV) Additionally, the controllers are expensive relative to the console. $40 for the Wii Remote, $20 for the Nunchuk and $20 for the Classic Controller.

Cost: $249.99

Xbox 360: The Xbox 360 is aimed more towards the hardcore gamer who enjoys his first person shooters. The Xbox 360 has nothing world-shattering like the Wii’s motion sensitive controller but it has great graphics (maximum output 1080i), three powerful CPU cores running at 3.2 GHz, and an amazing online play option. Because the 360 has been on the market for a few years now you can easily pick up a game you will enjoy. From Halo3 to Gears of War, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare to The Orange Box, there are great games available today for you to play. What also makes the 360 great is that for $180 you can buy an external HD-DVD drive which is the cheapest way to enter into the next generation of video playback. However, the HD-DVD drive is still expensive and is a lot to spend on something which may loose the Format Wars. Also, if you want to connect your xbox to the internet to play online you will need either a long Ethernet cable or for an additional cost a wireless adaptor to enable wireless connectivity (WiFi). This is my largest complaint: if the Wii can have built in WiFi, why can’t the Xbox 360?

Cost: $247.99-449.99 (For More on the different price options and what’s included in each click here.)

Playstation 3: The PS3 is a power house and that’s what you pay for. The PS3 features the cell processor running at 3.2GHz and also includes a Blu-Ray drive. Other Blu-Ray players start at around $300 so if you want Blu-Ray; this is the way to go. Graphics wise, the PS3 can output at a maximum of 1080p (True HDTV). Although this machine packs a punch the games currently available don’t take advantage of this power and in some cases look worse than the 360. This system has been out for over a year and still does not offer a solid lineup of games. There is no amazing game that’s only for the PS3 like Halo3 or Gears of War was for the Xbox 360. I’m sure there will be better games coming out in the future but right now the game selection is just ok.

Cost: $399.99-$499.99 (For a breakdown of the different models click here)

I’ve tried to be as least biased as I could writing the general comparisons however I feel it’s important to understand everyone’s views to get a sense of why you would buy a certain console. If you just read descriptions you will never learn how others feel and subsequently not make an informed decision. When you are buying a TV, you read user reviews to help you decide if that model is right for. It’s the same concept for video games; you need to understand other people’s views. So, here are mine.
Let’s start with the Sony Playstation 3. I have a good friend who loves his PS3. He loves owning it, playing it, and talking about it; however, I’ve played it on several occasions and feel there is no reason to own it. I had a PS2 but was never drawn into it like I was when I got my xbox. With the prices falling on PS3’s there is no longer a huge gap between the 360 (and wii even) and the PS3. So feature wise, it’s a better value to buy a PS3 because of all the multimedia you get which includes a blu-ray player. However, from a gaming perspective there is nothing available you can’t get on a 360 that tips the scales particularly if don’t love those few PS3 exclusives.

Next, the Nintendo Wii. Although the Wii recently received its best game to date in Super Mario Galaxy the game selection is a huge concern for Wii owners. Super Mario Galaxy and Wii Sports (which is included with every Wii) aside, there are no stellar or amazing games available for this system. Plus most of the games available and coming soon are party games designed for use with other people. This is not to say this won’t be different in 6-12 months, but right now this is the sad truth. Additionally, if you’re someone who doesn’t have a lot of friends or you are a hardcore gamer loving detailed graphics and tons of great shooters, I would suggest you either stay away from the Wii or purchase it as a second console coupled with an Xbox 360, Playstation 3, or a powerful gaming computer. But hey, at least it has built in WiFi.

Finally, the Microsoft Xbox 360. In my mind, this is the most rounded system on the market which led to my purchase of this console during the holiday season. Besides my utter disgust that this console does not have built in WiFi I have to say it is amazing. I opened my console on Christmas morning and by dinner I had beaten Halo3. I plaid a little Rainbow Six Vegas, which I didn’t really get into, and plaid some Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare as well. My point is the game selection is plentiful and any gamer is bound to find something they like because this console offers everything from amazing First Person Shooters (fps) to amazing Party Games including Rock Band which I got for Christmas but have not plaid yet. But the best part of the Xbox 360 is the amazing online play via Xbox Live. Not only can you text and voice chat, add friends and maintain a gamer profile for free, for a nominal fee you can get all those features plus the ability to play almost 100% of your games online. (I would suggest buying a 12 month prepaid card that way you pay the least amount of money per month and don’t have to give Microsoft a credit card number.) Plus, the 360 offers a ton of multimedia features allowing you to access you music and movies from your computer and the option of downloading content from the Xbox 360 marketplace.

In conclusion, this decision all comes down to you. If you’re a person who wants blue-ray and a load of multimedia features then you should buy a PS3. If you want a little of everything, and boy does this deliver everything superbly, then you should purchase an Xbox 360. But if you are a casual gamer who loves playing party games with friends the Wii is the way to go. Whichever you choose you won’t regret it and remember, there is no harm in buying more than one system!