[Xbox 360 #149] Assassin's Creed ftw!

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Xbox 360 Ushers in Exclusive New Worlds of Entertainment for Most-Anticipated Franchises Ever at X06

Microsoft announces partnership with Peter Jackson to create two new interactive entertainment series for Xbox 360 and Xbox Live; new, exclusive "Halo Wars," "Splinter Cell," "Grand Theft Auto," "Bioshock," "Banjo Kazooie" and "DOOM" announcements wow crowd; HD DVD version of Peter Jackson's "King Kong" to be distributed with Xbox 360 HD DVD Player this Autumn.

BARCELONA, Spain — Sept. 27, 2006 — On the shores of one of the world’s most artistic and progressive cities, Microsoft Corp. today thrilled attendees at its annual X06 event with announcements and gameplay experiences by inviting everyone to play the next generation now on the Xbox 360™ system. The announcements highlight how the world’s greatest game creators are stretching the bounds of what’s possible in high definition and online storytelling and included the following:

* A landmark partnership announced between Academy Award-winning writer, director and producer Peter Jackson, Academy Award-winning screenwriter Fran Walsh, and Microsoft Game Studios will create two new interactive entertainment series exclusively for Xbox 360 and Xbox Live®. The first series will be a collaborative effort with Bungie Studios to co-create the next great chapter in the “Halo®” universe. The second series will be an entirely original property targeted at bringing new audiences into the captivating world of interactive entertainment. In addition, Microsoft Game Studios will partner with Jackson and Walsh to establish Wingnut Interactive, a studio dedicated to the creation of world-class interactive entertainment.
* “Halo Wars” is an all-new real-time strategy game based on the legendary “Halo” universe and designed exclusively for Xbox 360 by Ensemble Studios, creators of the “Age of Empires®” franchise.
* Rockstar and Take-Two announced they will provide Xbox 360 gamers with exclusive access to two downloadable, epic episodes of “Grand Theft Auto IV” via Xbox Live, each with hours of entirely new gameplay and available only on Xbox 360 just months after the release of the title.
* Ubisoft confirmed that the next “Splinter Cell” title, the next instalment in the series after “Splinter Cell Double Agent,” will be a console-exclusive on Xbox 360, a testament to the ability of Xbox 360 to deliver a complete experience no other console can match.
* 2K Games confirmed that “BioShock,” a revolution in the genre that will forever change the expectations for first-person shooters, will be released exclusively on Xbox 360 and Microsoft® Windows® next spring.
* “Project Gotham Racing® 4,” the latest addition to the best-selling racing franchise from Bizarre Creations exclusively for Xbox 360, was unveiled. “Project Gotham Racing 4” promises to continue the “Project Gotham Racing” pedigree of innovation by introducing exciting new experiences to racing fans worldwide.
* The beloved “Banjo-Kazooie®” franchise will breathe new, high-definition life on Xbox 360 exclusively from famed developer Rare Ltd.; astonishing next-generation visuals and presentation reunite beloved characters Banjo, Kazooie and Gruntilda — among other fan favourites — with their sharp wit and hilarious sense of humour.
* Microsoft Game Studios announced its highly anticipated new massively multiplayer online game, “Marvel Universe Online” for Xbox 360 and the Windows Vista™ operating system, developed by industry luminaries Cryptic Studios, creators of the smash hit “City of Heroes.”
* Two additions to Xbox Live Arcade were announced: the first-person shooter that pioneered the network-gaming era, “DOOM®,” from acclaimed developer id Software and Activision, is available today for download via Xbox Live Arcade. The game includes the original four-episode, single-player game, four-player split screen (cooperative and deathmatch) and four-player cooperative and deathmatch over Xbox Live. Also coming to Xbox Live Arcade soon is “Sensible World of Soccer” from Codemasters. Based on the classic 1994 Amiga title, “Sensible World of Soccer” will let gamers choose between the original graphics or an updated, high-resolution look and feel — while still capturing the original’s entire world of football.
* Arriving at retailers in North America, the U.K, France and Germany in mid-November 2006, the Xbox 360 HD DVD Player will retail for $199.99 in North America (estimated retail price)* and ¤199.99/£129.99 (estimated retail price)* in the U.K., France and Germany. The Xbox 360 HD DVD Player comes with the Universal Pictures’ blockbuster film Peter Jackson’s “King Kong” on HD DVD (for a limited time) and the Xbox 360 Universal Media Remote.

“Xbox 360 is changing the way developers are telling stories today — from the industry’s most beloved franchises to exciting new properties,” said Peter Moore, corporate vice president of the Interactive Entertainment Business in the Entertainment and Devices Division at Microsoft. “We are inspiring the imaginations of the entertainment industry’s best and most creative talent to take their franchises in exciting directions, while also spinning new tales for everyone.”
“We are incredibly pleased to be here in Barcelona to talk about the next chapter of Xbox and how Xbox 360 continues to deliver on the promise and potential of the next generation,” said Chris Lewis, regional vice president of the Home and Entertainment Division, Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA), at Microsoft. “As we prepare to launch some of our biggest global titles and best regional content both right now and well into the future, consumers will have much to choose from with a system designed for high-definition and online entertainment. We are the only next-generation experience that seamlessly connects players to their games, friends and entertainment content.”

Xbox 360 Stretches Popular Franchises in New Directions

Xbox 360 continues to expand the interactive entertainment landscape, enabling industry superstars to take beloved franchises in exciting new directions. Microsoft Game Studios announced its partnership with Peter Jackson to herald in a new age of interactive entertainment that can only be realized on Xbox 360 and Xbox Live. The goal of this partnership is to create new stories and redefine the way they are told. The first part of this long-term relationship is for Jackson, Walsh and team to bring to life two new interactive entertainment experiences exclusively for the Xbox 360 and Xbox Live. The first project is to co-write, co-design and co-produce a completely new and original chapter in the “Halo” universe in collaboration with Bungie Studios. The second project is an entirely original property from the team in New Zealand that will not only bring a whole new interactive story to life, but will also captivate new audiences that have yet to discover the power of interactive entertainment.

In addition, in collaboration with Microsoft Game Studios, Jackson and Walsh are creating Wingnut Interactive. The two will create a world-class interactive entertainment studio that fuses the strength of Microsoft’s technology and interactive entertainment experience with the creative and imaginative excellence of the Wingnut Interactive team.
“Microsoft has built an amazing living canvas with Xbox 360 and Xbox Live, which allows the storytellers of our time to express themselves in a new medium. They have fundamentally changed how people think about games,” Jackson said. “My vision, together with Microsoft Game Studios, is to push the boundaries of game development and the future of interactive entertainment. From a movie-maker’s point of view, it is clear to me that the Xbox 360 platform is the stage where storytellers can work their craft in the same way they do today with movies and books but taking it further with interactivity.”

In addition to demonstrating its leadership in the next-generation of games through exclusive alliances, Microsoft Game Studios announced “Halo Wars,” an all-new real-time strategy game based on the legendary “Halo” universe and built exclusively for Xbox 360 by Ensemble Studios, the creators of the “Age of Empires” series. “Halo Wars” places the player in command of human UNSC armies as they deploy for mankind’s first deadly encounter with the enemy Covenant forces.
In addition, Microsoft Game Studios provided first details surrounding “Project Gotham Racing 4,” the latest addition to the premiere racing franchise from Bizarre Creations and the reunion of Banjo, Kazooie and Gruntilda in an all-new addition to the “Banjo-Kazooie” franchise from industry veterans Rare.

Microsoft and Ubisoft announced that the next “Splinter Cell” title will be created exclusively for Xbox 360. Based on the increasingly proven potential of the Xbox 360 hardware and its online promise, Ubisoft confirmed that Xbox 360 will be the exclusive platform for the next iteration of its influential and massively popular espionage franchise. Through the power of Xbox Live, the series that revolutionized online cooperative and competitive gameplay promises to transform and modernize online gaming once again.

New details regarding the exclusive, epic episodic content for the upcoming and highly anticipated “Grand Theft Auto IV” from Rockstar and Take-Two were also revealed; Rockstar Games will offer two downloadable episodes, each with hours of entirely new gameplay, extending the experience of an already immense game. Both chapters will be exclusive and available only to Xbox 360 gamers via Xbox Live. “Grand Theft Auto IV” will be available to Xbox 360 gamers on its first day of availability: Oct. 16, 2007, in North America and Oct. 19, 2007, in Europe. Release dates for the two downloadable episodes are not yet announced.

Xbox Live Arcade made a surprise unveiling today of one of the greatest games of the 3-D era: “DOOM” (id Software) is now available for download for 800 points. The game brings legendary “DOOM” mayhem to gamers, who for the first time ever can relive the classic demon-blasting fragfest in both single-player and two-to-four player co-operative and deathmatch modes over Xbox Live. Also a new, multititle relationship with Codemasters was announced, with the first title being the classic, fast-action soccer game, “Sensible World of Soccer.”

Xbox Live is a thriving online game community, connecting more than 3 million members across nearly 25 countries to enjoy hundreds of social games, as well as on-demand game demos, Xbox Live Arcade games, and music and movie content. With more than 10 million downloads to date and nearly 100 independent, classic and original development titles available by next summer, Xbox Live Arcade is a fast-growing phenomenon.

Most Affordable Way for Xbox 360 Owners to Jump Into the Next-Generation of DVD

At X06, exciting details about the highly anticipated Xbox 360 HD DVD Player were also revealed. Available in mid-November 2006 in North America for $199.99 (estimated retail price)*, in the U.K., France and Germany for ¤199.99 (£129.99) (estimated retail price)* and other territories in 2007, the Xbox 360 HD DVD Player comes with the Universal Pictures blockbuster film Peter Jackson’s “King Kong” on HD DVD (for a limited time) and the Xbox 360 Universal Media Remote. Users can just add Xbox 360 HD DVD Player to Xbox 360 to create the ultimate home-theatre experience.

“The Xbox 360 HD DVD Player is the best high-definition movie experience and value on the market,” Moore said. “The reviews, the word of mouth and the consumer response have all been crystal clear — HD DVD is the format of choice. We’re not forcing movie technology on game players but are instead letting them choose how to personalize their experiences. If they want HD DVD, there’s no better value out there.”

The Xbox 360 HD DVD Player offers up to six times higher resolution than DVD, and as part of the Autumn 2006 console update all Xbox 360 consoles will have the ability to output native resolution 1080p games and movies. Users can enjoy blockbuster HD DVD releases, with more than 150 titles available by the holidays from major movie studios including HBO, Paramount Pictures, StudioCanal, Universal Studios, New Line Entertainment and Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.
The Industry’s Most Anticipated Titles Are Coming to Xbox 360

In addition to taking popular franchises in new directions, developers are finding new life through Xbox 360 with exciting new content and are delivering many of the industry’s most praised and anticipated titles.

Arguably the most anticipated title of 2006, “Gears of War” from Epic Games and Microsoft Game Studios is a third-person tactical action/horror game available exclusively on Xbox 360. “Gears of War” will be the only game to blend a deep and disturbing story of human survival against hordes of nightmarish creatures with a next-generation tactical combat system and unsurpassed visuals and special effects. “Gears of War,” which will be available Nov. 12, 2006, in the U.S. and Nov. 17, 2006, in Europe, has garnered numerous industry awards and accolades including the Game Critics Awards Best Console and Best Action Game of E3 2006, IGN’s E3 2005 Best Xbox 360 Game, and GameSpot’s E3 2006 People’s Choice Award.

From leading U.K.-based developer Rare and Microsoft Game Studios comes “Viva Piñata™,” an original game concept and the latest innovative gaming experience for gamers of all ages and types. “Viva Piñata” invites gamers to create an immersive world where living piñatas inhabit an ever-changing environment. “Viva Pinata,” which has won several industry awards including Best Graphics from Nick Jr. Magazine and IGN’s Runner-Up for Best Strategy Game of E3 2006, is scheduled to be available this holiday.

Underlining the Xbox 360 platform strength, Microsoft and Ubisoft today confirmed that “Assassin’s Creed,” the eagerly anticipated action title set in medieval times, is also coming to Xbox 360 day and date with the game’s release on other platforms. “Assassin’s Creed” is a next-generation action-adventure/stealth title from the highly talented and critically acclaimed team that brought gamers “Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time.” “Assassin’s Creed” will place gamers in the role of a ruthless and skilled Assassin as he tracks his victims through the historical era known as the Crusades.
Last week at the Tokyo Game Show in Japan, “Lost Odyssey” wowed audiences with its incredible graphic style and epic storyline. From famed Japanese developer Hironobu Sakaguchi, “Lost Odyssey” will be shipped in Japan in 2007, and in the U.S. and Europe at a later date.

Few games have generated more interest than “BioShock” (2K Games) in the past year, and Microsoft confirmed today that the highly anticipated first-person shooter will be exclusive to Xbox 360 and Windows when it launches in spring 2007.
Looking into the coming year, X06 showcased a montage video trailer demonstrating the dazzling power and versatility of the Xbox 360 platform, promising gamers a choice of titles and genres coming this spring season, including the Microsoft Game Studios titles “Crackdown™” (Real Time Worlds), “Too Human” (Silicon Knights), “Mass Effect” (BioWare Corp.), and “Forza Motorsport™ 2” (Turn 10). In addition to these titles from Microsoft Game Studios, games from today’s leading publishers round out what is already a robust library of offerings for the Xbox 360 platform, including “John Woo Presents Stranglehold” (Midway), “Lost Planet: Extreme Condition” (Capcom) and “Pro Evolution Soccer 6” (Konami).

Microsoft underscored the continued momentum behind Xbox 360 with more than 5 million consoles sold since launch, the fastest console launch ever. Microsoft remains on track to deliver 10 million consoles worldwide, with a library of 160 games, by end of year. The Xbox Live community continues to grow and is on track to double in size to 6 million gamers by June 2007. Those numbers are supported by the most impressive number of all: Xbox 360 is now available in more than 30 countries since the console launched last November. By the end of this year, Xbox 360 will launch in even more countries, including South Africa and in Europe where plans are set in Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland.

Microsoft also provided attendees with an update on Games for Windows and announced several exciting new Games for Windows titles, including “Bioshock” and “Marvel Universe Online.” Starting this September with “LEGO® Star Wars® II: The Original Trilogy” from LucasArts and “Company of Heroes” from THQ, games will carry the Games for Windows branding after meeting a set of technical guidelines designed to provide consumers with a consistent, reliable gaming experience on Windows XP and Windows Vista. The guidelines include easier game installation, improved reliability and support for key Windows Vista features such as the Games Explorer and Parental Controls. They will also support wide-screen gaming, will launch from within Windows Media® Center, be compatible with 64-bit consumer versions of Windows, and will support the Xbox 360 Controller for Windows (for games that enable gamepads).

Attendees were given a glimpse of the exciting upcoming Games for Windows titles including “Hellgate: London” (NAMCO BANDAI Games), ”Rail Simulator” (Electronic Arts) and “Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures” (Eidos/Funcom), as well as Microsoft Game Studios titles “Age of Empires III: The WarChiefs,” “Alan Wake,” “Zoo Tycoon® 2: Marine Mania®,” “Flight Simulator X,” “Shadowrun™,” “Halo 2” for Windows Vista and the newly named “Marvel Universe Online,” a massively multiplayer online game for Xbox 360 and Windows Vista from Cryptic Studios.

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Op woensdag 27 september 2006 20:25 schreef Strolie75 het volgende:
Dus niks over Halo 3?

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Op woensdag 27 september 2006 20:23 schreef H.Flick het volgende:
Ik snap de hype rondom het hele Halo Universum niet. Ik vind het maar sfeerloze games, eerlijk gezegd .

Ik vind het dan ook vreemd dat Halo volgens iedereen dé killer app is van de Xbox. Als je dat vergelijkt met de killer apps van de PS2 staat dat toch in schril contrast met elkaar.

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Op woensdag 27 september 2006 20:28 schreef devv05 het volgende:

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Ach deze generatie is het andersom.

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Op woensdag 27 september 2006 20:33 schreef devv05 het volgende:
Halo Wars wordt een game zoals Battlefield zegt IGN, dus geen RTS

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Op woensdag 27 september 2006 20:28 schreef nietteveranderen het volgende:
MS gaat de goede kant op hoor. Door 1 grote live community te creeren, nextgen flink goed te gebruiken en veel titels exclusief te maken gaan het toch behoorlijk mooie tijden worden voor Xbox/games for windows. Mindere tijden voor Sony waarschijnlijk (ikzelf ben ook als zwaar playstation fan overgestapt )

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Op woensdag 27 september 2006 20:36 schreef SToRM81 het volgende:

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Ik zag er geen exclusieve game bij die ik eigenlijk wilde kopen voor de PS3 (behalve GTA4, maar die is niet exclusief)

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Op woensdag 27 september 2006 20:23 schreef H.Flick het volgende:
Ik snap de hype rondom het hele Halo Universum niet. Ik vind het maar sfeerloze games, eerlijk gezegd .

Ik vind het dan ook vreemd dat Halo volgens iedereen dé killer app is van de Xbox. Als je dat vergelijkt met de killer apps van de PS2 staat dat toch in schril contrast met elkaar.

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Op woensdag 27 september 2006 20:41 schreef H.Flick het volgende:

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Voor mij sowieso MGS4 en Final Fantasy. Daarnaast zullen er voor de PS3 nog wel genoeg andere prachtige JRPG's verschijnen

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Op woensdag 27 september 2006 20:52 schreef SToRM81 het volgende:

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Ik bedoelde games die MS nu exclusief heeft

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Op woensdag 27 september 2006 21:03 schreef Gamedemon het volgende:
doe mij maar een rainbow six

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Op woensdag 27 september 2006 21:11 schreef Erwtensoep het volgende:
Waar zijn uberhaupt de demos. Ik had een stortvloed verwacht.

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Op woensdag 27 september 2006 21:13 schreef Dragonetti het volgende:
In die trailer van de Halowars zijn de gecloakte covenants echte bad asses... ik moest even aan predator denken...

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Op woensdag 27 september 2006 21:18 schreef BMH het volgende:
Even over Gears of War:

WAAHHAHAHAHAHHA wat een kut demo

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Op woensdag 27 september 2006 21:13 schreef Dragonetti het volgende:
In die trailer van de Halowars zijn de gecloakte covenants echte bad asses... ik moest even aan predator denken...

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Op woensdag 27 september 2006 21:19 schreef Niek. het volgende:

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Hoe bedoel je?

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Op woensdag 27 september 2006 21:22 schreef BMH het volgende:

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Heb je het gezien?

Constant schieten.. tegen respawnende vijanden.... En dan naar een vijand toelopen om je kettingzaag te laten zien aan je publiek... Jeeeh... God wat een saaie demo was dat.

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Op woensdag 27 september 2006 21:33 schreef devv05 het volgende:
Ach, het is BMH joh Die is nog nooit enthousiast over iets geweest. Altijd alleen maar op negatieve dingen reageren. Zat er niks tussen wat je wél leuk vond BMH, of vond je het niet nodig om dat te melden?

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Op woensdag 27 september 2006 21:47 schreef BMH het volgende:

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En jij zeikt over mij.. Wat vond je nu zelf van die demo? Als je dat nu even zegt voeg je misschien wat toe.

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Op woensdag 27 september 2006 21:51 schreef devv05 het volgende:

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Gears of War is niet echt mijn soort game denk ik, ondanks dat het er prachtig uitziet. Maar jij hebt altijd een negatieve hoofdrol, ik zie je werkelijk nooit iets positiefs posten.

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Op woensdag 27 september 2006 21:54 schreef BMH het volgende:

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Komt ie: Assasin's Creed lijkt me wel interessant. Ook de aankondiging van een nieuwe console RTS doet mij deugt.

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Op woensdag 27 september 2006 21:51 schreef devv05 het volgende:

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Gears of War is niet echt mijn soort game denk ik, ondanks dat het er prachtig uitziet. Maar jij hebt altijd een negatieve hoofdrol, ik zie je werkelijk nooit iets positiefs posten.

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Op woensdag 27 september 2006 21:56 schreef H.Flick het volgende:
Ik dacht dat GoW meer een survival-horror game ging worden, maar wat ik nu begrijp is het toch gewoon vooral schieten?

_{heb de demo niet gezien, dus ik ga alleen af op jullie posts}

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Op woensdag 27 september 2006 21:55 schreef Erwtensoep het volgende:

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Dan zijn jullie een soort ying yang, want ik zie jou nooit iets negatiefs posten.

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Op woensdag 27 september 2006 21:54 schreef BMH het volgende:

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Komt ie: Assasin's Creed lijkt me wel interessant. Ook de aankondiging van een nieuwe console RTS doet mij deugt.

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Op woensdag 27 september 2006 21:59 schreef devv05 het volgende:

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Ik vind de Sonic demo kut en LEGO Star Wars 2 snap ik geen flikker van

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Op woensdag 27 september 2006 21:59 schreef devv05 het volgende:

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Ik vind de Sonic demo kut en LEGO Star Wars 2 snap ik geen flikker van

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Op woensdag 27 september 2006 22:13 schreef Mister_Monkeyman het volgende:
PETER JACKSON GAAT EXCLUSIEF VOOR 360 WERKEN
(Halo Wars is overigens niet Halo 3 voor de onwetende onder ons, maar (naar mijn insziens) een RTS, developer is Ensemble Studios, dus dat zit wel snor!

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Op woensdag 27 september 2006 22:17 schreef BMH het volgende:

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Steven Spielberg werkt al jaren aan Medal of Honor.. Hoor ik ook niemand over hypen.

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Op woensdag 27 september 2006 22:18 schreef Mister_Monkeyman het volgende:

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MAAR NIET EXCLUSIVE EINS!11!!!11!1

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Op woensdag 27 september 2006 22:13 schreef Mister_Monkeyman het volgende:
developer is Ensemble Studios, dus dat zit wel snor!

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Op woensdag 27 september 2006 22:21 schreef devv05 het volgende:
Ben benieuwd wat voor film jij met 300 miljoen neer zou zetten

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Op woensdag 27 september 2006 22:30 schreef Erwtensoep het volgende:
Braindead Meet the Feebles

Je kan zeggen wat je wil, maar het is gewoon een goede regisseur.

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Op woensdag 27 september 2006 22:25 schreef BMH het volgende:

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Je moet begrijpen dat alles in de pre-production zo uitgebreid besproken is met alle mensen die ook maar iets te maken hadden met de film... Een studio en geldschieters zorgen er wel voor dat hun 300 mil niet op de roulette tafel terecht komt.. Of te wel: Zoveel vrijheid zal Peter wel niet gehad hebben met Lotr..

Oh en leuk dat je mij vergelijkt met een regisseur uit Nieuw Zeeland.. Ik voel me geëerd.

Maar weer ontopic: Waarom zijn we hyped voor een Peter Jackson game? King Kong de game was ook niet je van het.

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X06: Guitar Hero II komt naar de Xbox 360

Nieuws | 27 september 2006 - Guitar Hero II komt ook uit op de Xbox 360, en wel tegelijk met de PlayStation 2-versie in november.

Waarschijnlijk kent de Xbox 360 dezelfde content en wellicht wat meer. Er zal hoogstwaarschijnlijk ook nieuwe content, denk aan nieuwe nummers, worden aangeboden via Xbox Live, al is dat nog niet bevestigd. Je kunt de eerste beelden van Guitar Hero II voor de Xbox 360 in onze afbeeldingengalerij bekijken.

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Bioshock gaat ook eerst maar eens onderduiken op de 360, in ieder geval in het voorjaar want zolang zal de titel 'exclusief' zijn. Exclusief tussen haakjes, omdat een paar maanden dus niet écht exclusief is zoals bij Sammie hierboven.

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Op woensdag 27 september 2006 22:48 schreef devv05 het volgende:

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En weer een PS exclusive minder

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Op woensdag 27 september 2006 22:48 schreef SToRM81 het volgende:

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Bron: http://www.gamert.nl/nieuws/brekend_nieuws_x06_losgebarste.html

Tijdelijk exclusief? Daar hebben ze dan wel weer mooi omheen zitten praten...

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Op woensdag 27 september 2006 23:18 schreef Erwtensoep het volgende:
Alan Wake ziet er saai uit.

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Op woensdag 27 september 2006 23:20 schreef devv05 het volgende:

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Het is een psychologische thriller, als je dat saai vindt dan weet ik het niet meer.

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Op woensdag 27 september 2006 23:23 schreef Retuobak het volgende:

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Ooit al eens gedacht dat dat iemand z'n ding gewoon niet is?
Ik vind Gears of War er ook doodsaai uit zien, en dat moet een superspannende actiegame worden.

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Op woensdag 27 september 2006 22:31 schreef BMH het volgende:

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idd een filmregisseur... Ik ben nog sceptisch over zijn kunsten met games. We zien wel

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Op woensdag 27 september 2006 23:13 schreef devv05 het volgende:
Oh, ik kan het niet laten ook he..

Alan Wake any1?

...

Xbox 1.5

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Op woensdag 27 september 2006 23:28 schreef Notorious_Roy het volgende:
Banjo Kazooie trailer op XBL

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Op woensdag 27 september 2006 23:23 schreef Erwtensoep het volgende:
Psychologische thriller, nou en? Het ziet er gewoon saai uit.

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Op woensdag 27 september 2006 23:32 schreef Erwtensoep het volgende:
Ik kan uit die screens geen horror halen, maar goed.

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Op woensdag 27 september 2006 23:34 schreef nietteveranderen het volgende:
is dat ingame ?

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LEGO-game Bionicle Heroes ook naar de Xbox 360

Eidos heeft vandaag op de X06 aangekondigd dat Bionicle Heroes nog dit jaar voor de Xbox 360 verschijnen. Het spel was al aangekondigd voor PC, PS2, GameCube en Nintendo DS. Bionicle Heroes baseert zich op het Bionicle-universum van speelgoedfabrikant LEGO. Je speelt in het spel een personage genaamd Toa Inika wie het eiland Voya Nui moet zuiveren van de vijandige Piraka. De ontwikkeling is in handen van Traveller's Tales, dat ook LEGO Star Wars en diens opvolger ontwikkelde. Ervaring met LEGO en games hebben ze alvast!

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Op woensdag 27 september 2006 23:39 schreef devv05 het volgende:

Check deze trailer dan even

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Op woensdag 27 september 2006 23:39 schreef Dragonetti het volgende:
Sorry dat ik het vraag maar weet iemand een online winkel waar Fatal Frame 1 te koop is?
(ook wel bekend onder Project Zero 1).
Normaal bestel ik alles bij nedgame.com

budgetgaming.nl geeft wel een resultaat maar die is te duur (58e) en showereld.nl geeft een nog duurder resultaat (66e). Cdwow heeft deel 1 helaas niet.

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Op woensdag 27 september 2006 23:45 schreef gijsje79 het volgende:
Kunnen de topics nog sneller gaan.
Dit hou ik allemaal niet meer bij.

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Op woensdag 27 september 2006 23:26 schreef TheSouthsideKid het volgende:

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Zit op dit moment dat stukje te kijken met Jackson, maar hij zegt toch eigenlijk helemaal niet dat hij games gaat maken. Hij heeft het over interative entertainment. Misschien gaat hij wel interactieve films maken ofzo...

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Op woensdag 27 september 2006 23:47 schreef Notorious_Roy het volgende:

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Nieuws van de afgelopen 3 topics: Banjo 3 naar de 360

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Op woensdag 27 september 2006 23:50 schreef Erwtensoep het volgende:
Toch leuk dat Banjo komt. Zijn veel te weinig van dat soort spellen op de 360.

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Last generation was easy. If you wanted to play Japanese RPGs, you bought a PlayStation 2 - preferably investing in a dirt-cheap GameCube later on in the cycle when the likes of Tales of Symphonia tempted you to the platform. Microsoft's failure to crack Japan meant that this entire genre of gaming remained largely untouched on the Xbox, and the opinion-polarising properties of JRPG styling and gameplay meant that the majority of Xbox owners were perfectly happy with that situation.

Next generation won't be so easy. Change has been on the wind since before the Xbox 360 appeared, with legendary names in the JRPG field like Hironobu Sakaguchi signing up to produce titles for Microsoft Game Studios - and now there's a strong upswell in third party support for the console in Japan as well. Whether it's the lure of Bill's Billions or a genuine belief in the potential of the platform that lies behind it, Microsoft is no longer the little boy that Japanese developers forgot - and nowhere was that more obvious than at TGS last weekend, where the firm's line-up of locally developed software actually gave the PS3 a serious run for its money.

Lost Oddysey and Blue Dragon are the headline titles for Microsoft in Japan, of course, but it would be wrong to assume that they're stand-alone RPGs on a platform otherwise bereft of turn-based goodness. Also on display at TGS, in a lengthy playable demo which occupied an entire row of machines, was the latest RPG from developer Tri-Crescendo - creators of quirky but eminently likeable GameCube title Baten Kaitos. Called Trusty Bell: Chopin's Dream in Japan, and due for a 2006 launch there, we'll be seeing it in the west in 2007 under the somewhat less snigger-worthy title Eternal Sonata.

A little background, first. The game is, as the name suggests quite heavily focused on music - specifically, the music of Polish pianist and composer Frederic Chopin. The slightly absurd conceit of the title is that three hours before he died (in 1849, at the relatively young age of 39, from tuberculosis, morbid fact-fans), a delirious Chopin entered into a dream world, and there met a young girl called Polka, who also has an incurable illness, along with her companions - who wield magical powers all based around a musical theme. Contributing to the musical focus of the game, the score will be composed by the always-superb Motoi Sakuraba, whom fans will recognise from the Tales of... series, the Star Ocean series, Valkyrie Profile and, of course, Baten Kaitos, while Russian pianist Stanislav Bunin will be performing the Chopin pieces for the game.

Unfortunately, much of this aspect of Eternal Sonata was lost on us at TGS, for the simple reason that the show is really very noisy - which meant that while we could play the game perfectly well, actually hearing it was quite tricky. Even hearing the voices (essential when, like me, you're a lazy type who has learned to understand spoken Japanese but never managed to get to grips with the written language) was a bit of a strain, so Chopin's delicate melodies were rather lost in the melee; however, we're assured that they play a very key role in the game, although how exactly that works is something we just don't know right now.

The section of the game which we played is fairly straightforward, and sees the player running through a series of very lovely countryside environments, battling occasional enemies, and chatting to a few NPCs in a small village that you run across. There's not a lot of variety here, but it's certainly enough to get a strong feeling for how the game looks, feels and plays - and on all of those counts, it certainly seems that Tri-Crescendo have outdone themselves, producing a lovingly crafted game with a strong artistic sense and a stylish and unique battle system.

Graphically, Eternal Sonata is far from the most technically accomplished game on the Xbox 360, but like many Japanese titles, its strength lies in its art rather than in the programming accomplishments underlying the game. Characters and environments are beautiful, detailed and most of all, colourful; the game, heavily influenced by the same kind of manga styling which can be seen in titles like Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicle and, indeed, in Baten Kaitos, uses the full palette of colours to great effect. Unlike many games, especially on the Xbox 360, it's happy to create cheerful natural environments, and the demo we played featured forests, meadows and village areas which were relentlessly upbeat and incredibly pretty in a homely, pastoral sort of way.

As with most JRPG titles, gameplay on the field is simple - you walk through the various environments, taking occasional side trips to find chests and so on, but primarily just progressing towards your next destination. Where things get interesting is when you run into a monster on the world map - yes, that's right folks, this developer is a fully signed up member of our crusade to see an end brought to the curse of random battles - and you transition, absolutely seamlessly and incredibly quickly, I might add, into the battle system.

For this demo, we had three characters in our party, which seems to be the maximum number available to you. Like many modern RPGs, this game is one where your position on the map is relevant to the actions you and your enemies can make - but unlike most RPGs, Eternal Sonata combines real-time and turn-based combat in a completely unique way. Each character on the field has a chance to move and attack in turn - but while it's their turn, everything happens in real-time, with four or five seconds in which to execute whatever commands it is you want to carry out. In essence, this works by giving you direct control of a character (you can always tell which character, or enemy for that matter, will have the next slice of time by looking for the "Next Up" label above their heads), letting you run around and unleash a variety of melee or magic attacks, and then wresting control from you once more when the timer runs out and moving on to the next character.

It's an interesting mechanic, because it forces the player to take into account the length of time that each of his attacks or spells will take to execute. While the game does adopt a Magnus Magnusson "I've started so I'll finish" approach to the various moves - so you'll never find one abruptly cut off when the timer runs out - it's still important to work out what you're doing from this standpoint, because firing off a lengthy attack at the start of your movement period will eat into your time seriously, while doing it at the end means you'll take advantage of the game mechanics to finish the move in "free" time after the end of your time slice. It's a system which is incredibly easy to use, but which we suspect is very complex to master - and the potential for timing-based tactics was only really becoming clear to us by the time the demo ended. It's the sign of a good game that a few hours later on a train back in to Akasaka, we were still having ideas for things we'd like to try with the battle system.

Within the framework of that system, the game tends to stick largely to RPG convention - you have a central character with strong melee attacks, another young chap (at least, we think he's a chap - the character designs are very pretty but definitely err on the androgynous side) with ranged weapon attacks, and a girl who has magical abilities and healing spells. All of these attacks depend heavily on positioning - so for example, to heal someone you need to be quite near them, and various other spells have an area-of-effect nature, as do many enemy attacks. This leads to an interesting trade-off - if you bunch your characters up, it's easier to heal them but also easier to hit them - and we expect that similar trade-offs will be in the balance as the game becomes more difficult and strategy becomes more important.

Walking away from Eternal Sonata, there was a feeling that - more so with this than with any other game at the show - we had only scratched the surface of what the final product will offer. The use of music in the game remains something of a mystery to us, but with the works of Chopin forming a key part of the title's proposition, and the involvement of a composer of Sakuraba's calibre, we'll be intrigued to see how that shapes up; while the combat system itself has plenty to offer and looks like making this into one of those rare RPGs where you can happily fiddle with your strategy for ages to work out exactly how to utilise your characters and their abilities to the best effect.

Most of all, however, Eternal Sonata looks like a Japanese RPG which would be fantastic regardless of what platform it appears on, which is both surprising and welcome on the Xbox 360. Cheerful, colourful and beautiful, it belies the reputation of the system for being a platform devoted to military sims and marines-killing-aliens testosterone-fests, and suggests that Microsoft is finally managing to expand its software portfolio beyond the teenage boys with anger management problems market which the original Xbox had firmly in its sights. At TGS, Japanese consumers didn't seem convinced, and flocked to the PS3 stand in their droves, leaving the Xbox 360 area looking comparatively quiet (albeit still very busy) - but whether Japanese consumers get it or not, western audiences hungry for Japanese style content almost certainly will. The Xbox 360, unlike its predecessor, looks more and more like a must-purchase for JRPG fans with each passing day, and Eternal Sonata is shaping up to be one of the best reasons yet to add it to the shopping list.

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Op donderdag 28 september 2006 00:15 schreef MMaRsu het volgende:
Nog nieuwe demo's?

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Op donderdag 28 september 2006 00:01 schreef Notorious_Roy het volgende:

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Zeker, ik kijk er ook wel naar uit Meer dan naar al die games met 'stoere mannen' (ik vermijd het woord space marine ) in de hoofdrol

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Op donderdag 28 september 2006 00:11 schreef devv05 het volgende:
3D Ultra Mini Golf

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Op woensdag 27 september 2006 23:47 schreef Notorious_Roy het volgende:

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Nieuws van de afgelopen 3 topics: Banjo 3 naar de 360

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Op donderdag 28 september 2006 08:27 schreef Strolie75 het volgende:
Podverdrie....Call of Duty 3 ziet er ook goed uit zeg.

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Op donderdag 28 september 2006 08:28 schreef Atuniel het volgende:
Post dan eens wat luie Limbo!

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Op donderdag 28 september 2006 08:35 schreef nietteveranderen het volgende:
waarom kan ik maar 1 ding tegelijk downloaden via marketplace ?

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Op donderdag 28 september 2006 08:42 schreef Parajeweet het volgende:

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omdat je xbox niet zoveel verschilt van de versie die iedere gamer heeft?

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Op donderdag 28 september 2006 08:35 schreef nietteveranderen het volgende:
waarom kan ik maar 1 ding tegelijk downloaden via marketplace ?

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Op donderdag 28 september 2006 08:31 schreef Strolie75 het volgende:

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Start je 360 op! Daar staat de trailer!

Maar goed, a.u.b.

http://media.xbox360.ign.com/media/801/801849/vids_1.html

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Op donderdag 28 september 2006 09:33 schreef Mystikvm het volgende:
Net de trial van Doom gedownload. Is nog best aardig. Moet nog maar zien of ik hier 800 punten voor over heb, maar lollig was het wel. Zoals iemand met wie ik aan het chatten was tijdens het spelen al zei:

'It's like using a nuclear plant to power a single lightbulb'.

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Op donderdag 28 september 2006 00:11 schreef devv05 het volgende:
3D Ultra Mini Golf

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Op donderdag 28 september 2006 10:11 schreef Heintje het volgende:

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Leuk als budget of arcade game.