Got Gamerscore?

One of the best things about the Xbox 360 is the achievements that are built into every game. They give you extra motivation to play a game longer than you normally would in order to earn an achievement and add a few points to your gamerscore. Sure, your gamerscore is meaningless, but there is nothing quite as satisfying as playing a game and hearing the "bleep bloop" and seeing the “Achievement Unlocked” window pops up.

I'm currently involved in a gamerscore challenge over at 360voice.com involving members of 360junkies.com. I decided to do a little research on "easy gamerscore" games to try and get a leg up on the competition. What I found blew my mind, there are games out there where you can, with a little work, get a full 1000 gamerscore in one game of college basketball or one playthrough of an easy game. I would like to share this information here so I don't feel as bad for blowing away the competition.

The first and easiest game to get the full 1000GS on is College Hoops 2K6. I know it's old and bad, but don't worry, rent it and be done with it after just one game. The game has a grand total of 5 achievements and with a little tinkering of the settings can all be achieved in one game. There are many youtube videos and walkthroughs found online for this one but really all you have to do is look at the achievements, make the halves 20 minutes long, and do what you have to do.

I found two games that reward you a full 100GS for just completing the game, without any side quests or collectibles. TMNT and King Kong are very easy games(you can't die) in which you get chunks of gamerscore for completing each level. TMNT personally took me about 4 to 5 hours, I haven't played King Kong yet but it will take a little more time investment with about eight hours of gameplay to go through.

There are several easy gamerscore games out there including probably the easiest, Avatar: The Last Airbender: The Burning Earth(jeez what a name). Apparently you can get a full 1000GS in 5 minutes, including putting the game in the tray and loading it up. Good luck finding this one though as I hear it's pretty hard to find.

Good games for this are titles that award you for progressing through the single player and completing simple tasks. Bad games for this are titles that stick heavily to multiplayer achievements and lengthy exploration. I've put together a list of good games for gamerscore.

- Avatar TLAB: easy 1000 in 5 minutes
- Bully SE: easy 1000
- DiRT: 700+ for completing career mode
- Enchanted Arms: get them all in one playthrough
- Fight Night Round 3: Play through career, easy 1000
- Fuzion Frenzy 2: Get most of em very easy
- King Kong: just play through the game
- Lost: Via Domus: very easy 1000
- Madden NFL 06: very easy, just sim franchise
- NBA Street Homecourt: very easy, and fun
- College Hoops 2K6: not even fair, easy
- TMNT: easy playthrough and fun!
- Viva Pinata: very easy

I don't consider this "boosting", "boosting" is beating your unmanned second controller, lowering the AI(in most sports games you can dumb down the other team), and glitching or hacking with a modded Xbox. All of these I listed are achieved legitimately and do take some effort to accomplish.

Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 Teaser Trailer (Official)

You don't see much on this teaser, but what you do see is amazing. It looks more "special ops" than warfare really. Can't wait to see more, the release date is set for November 10'th of this year.

Left 4 Dead "Survival Pack" DLC slated for April 21

According to a Microsoft press release issued this morning, Left 4 Dead's Survival Pack DLC will be released on April 21st, 2009. This release concerned the Xbox 360 version but Valve traditionally releases its PC content in a timely manner.

The free Survival Pack adds the new Survival game mode, where players are given time to dig in before fending off unceasing zombie hordes in an attempt to survive as long as possible. Survival Mode is played on 12 new maps--11 being sections of existing levels and 1 created especially for Survival Mode, Lighthouse.

The Survival Pack also brings Versus mode to the final two co-op campaigns, Dead Air and Death Toll. This release coincides with the release of Left 4 Dead: Critics Choice Edition, which contains the original game plus the Survival Pack.

UFC 2009 Full Roster

THQ has released the much anticipated roster for their upcoming fighter, UFC 2009 Undisputed. Check em out below separated by weight class.

Heavyweights:

* Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira
* Brock Lesnar
* Frank Mir
* Brandon Vera (LH)
* Gabriel Gonzaga
* Cain Velasquez
* Cheick Kongo
* Eddie Sanchez
* Heath Herring
* Andrei Arlovski
* Mirko Crocop
* Fabricio Werdum
* Tim Sylvia
* Mark Coleman
* Antoni Hardonk
* Justin McCully

Light Heavyweights:

* Chuck Lidell
* Quinton "Rampage" Jackson
* Forrest Griffin
* Tito Ortiz
* Keith Jardine
* Wanderlei Silva
* Mauricio "Shogun" Rua
* Lyoto Machida
* Rashad Evans
* Stephan Bonnar
* James Irvin
* Wilson Gouveia (MW)
* Houston Alexander
* Kazuhiro Nakamura
* Thiago Silva
* Tim Boetsch
* Ryan Bader (DLC)

Middleweights:

* Anderson Silva (LH)
* Rich Franklin (LH)
* Dan Henderson (LH)
* Michael Bisping (LH)
* Kendall Grove
* Chris Leben
* Jason MacDonald
* Nate Marquardt
* Drew McFedries
* Ricardo Almeida
* Evan Tanner
* Yushin Okami
* Demian Maia
* Martin Kampmann (WW)
* Amir Sadollah (WW)
* Thales Leites

Welterweights:

* Georges St-Pierre
* Matt Hughes
* Matt Sera (LW)
* Jon Fitch
* Karo Parisyan
* Josh Koscheck
* Diego Sanchez
* Mike Swick (MW)
* Marcus Davis
* Thiago Alves
* Chris Lytle
* Ben Saunders
* Josh Burkman
* Kyle Bradley
* Matt Arroyo
* Anthony Johnson

Lightweights:

* BJ Penn (WW)
* Sean Sherk (WW)
* Kenny Florian
* Roger Huerta
* Joe Stevenson
* Mac Danzig
* Nathan Diaz
* Spencer Fisher
* Tyson Griffin
* Gray Maynard
* Thiago Tavares
* Joe Lauzon
* Rich Clementi
* Mark Bocek
* Hermes Franca
* Frank Edgar
* Efrain Escudero (DLC)

New Details Arise for Bioshock 2

Game Informer has a preview of BioShock 2 this month and they shoot down the "prequal" rumor. It takes place 10 years after the original. You play the very first Big Daddy prototype and still patrol Rapture. The city did not crumble after all. It reached an equilibrium thanks to the Big Sister. A once Little Sister that escaped with Dr. Tenenbaum in the first Bioshock. Big Sister has returned to Rapture for unknown reasons beside maintaining order. She has captured little girls from all around the world and transformed them into Little Sisters. Your role in Bioshock 2 is to either Harvest or Adopt these little sisters and solve the Big Sister mystery. You may be an all powerful Big Daddy, but Big Sister does not mess around. She will protect her city, at all costs.
The game wont just be a solo adventure game either. There will be multiplayer of some sort, without compromise to the single player.

Wheelman Gameplay

This game looks amazingly fun!

Resident Evil 5 Winner

Alright guys we had a huge turnout for this contest, unfortunately most people didn't follow the rules by signing up and commenting using Intense Debate. Out of 119 comments we only have 51 eligible entries, which kinda sucks but i guess it gives those who followed the rules a better chance at winning. I would like to personally thanks everyone who participate and hope you will come back to us for your blogging needs (i sound so professional haha).

Anyway lets get to the winner, we went to random.org and plugged in our number of 51, hit submit and the number it shat out at us was the number 19! The first comment was 1 and so on, passed a few who didn't register with Intense Debate and got to our winner. Congratulations to Str8nasty for winning the contest! Str8 I need you to email me at frozen_one@live.com with your mailing address, I will order the game off of amazon.com and have it shipped to your doorstep as soon as I get the addy.

Thanks again for everyone playing, my next contest will be at 360junkies.com so please stay tuned!

Split/Second Trailer

Yes, the game is set within the world of a reality tv show...I know what you're thinking, wtf right? Well so was I...until I saw the trailer above which changed my mind! Take a look at those affects, now if only the controls and story are just a good...we could have a winner here folks. I mean, these guys did developed "Pure" and that was definitely no slouch of a racing game.
Disney has company Black Rock studio working on this as we speak...well as I type but you know the difference. A release date of early 2010 has been set, now can we wait that long?

Follow EDGamers on Twitter.com for Prizes!

ED is giving away 1600 MS Points on 3/20/2009! To enter the contest just head on over to www.Twitter.com and follow @EDGamers and ReTweet the message to follow @EDGamers and you're automatically entered! Earn more entries by having your twitter friends RT with your twitter account name included! Every referral earns you another entry! Good luck and see you there!

Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 News

Activision CFO Thomas Tippl at the Wedbush Morgan Securities annual meeting:

"Last year we had probably beaten most expert expectations by growing the Call of Duty franchise over the tremendous success that was the first iteration of Modern Warfare," he said. "For 2009, Modern Warfare is coming back, we expect it will be the most anticipated game of the year. Perhaps the number one game of the year despite the fact that it's only going to launch in the holiday season...There is no doubt in my mind that it will again raise the bar for the shooter genre. The game is looking incredible and Infinity Ward, the studio that is developing it, is just doing an unbelievable job."

So, there you have it, for all that were worried that the game might not make it by the holidays, you can breathe a sigh of relief. Here's looking forward to this one as I'm sure most of you are.

Avatars go "western"

I guess some of us Americans were pretty upset over all the love UK got with the release of those futbol shirts, so what does Xbox give us? Yep, western wear, if you can call it that. Probably should have been labeled "country music" wear because that's exactly what it looks like. Real "western" cowboys would swallow their backer if they caught a glimpse of the new wardrobe! I can't complain too much, although I will not be using these new clothes, a lot of you will, at least we're getting new stuff! As always these new digs can be seen by going to your avatar creator and checking out the items with the gold star.

If you don't yet have a Twitter account, get your head out of the sand and sign up today at www.twitter.com! Follow @EDGamers on twitter for contests information! We'll be giving out prizes weekly! See you soon!

Resident Evil 5 Giveaway

In hopes to get more traffic to the blog, and members commenting, I've decided to have a contest. This contest will be for the Xbox 360 version of Resident Evil 5! Here are the rules: Comment: You must be a user of Intense Debate and leave a comment below stating that you want this game. Simple right? You can also follow my twitter HERE to get the scoop on other giveaways and possibly some Live Arcade codes in the future.

Contest ends Midnight EST on Friday March 13'th, yes that's right...what better than to give away a nasty ass game on Friday the 13'th right? :p I will run all entrants through a randomizer to choose the winner. Open to U.S residents only

Also be sure to check out 360junkies Xbox contest HERE. What better to have RE5 than a brand new Xbox to play it on right? Good luck guys

UPDATE It seems some people have not registered with Intense Debate before commenting, please be sure to do this so that you will be eligible for the prize. :)

UPDATE We've had a few people ask us how we are giving this game away, well the game doesn't release until the 13'th, which is also the ending of the contest. The winner will be announced in a new blog post and will have to email us at frozen_two@live.com will their mailing address. We will order the game from amazon.com and have it shipped to that address.

The Behemoth, New Game on March 18th!

The Behemoth, developers of Castle Crashers and Alien Hominid, revealed today that the they will be unveiling their new game on March 18th. The Behemoth also said they will be showing an early version of the game off at the Tokyo Anime Fair on March 20 and 21. To tease us with this new title, they have posted a single screen shot(above) on their website which really tells us nothing but how similar in style it looks to Castle Crashers. Visit them HERE to find out more!

Grand Opening At 360junkies.com, Win A Brand New 360!

You heard right, our sister site over at 360junkies is having its grand opening today, you thought the prizes were good before, wait until you see what my friend seeson has up his sleeve this time! One lucky winner is going to receive a brand spanking new Xbox 360 Arcade system! These guys have gone above and beyond, surprising me each week with some of the best contests around, and they just got started! I'm telling you guys, 360junkies is the place to be if you're a hardcore gamer!

Ok here are the rules and the all important link to the contest! Good luck guys! LINK

RULES:
To enter, you may do any or all of the following: (each counts for 1 entry)

1. Create a post on your own personal blog about this contest and post a working link here.

2. Follow us on twitter HERE and then tweet the following (Tweet as much as you'd like, but you only need to do it once):


RT @360Junkies.com is giving away a Brand New #Xbox Arcade console! Details at 360Junkies.com! #360JXbox

3. Get other websites/forums to post this contest with a working link. Your forum name must be referenced in that post in order to count. One link per site. Each working link counts as one entry. Link must be working! (i.e. Thanks to katterfly at 360Junkies.com!)

Halo 3 Mythic Map Pack Contest!

It seems I've gotten my hands on a Mythic Map Pack code for Halo 3...and...well...I don't play Halo. So what should I do with it? Well I need a good laugh as much as the next person so lets have a Halo Joke contest! Here are the details:

RULES:
Contest ends Monday, March 9th at noon PST.
- Click here for the contest.
- One entry per person.
- Make me laugh, I want Original Halo jokes only!
- Keep the jokes PG-13 (Family Friendly)

I and the 360junkies staff will select a winner from the eligible entries and post the winner Monday afternoon. Winner will need to PM me on the site to get their code. Good luck

Also, please stick around, this is a great community to be a part of and more is sure to come!

NOTE:
We only have one mythic map pack code. Runner-up will receive the flaming warthog code courtesy of @Rajio (GamerTag: Mister Switch) & www.ohmpage.ca He'll be giving out free stuff at his site as well. :)

Xbox Live Arcade Days

Starting March 18th, Xbox LIVE is kicking off the Days of Arcade promotion. Much like the Summer of Arcade last year, the Arcade team has lined up six-weeks of blockbuster titles :

* The Dishwasher: Dead Samurai
* Flock
* Hasbro Family Game Night
* Lode Runner
* Outrun Online Arcade
* Puzzle Quest: Galactrix
* UNO Rush

The first game available will be Hasbro Family Game Night on March 18th. Following that, an announcement will be made each Monday on what that week's Arcade release will be.

As you can see, there are seven titles for a six-week promotion. The Arcade team decided they’re going to surprise you one week when they double up the fun.

Call of Duty World at War Double XP...Again

Thanks to JD2020, the community manager of Treyarch, for the info, posted originally on the Call of Duty homepage.

We’ve decided to celebrate the successful launch of this update with Double-XP Multiplayer! This coming weekend (March 6th – 8th) all players will accrue 2x their normal XP in all playlists – on ALL supported platforms! This includes Xbox 360, PLAYSTATION 3, PC, and the Nintendo Wii.

Be sure to clear some room on your calendars, as it’s going to be a frag-filled weekend indeed. The action starts Friday morning, and ends Monday morning Pacific Standard Time – see you online!

The Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena demo is out !

Atari and Starbreeze have made a 360 demo of The Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena, available on Xbox Live.

A PS3 demo will arrive on the PlayStation network some time later this month.

The demo features the Athena Main Decks level, and offers players a chance to control a Drone, one of the semi-sentient, remote-controllable enemies that will play a central part in the first-person stealth auctioneer.

Assault on Dark Athena is a sequel to the 2004 Xbox game, The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay - also included in this release, in a full high-definition remake.

It's out on April 7th over here on 360, PS3 and PC. Get more info, including hands-on impressions, at the Dark Athena gamepage.

Call of Duty 4 still alive?

The answer is a big YES! I just learned about a new promotion for CoD4 straight from the blog of their community manager fourzerotwo. According to fourzerotwo.com, starting Tuesday Feb. 24th, the Variety Map Pack will become %50 off for those of you who still need to pick it up, leading up to the promotion, they will also be giving out tokens to download it for free on Twitter. When the last weekend of Feb. hits, starting Friday Feb. 27th and going until Monday morning, they will be flipping the ol’ mighty Double XP switch one more time!

Also The HARDCORE HEADQUARTERS playlist will be added on Friday 27th along with Double XP for the most XP heavy sessions you will ever see. Who’s down for a little Hardcore Headquarters on Shipment?! Carnage will ensue.

The 50% off Map Pack, Hardcore Headquarters playlist and Double XP includes Xbox Live and Playstation Network!

Anyone and everyone can participate, no sign-up, no anything. Just pop in the game on Friday the 27th and play. They will handle the rest.

New Contest from Anyluckyday.com

Hey guys, just posting about a new, FREE, contest from anyluckyday. This time twitter followers(follow @anyluckyday) will be able to enter to win some very nice Logitech speakers.All you have to do is follow @Anyluckyday on twitter, comment on the site, and ReTweet a message. Simple as that. Better hurry...contest end soon!

Call of Duty: World at War gets DLC!

New conflicts are on the horizon for Call of Duty: World at War! We're pleased to introduce the contents of our first Downloadable Content (DLC) Map Pack for World at War, which includes three new Multiplayer levels, as well as an additional level for the ever-popular bonus Co-Op mode, Nazi Zombies!

Nightfire
In "Nightfire," players take to the streets of a war-ravaged Berlin with only the flames of the burning city to expose the enemy.


Station
"Station" offers a bombed out underground train station littered with hidden passageways and destroyed subway cars.

Knee Deep
"Knee Deep" takes place on the island of Peleliu in a once tranquil village turned chaotic Japanese command center.

Verrückt (Zombie Asylum)
The fan favorite 4-player co-op Nazi Zombies Bonus Mode returns with "Verrückt," a terrifying Zombie asylum featuring more weapons, perks via the addition of Perks-a-Cola machines, electroshock defenses and the endless zombie horde.

The team has been very quiet regarding details of our DLC until now, and we're so excited to let this content loose. DLC Map Pack #1 is due out in March of '09 for the Xbox 360, Playstation 3, and PC platforms. More details are soon to come, so be sure to check out CallOfDuty.com for all the latest news and updates regarding CoD:WaW!

Infamous

I wanna talk about this gorgeous looking game that, unfortunately, is exclusive to the PS3. The game looks well made and has some beautiful visuals. Here are some of the general features:

* Be a Hero: Take on the role of Cole, an everyday guy and urban explorer, who develops a wide range of electricity-based powers. Learn how to adapt to Cole’s evolving powers in an attempt to save Empire City and its people.
* Super Powers: Feel what it is like to discover, grow and use a wide range of electricity-based super powers (good or bad); and grasp the responsibility that comes from being so powerful.
* Epic Battles: Experience what it is like to be a true hero, taking responsibility for every action, as players battle against powerful iconic villains.
* Open Dynamic World: Coupling rich powers with a reactive environment and population, experience complete freedom to explore a deep, open interactive city. Players will be challenged to decide if they choose to save or destroy Empire City.
* Urban exploration: Scale the cityscape to discover new vantage points and employ a vertical combat system. Utilize Cole’s climbing skills to go where most people can not, opening up a variety of offensive and defensive combat options.
* Organic, City Ecology: Watch the citizens and city react and evolve depending on players’ actions. Events will unfold based on the role players take in them, creating broader reactions in the city’s people and environment. Here is the most recent vid of gameplay.Now that you've seen this game, doesn't it suck ass that us 360 owners can't have a taste? It seems like Sony(the producers of this game) would make double, or even triple, the money on this game by releasing it for the 360 as well. It goes the same for Microsoft as well, more platforms, more money, simple as that. Sony and Microsoft need to put their grievances aside and think about the gamers. /rant

Great site to visit for completely FREE contests!

Who like's contests?? Who likes contests where all you have to do is make a comment to win, NO STRINGS ATTACHED?? Well I'm here to get away from our usual gaming business, to let you guys in on the best way to win free, awesome stuff, for doing nothing but posting a comment on a site! No hidden forms to fill out, no special enrollment programs, and no BS! Well, what is it you say? Here it is, just visit
anyluckyday for your shot at winning some of the coolest prizes out there! If you have a twitter account, then you're in luck! You can follow Anyluckyday right now, to keep ahead of the competition. They update very frequently on any news on his contests! Their newest contest will blow your mind! They are giving away, for FREE, an MX-300 All-in-one printer/copier/scanner/fax from Canon!
Please guys, don't miss out on these contests, there is absolutely nothing to lose!

CoD WaW get a new patch and map for PC!

Patch 1.2 has finally released for the PC version of the game.Along with that, a remake of the popular multiplayer map, "Makin", in a day form. Looks promising, now what does the 360 have in-store?

Resident Evil 5 demo DL'ed 1.8 million times!

Resident Evil 5 is definitely one of the most anticipated games of early 2009, and the amount of downloads the demo got on Xbox Live shows just how much Xbox 360 owners are looking forward to its release. The Resident Evil 5 demo was downloaded 1.8 million times in its first week, with 1.3 million of those being within the first three days of its availability on Xbox Live. Microsoft went on to say that 53% of all Japanese Xbox Live gold accounts have downloaded the demo. They say its one of the "top demo launches on the service" though they would not go into specifics of what other game demos were more successful.

Resident Evil 5 will be released in North America and PAL territories on March 13th. It will be the first Resident Evil game on an Xbox console.

shinyswine.com Street Fighter IV Contest!

On Friday, February 13th, The Shiny Swine will be giving away a 100% free copy of Street Fighter IV for XBOX 360. The drawing will be completely random, and based on comments you make to our posts from February 3rd through the end of February 13th! The winner’s copy of Street Fighter IV will be shipped no later than February 20th, 2009. The Shiny Swine will cover the shipping costs. This a completely free contest we are hosting to encourage our readers to communicate with us. Visit shinyswine.com for more details!

Double XP and two new playlists!

Double-XP for The Big Game this weekend!In lieu of the festivities which will no-doubt keep most of you in front of your TV's all weekend, we've decided to initiate yet another weekend of Double-XP Jan 30 – Feb 1 to compliment The Big Game!

Not only will you be receiving Double-XP, but we're introducing two new playlists to the Xbox 360 and PS3 by popular request: Team Tactical (4v4) and Mercenary TDM (no parties allowed)! Team Tactical will pit two teams of four against each other in a random rotation of all the Team-Based gametypes.

It all starts tomorrow morning PST (Friday the 30th)

Resident Evil 5

Xbox 360 demo, which will feature online coop mode and dive you two levels of the game is coming January 26! The game is set to release March 13 2009!
Jun Takeuchi, the game's producer, said that Resident Evil 5 will feature similar gameplay to Resident Evil 4. The player will control Chris Redfield similarly to how the player controlled Leon S. Kennedy in Resident Evil 4. Much like its predecessor, this game will have the same over the shoulder view. The game's environment will also play a significant role. The game implements various lighting effects. If Redfield moves between bright and dark areas his eyes will have to adjust, causing the player to briefly lose some sight. The Mercenaries minigame, which was featured in both Resident Evil 3 and Resident Evil 4, will make a return in Resident Evil 5.

The game will also feature new types of enemies. The extended E3 2007 trailer revealed several sequences involving Redfield attacking hordes of fleet-footed enemies, who possessed melee weapons. Takeuchi has also stated the game's enemies will also possess human-like intelligence and awareness. Furthermore, he stated they will be different from the previous ganados. Takeuchi said that they have "greatly increased the number of weapon variations" compared to the previous games in the series, while the requisite handguns and shotguns also return.

In an interview with XBOX360ISM, Keiji Inafune stated that the game will feature some online elements. Resident Evil 5's main story mode can be played with two players, in a co-operative online mode. The feature will allow players to enter or leave anytime during the game. Players will not always stick together, and can be separated at points during the gameplay.

Double XP, Zombies, Patches, Oh My!

Looks like Treyarch is throwing a party this weekend for WaW! Starting sometime Friday, double xp will kick in and continue through Sunday! Also, Zombie game play will be unlocked for all players, and a patch to fix more of the multilayer issues will be implemented! (I've been getting really pissed at the guys getting under the map.) See you guys on WaW this weekend! Look out 9th prestige, here I come!

Ohio teen convicted of killing mom over Halo 3

ELYRIA, Ohio (AP) — Although a teenager's obsession with a violent video game may have warped his sense of reality, the boy is guilty of murdering his mother and wounding his father after they took "Halo 3" away from him, a judge ruled Monday.

"I firmly believe that Daniel Petric had no idea at the time he hatched this plot that if he killed his parents they would be dead forever," Lorain County Common Pleas Judge James Burge said.

Nonetheless, Burge rejected the defense attorneys' argument that Petric, 17, was not guilty by reason of insanity.

The defense didn't contest that Petric shot his parents in October 2007 after they took the game away from him, but insisted that the teen's youth and addiction made him less responsible.

Petric may have been addicted, but the evidence also showed he planned the crime for weeks, said Burge, who found the teenager guilty of aggravated murder, attempted aggravated murder and other charges.

Tried as an adult, Petric faces a maximum possible penalty of life in prison without parole. The judge didn't set a sentencing date.

The teen's mother, Susan Petric, 43, died of a gunshot wound to the head. Her husband, Mark Petric, a minister at New Life Assembly of God in Wellington, also was shot in the head but survived.

After the verdict was announced, Petric turned to look at his father seated behind him in the courtroom. Mark Petric, who previously said he has forgiven his son, gave an encouraging nod.

Mark Petric and other relatives left the court without comment.

Prosecutors said Petric planned to kill his parents because he was angry that his father would not allow him to play the video game, in which players shoot alien monsters that have taken over the Earth.

On the night of the shooting, Petric used his father's key to open a lockbox and remove a 9 mm handgun and the game.

Mark Petric testified that his son came into the room and asked: "Would you guys close your eyes? I have a surprise for you." He testified that he expected a pleasant surprise. Then his head went numb from the gunshot.

Deputy prosecuting attorney Anthony Cillo argued during the trial that the teenager had planned to make it appear to be a murder-suicide by putting the gun in his father's hand.

Defense Attorney James Kersey said that when the teenager fled the grisly scene, he only took one item with him: the "Halo 3" game.

Bungie LLC, once part of Microsoft, developed the Xbox 360-exclusive Halo 3, and Microsoft owns the game's intellectual property. Microsoft declined to comment beyond a statement: "We are aware of the situation and it is a tragic case."

Fake Email Beta Offer!

Just been told there's an e-mail going around from COD5BETA@infinityward.com, this is a fraud! Fourzerotwo of Infinity Ward has already denounced it and warned players not to open the email. No word yet as to what it may contain, but why take chances!

XBox Marketplace Leak?

Looks like some guys at Xbox might have jumped the gun! Just noticed that the category picture for Map Packs shows CoD: World at War, as if the map pack is already available! Just thought it was interesting; hopefully this means that the release is nigh! -NonStop

Gaming Industry Recession Proof?

Whether we're in a recession or are heading for a recession, it's quite obvious that the video game industry has not been affected thus yet. Microsoft reveals that life-to-date unit sales of Xbox 360 systems climbed to 28 million consoles worldwide. With prices starting at $199, Xbox 360 now offers games, TV shows, and movies to consumers. According to Microsoft, the Xbox LIVE community also grew to over 17 million members. Since the launch of the Xbox 360 three years ago, more than $1 billion has been spent on Xbox LIVE, says Microsoft. Also, According to Microsoft, Xbox 360 is experiencing record-setting sales around the globe, particularly in Japan and Europe, nearly doubling market share in these territories. In Europe, the Middle East and Africa, Xbox 360 has now sold more than 8 million units. Although America is in an economic slump, the rest of the world is not.
Video games are a form of entertainment that generally fares well in slow economic times. True, the industry has never seen an economy this slow(as its just 30 years old, which is after the great depression) but in my opinion they will not be affected. Speaking of the great depression did you know the down-and-out took to the theaters in droves, willing to spend a quarter per person to forget about their troubles for a few hours. People still want to be entertained and to enjoy a diversion from their everyday concerns now more than ever. I will go out on a limb and say the industry will keep growing even faster. In my case, they are a way to get my money problems off of my mind for the few hours I play a night. If I didn't have video games as a young adult living paycheck to paycheck, I would definitely need therapy of some sort lol. What do you guys think?

CoD WaW Takes top Xbox spot near the end of December and still holding!

Thanks to everyone who participated in some holiday fragging, Call of Duty: World at War moved into the top-spot on the Xbox LIVE Activity charts for the week of December 22nd, and held onto the top-spot through the end of the year with this past week as well!

According to Major Nelson (Xbox LIVE Community Manager), Call of Duty: World at War still holds the #1 slot for Unique Users.

Now that 2009 is under way, let's keep that momentum up – tell your friends, we’re playing Call of Duty: World at War tonight!

"Unusual" or not, I can't wait! WaW Map Pack Coming Soon!

As announced last month, Treyarch is working towards releasing a map pack (the first of what may be two or three) sometime early this year. Executive Producer, Daniel Suarez, has done a wonderful job generating buzz over the pending release with his comments on the DLC such as, "unusual", "mysterious", and "nontraditional". Immediately our heads are filled with amazing possibilities, "What could all this mean? Could there be new guns, perks, or even vehicles???". As hard as it is, I'm trying to keep my childish dreams subdued for now, though personally I am in favor of some more Hardcore game types. Those of you who played the beta will remember that the in-game leaderboards showed promise of a bevy of hardcore games! Whatever it may be, I'm just glad to hear Treyarch is at least attempting to release two or three maps packs for it's latest entry of the Call of Duty franchise!

New Years!

I spent New Years at a friend's house this year, leaving my CoD WaW behind. Knowing that I would begin going through withdrawals, I grabbed a handful of firework mortars on my way out the door......something needs to be blowing up or it's not going to hold my attention, haha! The result is shown in part in the following video.....enjoy, I know you will. - NonStop

The Dreaded Red Ring of Death!

A whole year of problemless gaming on my Xbox 360 and the inevitable has finally happened...I got the dreaded "red ring of death!" Yes, all of those months hearing about how people left and right were becoming victims of this terrible hardware failure had me scared at first, but as the months rolled as did my Xbox I developed a false sense of security, as if I had God mode activated lol. I found myself relishing in the fact that I had the one Xbox out of a million that was not infected, and letting others know about it on forums when they complained that they got it. Now I'm the one complaining, and it just plain sucks.

In light of this unacceptable occurrence, I decided to do a little research and find out why exactly this happens and what to do(and what not to do) when it happens. First of all, every Xbox 360 has a ring of light around the power button with four quadrants. When all is well the light should be green, which means everything is working properly. When a quadrant or quadrants turn red, you're in for some major troubles! If the first quadrant is red(top left), it means you have a general hardware problem and should test your plug connections and restart. If the problem is indicated in the second quadrant, it is merely overheating, as too many all-nighters on Call of Duty will do that to a system. You should unplug the system from its power supply and let it sit to cool down. Also, it might be a good idea to search for a new spot to sit your system, like in a more open part of your entertainment center for better air circulation. If the problem is in the third quadrant it's just another hardware failure. If all four lights are flashing , this is probably the easiest problem to fix. This is an issue with the AV cable not being properly inserted into the back of the console. When three quadrants are flashing red, you're pretty much screwed lol. This is the "Red Ring of Death" and usually means a trip to the repair center or a new console.

The "Red Ring of Death" is a major hardware malfunction that is caused by overheating of the motherboard causing the solders that hold your GPU to melt away. The vibrations of your Xbox will then knock the GPU loose, and cause this malfunction. Why Xbox consoles easily burn out has a lot to do with their hardware design. The LSI heat sink was reduced to accommodate a DVD drive. This compromise in the cooling system has led to widespread pandemonium in the gaming community!

I have put together some indications of the "RROD" to help you know when this is about to happen. 1: You're screen freezes up, or gets choppy graphics (like the old Nintendos used to do when the game wasn't in all the way lol)

2: The sound freezes up

3: Console has no response when you power up

4: Message that says "Disc Unreadable" has also been reported right before getting the "RROD."

If this ever happens to you(happens to about 30% of all consoles sold!!) you should call 1-800-4my-XBOX. If you still have a warranty, it will be fixed for free, if not, be prepared to spend about 140 bucks for the repair and not to mention a rather lengthy 4 week wait for your troubles. Please DO NOT use the towel trick on Youtube, this has been reported to cause fires and permanent damage to the console. There are some fix tutorials out there if you want to risk opening up your console and handling the circuit board, but not recommended if you still have a warranty. Let's just hope Microsoft doesn't make the same mistake twice when it comes to the next system.

-skiLLz in kiLLz

ViP is here!

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