Konami sent word that their new horror/survival game Silent Hill: Homecoming has shipped and should be in stores today or by tomorrow depending on your store. The sequel looks good and Konami is promising fans of the first one a deeper story and more scares. Gamers will once again visit Toluca Lake which has a tormented past. The game is also available for the PS3 and the PC so if you’re into Horror/Survival games check this one out.

Microsoft sent word that there was a 58 percent increase in unique members buying arcade titles over the months of June-July. Then in August the percentage jumped to 67 percent and for the first time ever Xbox.Com had an arcade page landing in the top three for views that month. In normal language the Arcade had a killer summer in overall sales. I know that the casual gamer is growing and the arcade is a perfect draw for this crowed. While Microsoft wants to say that the spike was due to better games I am not so sure I would agree 100 percent with that. They also had a huge contest this summer and yes, there were a few great games to hit the arcade this summer. Including Bionic Commando Rearmed, Castle Crashers and Geometry Wars 2. While games from new developers like Braid showed promise although a bit over priced.

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Rock Band 1 & 2 fans have a new DLC Album as the Red Hot Chili Peppers: Blood Sugar Sex Magik DLC Album hit the marketplace today. This was a bit of a surprise since it was announced as the content for next week. The 15 song track Album will cost 1600 Microsoft points. I wish they would stick to the earlier price point of 880 MS points but for 15 songs and the whole album if you include the song Give It Away already on the Rock Band 2 disc it’s not too bad. Still I wonder if gamers will want to spend $20.00 for a DLC pack. If you prefer you can buy the tracks you want for 160 MS points each. The complete track list is listed below.

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Here is something that is certainly worth the $69.99 price tag. It seems there is a bundle heading to retail stores in early October called the Live Messenger Gold Pack. Inside you get the Chat Pad, Headset, 12 month XBL Gold Card and a copy of PGR 4. You do the math but this is certainly worth the money for those who waited for the Chat Pad to drop in price. You should see the Gold Pack hitting stores by the 7th of October no word if this is a US only deal yet but worth looking for when it’s released.

While it is only for 24 hours I know many of our member’s use Xbox live to touch base with friends as well as play games. So here are a few ideas from XBS to help pass the time while Xbox live is down.

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This Wednesday Ubisoft’s World War hits the Arcade the game is a mech game and looks pretty cool. It will have an online mode and up to 4 player Co-Op mode with over 100 levels of gameplay. Sounds interesting so make sure to check out the trail version and then if you like it the game will cost 800 Microsoft points to buy.

EA has been bringing in a ton of big name talent for their games. Today they sent word that they reached a deal with Filmmaker Zack Snyder. Comic book fans will now the name Zack Snyder since he is currently working on the film based on the Watchmen series. Details are limited and no projects have been mentioned but with talent like this on board EA may have some great new games on the way for 2009. EA recently teamed up with Steven Spielberg and Zack will be working with the same studio. Zack commented he was a huge fan of EA and their games and this will give him a chance to bring his ideas to a new form of media. I will be interested to see what games he comes up with after seeing 300 and waiting on the new Watchmen film.

Today, I kept hearing a lot of buzz about a new trailer over at Bungie.net. I had to go check it out and I am just as confused as everyone else it looks great but it’s a teaser alright! The trailer soon to hit Xbox Marketplace shows an interesting CGI presentation and you see a strange date over and over but then nothing else? This week was the new update for Halo 3 and now the new trailer? Is this a new companion add on for the game? Is it just something the team at Bungie created to mess with gamers out there? No there is a message in it but right now it looks like the secret will be revealed in parts. You should check it out and while you’re there you can read up on all the new changes for Halo 3 just click here and it will take you there. We already have a topic in our forums talking about it feel free to add your own thoughts new members are welcomed but need to register first.

November is not that far away but The Best Buy G3 Tour is hitting College’s everywhere giving gamers a chance to play the hottest videogames. If you click here you’ll find the tour schedule and more information on the tour. This year the tour will allow gamers a chance to try out Gears of War 2 and other games before it’s released. The tour is a great way to get a look at the games hot for the Holiday season and try them out for free. You can also find out more information at the official Gears of War 2 Website.

Okay, I know at times when work is done on Xbox live it sparks rumors and news posts on certain sites. I want to again post that the scheduled down time set for September 29th is not the fall update. The new Xbox Experience update will be announced at a later date. Just remember that during the scheduled 24 hour period Xbox live and Xbox.com will be down. Rumors are running ramped that Microsoft is going to surprise or release the new update the following day. This is not the case and we just want our members to know what is going on. I know 24 hours is a long time to go without live but the scheduled work needs done and is to prepare for the update not to launch the new update.