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Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare Xbox 360 Preview

Matt Jo — Sat, 03 Nov 2007 21:16:23 +0000

Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare is the latest installment in the Call of Duty series, and its the third one to hit the Xbox 360. The first one, Call of Duty 2, was a launch game that received much critical acclaim. The next one was Call of Duty 3 which was released last year and was developed by another developer than the previous Call of Duty installments. It fared OK with review scores. Now we come to Call of Duty 4, developed by the same people that brought us Call of Duty 2. They have moved away from the World War 2 scene and they are now moving into modern warfare with a story involving Russian and Middle Eastern terrorists.

Call of Duty 4 is not only introducing a new setting, but it comes packed with new and advanced equipment and weapons too. Also making an appearance in this installment is that now players will have the chance not only to be a soldier on foot, but certain levels will have players manning gun ships, and flying fighter jets.

Guitar Hero 3 Preview - Guitar Hero to Hit Xbox Live

Matt Jo — Fri, 19 Oct 2007 00:39:50 +0000

Guitar Hero 3 is the next installment in the incredibly successful Guitar Hero franchise. With the recent success of Guitar Hero 2, Guitar Hero III Legends of Rock was just a matter of time. This year the new online play an amazing list of new songs, wireless guitar and versus battle modes, Guitar Hero III promises to be the best game in the franchise.

Guitar Hero III is what you would get if you took the essential game play of Guitar Hero 2 but upgraded it and added loads of new features. For those of you unfamiliar with the series, Guitar Hero games are guitar playing games. The gamer has a guitar and plays songs in the game. The songs are played by hitting the different fret buttons on the guitar as they come up on the TV screen. Just search Guitar Hero on You Tube and you’ll get the idea.

It looks like Red Octane is offering many new features, the first or which is a wireless guitar. Last year we were stuck with a wired guitar, this year its wireless. Another huge feature is online play. Last year with Guitar Hero, the only time we could play with someone else is if we bought another guitar and invited them over. This year you can play against anyone, anywhere as Guitar Hero III will support online play over Xbox Live.

Guitar Hero III will also feature a couple new modes such as the new battle mode, where you will face off against an opponent and earn power ups by going on streaks. By hitting many notes in a row you can then use your power ups to mess with your opponent. You could switch his notes to make them show up lefty style, you can up his difficulty level; you can shake his side of the screen — t here are many different possibilities. If you’re still unsure if you should buy the new Guitar Hero game if you already own Guitar Hero 2, read on and we’ll tell you why you may want to.

Tiger Woods PGA Tour 08 Hands on Preview

Rich Reed — Tue, 28 Aug 2007 13:37:02 +0000

There is no secret I enjoy playing sports games and I have mentioned my favorites plenty of times. At times some may listen or read my top-ten list of favorites and be surprised to see a golf game listed. I think many gamers even those who enjoy playing sports games have it in their minds golf is either to easy or just boring and have passed on some great tiles. Back in the early days of the PC gaming world golf was one of the games I played the most for me it was a way to relax and have some fun. I recently got invited to the Tiger Woods PGA Tour 08 community event. While I was looking forward to going I had some hard questions and things that I needed proven to me. So early Last Monday morning I headed off to Florida for the event while on the plane I listed a few things that kept running through my head about this series. If you are a fan of the series I bet you have had questions or things you wished they would change. For those new to the series lets just say Tiger Woods started off solid and then things where added making it seem too easy and somewhat unrealistic. Sports fans like things right and I knew the game had changed teams and changes where promised. I also knew from past events this year that EA has stepped up in some key areas and I thought maybe I would see some of the changes in TWPGA 08. I can honestly say when the game hits store shelves it's going to surprise long time fans as well as the first time buyer. Read on to find out why I can say this right in the opening.

Medal of Honor Airborne Multiplayer Hands on Preview at Fort Bragg

Rich Reed — Fri, 24 Aug 2007 17:53:05 +0000

In May XBS was invited to the Medal Of Honor Airborne Summit at EA's LAX Studio's. I walked away from the single-player summit impressed and already knew that there were plans for a multi-player summit. A few weeks ago I received an invitation for the multi-player summit. The big surprise was not the fact of the summit but where it was going to be held. The event was going to be held at Fort Bragg, home of the 82nd Airborne. We also learned that we would be on the base for the entire summit and even have a chance to go through Jump School training if we wanted to. I was not only going to an event I was going to be a part of history since no one has ever hosted an event outside their studio before. Read on to find out why I walked away even more impressed with the game and can start off by saying it will be a hit when it ships!

Skate Hands On Preview - Will Tony Hawk Have Competition Soon?

Rich Reed — Sun, 29 Jul 2007 00:48:17 +0000

Skateboarding is nothing new for videogames. Many of us here at XBS have enjoyed playing THPS series for years even online through GameSpy before Xbox Live support. The sad thing is that when one company has the market cornered, there is no reason to really raise the bar. The first three games of Tony Hawk were a blast to play and they kept my attention. While I thought Project was a step in a new direction, it still had the basic controls for the most part. I started to read about Skate and it grabbed my attention. The trailers alone were great but the question was could EA really bring something new and fresh for those who enjoy skateboarding games? Well, XBS was invited to attend the Skate Community event at EAX Studio in Vancouver. What you are about to read is a recap of the event and my impressions of the game â€” you maybe surprised at what I think!

Medal of Honor Airborne Hands-on Xbox 360 Preview

Rich Reed — Mon, 04 Jun 2007 05:56:18 +0000

By now everyone knows how I love FPS games and especially war-themed ones. Throw in the fact Jason loves them as well and we both have logged in more hours than I care to admit. When the Xbox 360 launched, I remember making a statement that this will finally give game developers a chance to really challenge gamers with new AI systems and better overall gameplay. While the graphics have been enhanced, I have to be honest and say the games are not as challenging as I wanted them to be. A lot of our readers may think we just play through a game and then review it and move on to the next one. Well, at times we do need to limit the time we spend on each title, but after hours you can find us on Xbox Live playing our favorites. Chances are it's an FPS we are playing.

Now as die hard fans we just don't sit and play. We also talk about "what if" (as I like to call it). For example, what if game devolpers made an AI system smart enough to know we are going to go back around and flank the other side? Another "what if" is how about letting us cook a grenade so it would explode as soon as it lands causing more damage? While the list of "what ifs" has grown with each new title to pass our desks, the number one wish would be an AI smart enough to get behind us and start shootingâ€”knowing our pattern and reacting in real time. After all, we all want realistic gameplay and it just seems that most games no matter the overall fun factor are still lacking the true AI element. When you look at it honestly, the FPS genre has become nothing more than a system of one way ins and outs. In shooting games we call this a "rail shooter" and while they can be fun, it just seems its the same thing with a different look or war arena.

It's funny how timing works; I recently got an invite to attend the Medal of Honor Airborne Summit at EA's LA Studio's. I accepted and hoped that this one would show some of the great things the first game did in the series. Of course I had plenty of questions and suggestions for the team. Read on to see my thoughts of EA's Medal of Honor Airborne.

FIFA 07 Xbox 360 Community Day Wrap-up

Jason Rybka — Sun, 29 Oct 2006 17:15:43 +0000

Last week XBS was invited to Vancouver BC to attend the FIFA Community Event at EAC. In case youâ€™re not used to the lingo, EAC is simply Electronic Arts Canada and itâ€™s the largest studio EA has. Heading off I saw they had a full schedule for us at the event. I arrived at the Sutton Place Hotel, a 5 Star Hotel that is way out of my league. I soon met up with a few others including Daylon, from http://www.unscripted360.com/, and Kyle, from http://www.gamefreaks365.com/. I also met DJ from http://www.gamingtruth.com/. We got there a bit early on Thursday and had a few hours to kill so soon we were playing Mario Kart to pass the time. Later that night we had a great dinner at Earlâ€™s where the main action was the Mets game. We hung around talked and got to meet Rob and Clive from EA as well as a few of the other team members of the game. It was a nice group and we all got along great joking, laughing and talking about our personal favorite games. We also talked about the worst game ever made for a console, which I have to admit was not as easy but still fun. Since the flight was very long, the first night was over pretty early and we headed back to the hotel since we had a full day ahead of us.

Crackdown Xbox 360 Preview - by PureEgo

Jason Rybka — Mon, 16 Oct 2006 17:05:43 +0000

Game developer Real Time Worlds is ready to take gamers to the future of law enforcement with their new Xbox 360 title Crackdown. This one is set in a bleak world where crime runs rampant and the standard police forces are powerless to stop the various gangs from doing whatever they want. Desperate times call for desperate measures, so the Agency, an international police organization, unleashes a new genetically enhanced super cop to deal with the situation by any means necessary. These police officers of the future are stronger, faster, and more durable than anything the world has seen before. Will this last resort be enough to save the world from total anarchy? The answer to that question lies in the hands of the player.

Forza Motorsports 2 Xbox 360 Preview

Jason Rybka — Tue, 03 Oct 2006 22:28:10 +0000

Turn 10 Studios are ready to give gamers another dose of simulation racing with their new Xbox 360 title Forza Motorsport 2. This one will follow in the foot steps of its best selling predecessor in delivering the best real to life car driving experience. The developer is using every bit of the graphical horsepower and processing capabilities of the Xbox 360 to deliver a true next generation racing experience.

Fans can look forward to racing on a huge variety of race tracks including real world locations such as Laguna Seca and Road America. All of the 13 officially licensed tracks are replicated in painstaking detail to make them as authentic as possible. Including these tracks there will be a total 60 racing arenas to trade paint on.

Splinter Cell Double Agent Xbox 360 Preview

Jason Rybka — Tue, 03 Oct 2006 19:29:56 +0000

Game developer Ubisoft is bringing everyone's favorite spy to the next generation with their new Xbox 360 title Splinter Cell: Double Agent. This one puts players back in the shoes of Sam Fisher as he embarks on the most dangerous mission of his life. His objective is to infiltrate a deadly terrorist organization and bring it down from the inside. In order to do this Sam will have to turn himself into a criminal and try to earn the trust of the terrorists in order to infiltrate their group and learn their plans.