New Gears of War 3 Screens Shows Next Carmine

The Gears of War universe has had a very unfortunate fate for the Carmine brothers.  In each installment in the Gears series, a Carmine has been killed in action.  In Gears of War 3, Clayton Carmine will fight to survive in the gritty war environment, but his chances may be slim.

Microsoft is giving fans the chance to determine the fate of Carmine.  If you want Clayton to live, then you can purchase a shirt for your avatar that says "Save Carmine".  If you want him to die, buy "Carmine Must Die".

Check out some screenshots of Clayton Carmine while fighting against the locust.

What do you think?  Should Carmine die or should he prevail?  Tell us what you think in the comment section below.

Dominic Sacco

PSN ID: sacco2011

Email: sacco2011@gmail.com

The New Xbox 360 In Detail

It looks like the rumors are true, there is a new Xbox 360 and might I say, It has Playstation 3 written all over it.  The new 250GB Xbox 360 is much smaller and sleeker than the previous model with a black look and glossy finish, which is also equipped with built in 802.11n Wi-Fi.  This smaller model is said to have one large fan instead of two small fans for quieter operation.

Here is a list of all the specs of the new system:

• Touch Sensitive Buttons - turn the Xbox 360 on or off and eject a disc with the swipe of a finger
• Whisper Quiet - Whether you're playing a DVD disc or from the hard drive or navigating the dashboard, with the all-new and much quieter Xbox 360, the only noise you'll hear is your own laughing, cheering and playing
• Wi-Fi - Built-in 802.11n Wi-Fi for fast, easy connection to your friends and entertainment on Xbox LIVE.
• Hard Drive - 250GB internal, swappable hard drive for even more storage. To access, remove the bottom panel by pushing the small tab toward the front of the console.
• Kinect-ready - Custom Kinect port on the back of the console that directly hooks up to the Kinect sensor for controller-free fun.
• USB Slots - Five USB ports, three in the back and two in the front.
• Power Supply - Smaller and more efficient. Xbox 360 250GB and Xbox 360 Original power supplies are not interchangeable.
• Wireless Controller - The award-winning Xbox 360 Wireless Controller matches the console in all black with color-matched thumbsticks and directional pad with a touch of gloss and chrome to complete the look.
• Backward Compatible - Your favorite accessories and games will work with Xbox 360 250GB. Xbox 360 external hard drives and Memory Units are not compatible.

The Xbox 360 will be priced the same as the current 360 at $300 and is already being shipped to retailers today. Here are some detailed pictures you can check out to give you satisfaction.

Now here is what I think.  Microsoft was clearly aiming for a more PS3 like Xbox.  Even this was said by a Microsoft rep., "as quiet as a PS3" when describing Whisper Quiet. I think this is a total rip-off of the original Playstation 3 and here is my reasons why:

• The piano black and glossy look is almost identical to the Playstation 3
• The touch sensitive buttons are also straight from the PS3
• The built-in wi-fi, but that had to come sooner or later
• Even the HDD slot is practically identical

But they just can't quite get the blu-ray drive down yet, but I'm sure one day they'll just take a PS3 and write their logo on it.  

I'll keep you updated on all news E3.  Seeya then.

Dominic Sacco

PSN ID: sacco2011

Kinect Release Date

Earlier today a Microsoft's keynote, they announced that they have finally secured a released date for Kinect and that is said to be on November 4, 2010.  Also announced was that there will 15 titles available at launch.  Among those titles is EA's Active 2 and Joy Ride.  

Still no price,  but keep watching E3 and we may finally get the scoop on how much this thing is gonna set us back.  An arm and a leg no doubt. 

Dominic Sacco

PSN ID: sacco2011

First Look At Kinect

Here's a look at the newly named Kinect, previously known as Project Natal.  This version of Kinect is much smaller and sleeker than the previous prototype version.  Expect this to be officially announced tomorrow at Microsoft's keynote with a list of titles that it will launch with.  

Dominic Sacco

PSN ID: sacco2011

The New Xbox and Natal Name Change

Are the rumors true?  Is there really a new Xbox coming?  Well according to an ad on Italian website Console-Tribe, there just might be.  The ad shows this newly designed Xbox, which doesn't really seem much slimmer by the look of the button size and disc tray, but it does seem much uglier.  The ad also says that it will have built-in Wi-Fi, a 250GB harddrive, and will also be compatible with Kinect, the newly announced name for Project Natal.  The ad was pulled soon after it was launch which makes it look legit.  

If this new Xbox is real then it will most likely be to cut production costs and to give it a mid-life makeover.  The new looking ventilation system looks superior to the last model in the sense that it will prevent overheating.

If this is real, then expect to see an announcement tomorrow in Microsoft's keynote at E3 2010.  Ill keep you posted on all the news form E3 and the keynote.  Seeya then.

Dominic Sacco

PSN ID: sacco2011

PS3 Goes 3D

The Playstation 3 has now entered the realm of 3D and is bringing some of it's best titles with it.  As of now, PS3 owners with a 3D TV and glasses can play Super Stardust HD, WipEout HD, Pain, and the demo version of Motorstorm: Pacific Rift in stunning, eye popping stereoscopic 3D.

Games such as Gran Turismo 5 and MLB: 10 The Show are already being shown in 3D, but don't have a set release date.  Some of the biggest Playstation 3 games will be available in 3D later this year.  Expect to see more and more games coming to 3D at E3 2010 as the technology unfolds and is integrated into our consoles.  

With Sony and Nintendo already making they're way to 3D, you may wonder where Microsoft stands. Well, it is rumored that Microsoft will be stepping into the world of 3D at E3 next week.  I guess we'll just have to wait and see.

I've been gone for a while and now that summer has come around and I have a lot more free time, expect to see me more frequently around here.  "Stay Classy San Diego".

Dominic Sacco

PSN ID: sacco2011

The Game Zone

Tuesday, March 23, 2010

•  President and CEO of SCEA, Jack Tretton, confirmed that there will be a Killzone 3.  When asked about the thrird installment in the series, he wouldn't specify when it would be released, but did say that it was in development.  Killzone 2 was pretty amazing, I'm just hoping that Killzone 3 will be even better. Here's what jack said

"Well, we own Guerrilla Games and they did a great job on Killzone 1 and 2," he said. "I don't know if you'll see announcements about it, but I can promise you a Killzone 3."

•  It's been announced that Electronic Arts and developer Visceral Games will release a new game based on the 19th century serial killer Jack the Ripper.  The game is reportedly a download-only title that will be available on the Playstation Networkk and Xbox Live.  Since it's being made by the same developers from Dead Space, it should be pretty interesting.

• Warner Bros. Studios has announced a brand new game developing studio in Montreal, Quebec today.  The studio is said to be focusing on creating DC Comics licensed video game titles. The studio will house "high-end interactive gaming product development" as well as animation, QA, and game translation.  If they produce more games like Batman: Arkham Asylum then I say go for it.

• Microsoft has confirmed the launch of a standalone 250GB hard drive for the Xbox 360 in North America.  The hard drive will put you back a whopping $129.99.  That's a little high when i bought my 500GB hard drive for my PS3 for only $100.  Microsoft has some pretty loyal customers if they're willing to pay that much for something so little.

• Nintendo has announced the new 3DS, a new hand-held system scheduled for release before March of 2011.  The announcement stated that device will incorporate 3D technology without the players needing glasses.  The 3DS will be backwards compatible with all DS and DSi games.  It has many unconfirmed features.  These features include a new joystick, force-feedback, and increases in battery and wireless support.

• In recent comments about Project Natal, it was said that there was a specific amount of space required for it to work properly.  Microsoft says that those comments were misinterpreted and ensures that Project Natal will work effectively in any room, no matter the size.  I guess we'll just have to find out for ourselves if it works or not when Natal is released globally this holiday season.

Dominic Sacco

PSN ID: sacco2011

Close To 4 Million PS3's Sold Over Christmas

Earlier today, at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, CEO of SCE Kaz Hirai revealed some pretty impressive console sales numbers for the Playstation 3 over this holiday season.

According to Sony, 3.8 million PS3's were sold worldwide from the end of November to the new year, with 1.7 million being in the US alone. The company says that it's a 76% increase in sales from 2008's holiday season figures.

According to VGChartz, Sony is slowly catching up to Microsoft in hardware sales. The PS3 has now sold 31 million consoles while the Xbox 360 has sold 36 million. That's really good for Sony considering the fact that the Xbox 360 was released 18 months before the playstation 3. To check out other hardware sales or even software sales, take a look at http://www.vgchartz.com/.

Dominic Sacco
PSN ID: sacco2011

Black Friday Console Numbers

This last Black Friday was a very successful day for Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo. Sony really profited with the PS3 reaching an all time weekly high sales of 440,000 units. The playstation 3 has been recieving a enormous sales increases since it's price drop in Septemeber. According to Microsoft's Director of Product Managment for the Xbox 360 and Xbox Live, they just had their biggest sales week of the year. He said that last weeks numbers were more than 2x the previous week sales. Nintendo particularily outdid Sony and Microsoft with over 1.5 million Wiis and DSs sold. The Wii alone had sold 550,000 consoles and the DS sold over 1 million devices. The Wii's numbers aren't as impressive as last years 800,000 sold during the same period. Being the cheapest console on the market, you can expect to see alot more Wii sales.

Dominic Sacco
PSN ID: sacco2011