Edge Magazine on the new Xbox experience

Edge Magazine was here at the offices last month working on an article about many of the things we announced at E3 this year, including the new Xbox Experience. The full set of articles is in this months print version, but in case you can't to your local newsstand (or the mailbox if you're a subscriber) Edge has begun posting the articles on their website. Give it a read and let me know what you think.

Demo: Madden NFL 09

Content: Madden NFL 09 Demo
Price: Free
Availability: All Xbox LIVE regions
Dash Text: [ESRB: E (Everyone)] Madden NFL 09 is the first ever sports game that adapts to you! Continuing 20 Years of Innovation, Madden NFL 09 unleashes over 85 new features and enhancements, including the all-new Virtual Training Center, EA Sports BackTrack and the Adaptive Difficulty Engine, which tailors the experience to your individual playing style and football IQ.
Size: 1.09 GB

 Edit: This is now available for Xbox LIVE Gold and Silver members

Demo: FaceBreaker

Content: FaceBreaker Demo
Price: Free
Availability: All Xbox LIVE regions
Dash Text: [ESRB: T (Teen) MILD LANGUAGE,SUGGESTIVE THEMES,VIOLENCE] In this in-your-face, arcade world full of ego-wielding characters, FaceBreaker™ offers irreverent fun, immersive gameplay, and eye-popping stylized graphics. Add some personality to your fight by uploading a photo of your face to create a realistic likeness using Photo Game Face, and go toe-to-toe with a real-life friend or foe.
Size: 954.56 MB

Arcade: Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved 2

LIVE Activity for week of July 21st

Xbox 360 Top Live Titles (based on UU’s)
1 Halo 3
2 Call of Duty 4
3 GTA IV
4 Gears of War
5 Guitar Hero III
6 Rock Band
7 Battlefield: Bad Company
8 Too Human Demo
9 Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Vegas 2
10 NCAA Football 09

Top Arcade Titles (Full Versions)
1 1942: Joint Strike
2 UNO
3 Golf: Tee It Up!
4 SOULCALIBUR
5 N+
6 DOOM
7 Worms
8 Marble Blast Ultra
9 Geometry Wars Evolved
10 Puzzle Quest

The above arcade list is based on full versions purchased.

Original Xbox Top Live Titles (based on UU’s)
1 Halo 2
2 Fable
3 Star Wars: Battlfrnt 2
4 Counter-Strike
5 Fable: Lost Chapters
6 Conker: Live Reloaded
7 Splinter Cell Chaos
8 Battlefield 2: MC
9 Doom 3
10 Guilty Gear XX #Reload

These lists are based on global unique users connected to Xbox Live or in the case of Arcade, full versions purchased that week.

Rock Band: Various Tracks

Announcing the Summer of Arcade and Geometry Wars Retro Evolved 2 releases this week

Kicking off the Summer of Arcade this week is Geometry Wars Retro Evolved 2 being released this Wednesday for 800 pointes. Plus be sure to read details on how you can win 100,000 MS points.

In addition, here are the games scheduled to be released for the Summer of Arcade promotion:

• July 30: “Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved 2” –  The latest version of the wildly popular retro shooter offers screen-melting intensity and insane new features, including six action-packed gameplay modes, new enemies, scoring strategies and a diverse list of exciting Achievements. “Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved 2” is rated E for Everyone by the ESRB and will be available at 800 Microsoft Points.

• August 6: “Braid” – From acclaimed developer Jonathan Blow, “Braid” is a mind-bending and artistic puzzle-platformer where the player manipulates the flow of time in strange and unusual ways.  “Braid”is rated E10+ for Everyone 10+ by the ESRB.

•  August 13: “Bionic Commando: Rearmed” – The classic 8-bit side-scroller reports back for duty in a stunning remake, complete with all-new HD graphics and features that put 2D gaming back on the map! “Bionic Commando: Rearmed” is rated M for Mature by the ESRB

• August 20: “Galaga Legions” – The legend lives on with “Galaga Legions,” a reimagining of the classic arcade shooter. Featuring table-turning game dynamics and updated graphics, the game was created by the team behind the bestselling “PAC-MAN Championship Edition” from Namco Bandai Games. “Galaga Legions” is rated E for Everyone by the ESRB.

• August 27: “Castle Crashers” – Award-winning studio The Behemoth brings red hot arcade adventure to Xbox LIVE Arcade with “Castle Crashers,” featuring hand-drawn characters and an array of weapons to choose from as you defend your kingdom and save the princess. “Castle Crashers” is rated T for Teen by the ESRB.

GH III:Guitar Virtuoso Track Pack

Top Directors bringing Horror to Xbox LIVE

In case you missed the press release, I’ll also be chatting with some of the directors about their latest projects on a panel here at Comic Con. Any questions you’d like me to ask?

Comic-Con Bound

Fresh off of E3, I am now headed to San Diego for Comic-Con 2008. Keep an eye on the Xbox LIVE Marketplace for videos directly from the various panels and sessions being held throughout the event. In addition, I’ll be hosting some Inside Xbox videos from the floor and twittering as I storm the show floor.  While the show is open to the public, it is sold out. If you are attending, keep an eye out for me and the crew and let us know what we should be filming.  See you in San Diego!

Posted from the Central Terminal at Sea Tac

Arcade: Go! Go! Break Steady

Arcade: 1942: Joint Strike

Content: 1942: Joint Strike
Price: 800 Microsoft Points
Availability: All Xbox LIVE regions except Japan
Dash Text: [ESRB: E10+ (EVERYONE 10+) FANTASY VIOLENCE] Single Player, Xbox LIVE Multiplayer 1-2, Local Multiplayer 1-2, HD (High Definition). The popular 80's arcade series is back! 1942: Joint Strike combines classic shoot-em-up gameplay with 3D HD graphics. Maneuver WWII-era aircrafts and take on huge waves of incoming enemy fire, duck and dodge explosions and missiles while challenging huge enemy bosses. Recruit a wing man and employ new "Joint Strike" attacks, combining the powers of both aircrafts into one devastating barrage. With new weapons and power ups in your arsenal, prepare to rejoin the battle! There are no refunds for this item. For more information, see www.xbox.com/Live/accounts.

LIVE Activity for week of July 14th

Xbox 360 Top Live Titles (based on UU’s)
1 Halo 3
2 Call of Duty 4
3 GTA IV
4 Gears of War
5 Guitar Hero III
6 Rock Band
7 Too Human Demo
8 Battlefield: Bad Company
9 Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Vegas 2
10 FIFA 08

Top Arcade Titles (Full Versions)
1 Golf: Tee It Up!
2 SOULCALIBUR
3 UNO
4 DOOM
5 Worms
6 Schizoid
7 N+
8 Geometry Wars Evolved
9 Wolf of the Battlefield: Commando 3
10 Coffeetime Crosswords
The above arcade list is based on full versions purchased.

Original Xbox Top Live Titles (based on UU’s)
1 Halo 2
2 Star Wars: Battlfrnt 2
3 Fable
4 Counter-Strike
5 Battlefield 2: MC
6 Call of Duty 3
7 Street Fighter Anniv.
8 Fable: Lost Chapters
9 Splinter Cell Chaos
10 Guilty Gear XX #Reload

These lists are based on global unique users connected to Xbox Live or in the case of Arcade, full versions purchased that week.

LIVE now free for Games for Windows

In addition to the XNA announcements this morning, it was also announced that LIVE will now be free for Games for Windows titles. Games for Windows dude Kevin Unangst made a post about it earlier today and linked off to the details here.

Use XNA to create games and then sell then on Xbox LIVE and make $ $ $

XNA has posted details of how you can use their tools to write games…and make real money on Xbox LIVE. It’s all detailed over at the XNA Creators Club.

Edit: More details and press releases on the gamefest press page.

For the sake of clairity and to avoid confusion (and since I can’t find it anywhere online) here is the official press release:

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Microsoft Transforms Community Game Developers Into Entrepreneurs
Xbox 360 creates marketplace for user-generated content with Xbox LIVE Community Games.

SEATTLE - July 22, 2008 - During the keynote address today at the Gamefest 2008 Microsoft Game Technology Conference, Microsoft Corp. revealed that it will allow anyone to turn the hobby of game-making into a full-fledged career. Through what is now officially called "Xbox LIVE Community Games," Microsoft makes its marketplace of millions available to members of the XNA Creators Club to create, sell and share in the profits generated by their unique creations.

Microsoft has already opened up game development to the masses by offering the easy-to-use, affordable XNA Game Studio toolset. With this newly announced business model, Microsoft will have truly democratized game distribution by enabling XNA Creators Club members to participate in the multibillion-dollar-a-year console gaming industry.

Newly appointed to his role as Chief Technology Officer of Microsoft's Interactive Entertainment Business Group Chris Satchell said the business model was designed to create the best possible experience for both consumers and developers. Community games that have been submitted by XNA Creators Club Premium members and have successfully passed a rigorous peer-review system will be added to the Xbox LIVE Marketplace catalog for sale to consumers. Creators will be able to choose from three suggested preset retail price points varying from 200 to 800 Microsoft Points to sell their creations and will receive up to 70 percent of the total revenue generated by their game.

"Not only are we democratizing game development with Xbox LIVE Community Games later this year, but we're creating an opportunity for aspiring developers to start their careers on the world stage," Satchell said. "It is really a win for both developers and consumers because this will no doubt act as an incentive for game creators to continue to develop the best, most innovative games for Xbox 360."
A host of new and creative ideas are already appearing on the Xbox LIVE Community Games beta. When the service launches for consumers this fall, community-created games on Xbox LIVE are expected to double the size of the Xbox 360 video game library, offering some of the most inventive, quirky and unexpected games ever seen on consoles. By the end of 2008, Xbox 360 owners are expected to have access to the largest, most creatively diverse game library across all next-generation platforms, with more than 1,000 titles spanning Community Games, Xbox LIVE Arcade and retail blockbuster titles.

When the bold new Xbox experience, a re-launch of the largest online social network on TV that is fun and approachable, is released late this fall, the Community Games storefront will be an easy-to-use addition to the existing marketplace on Xbox LIVE. The new Community Games channel is currently scheduled to launch in the United States, Canada and select European markets later this year. Other regions will be added over the course of 2009 and beyond. Consumers will also be able to view and rate community games on Xbox.com, watch trailers, and even play a trial of each game before buying it.

"Since first launching XNA Game Studio in 2006, we have been working hard on improving the toolset and building resources for the community, and the response has been amazing. To date, we've had more than 1 million downloads of XNA Game Studio and adoption in more than 700 universities," said Boyd Multerer, general manager of XNA. "For some perspective, the incredible creative community we've unleashed worldwide is more than 25 times the number of professional developers in the industry."

Microsoft also is giving aspiring developers a hand with the second annual Dream-Build-Play game development contest based on XNA Game Studio projects. The competition will yield prizes in excess of $70,000 and an opportunity for one of the winners to sign an Xbox LIVE Arcade publishing contract. Three of last year's top performers and winners, "The Dishwasher: Dead Samurai," "Blazing Birds" and "Yo Ho Kablammo!" from the United States, Canada, Sweden and United Kingdom, respectively, are all slated for release on Xbox LIVE Arcade in the near future. For more details and Dream-Build-Play Official Rules, see http://www.dreambuildplay.com/main/Rules.aspx. For more information on XNA Game Studio, head over to http://creators.xna.com.

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Rock Band: Nine Inch Nails and Shinedown