Verizon Fios on Xbox 360? Yes, thanks Microsoft

Microsoft has finally made good on its E3 pledge for live TV via your Xbox Live. Verizon Fios was download and we will have a full review later today. Standby..

Game systems are not for just games anymore

Nielsen published a new study this week on game console usage within the US. Seems that gamers have spent notably more time streaming video to their systems than they did in last year. When you have so many options for media. It is a an easy thing to do.  You have the option of Netflix, Hulu, MLB Network, ESPN3. Xbox 360 users who have spent 14% of their time streaming video this year have even more options. They have Fios, Comcast and UFC. PlayStation 3 owners on the other hand have spent 15% streaming. Nintendo Wii users who have no games worth mention whats so ever have spent over 33% this years.

Xbox 360 users spent 34% of their time to online gaming, Wii owners spent 55%  of their time on offline gaming. So, you mean that there are people who are playing Wii games online? Who are these people and what are they are playing? PS3 players spent most of their time not surprisingly watching Blu-Ray movies.

Modern Warfare 3 sold 12.3 million copies for a profit of $738 million in a week?

Activision’s Call of Duty: Modern Warfare series has once again broken media records. The best part about the 3rd installment is that the records it broke were established by its predecessor.
Last week it sold 6.5 million copies of the game for a profit of $400 million during its launch weekend alone. That was a new a sales record.

It did not stop there for the hot FPS. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 is now the fastest-selling video game in history. Even the beloved Grand Theft Auto did not sell this well. In just one week on the market Modern Warfare to sold a ridicules 12.3 million copies. That easily makes it the biggest launch of all time in volume. In terms of cash that one week is estimated to be $738 million in revenue for Activision.

The game was released to every system at $60 a pop. Leading all sales was the Xbox 360 version of the game with over 7 million copies sold. The PS3 sold 4.8 million copies the Wii and the PC had the rest of the sales. Side note: Who would why this game on a non HD, limited control Wii? The 7 million copies sold on Microsoft’s Xbox 360 is a new sales record for game on one single system. The record had belonged to Call of Duty: Black Ops that had sold 5.8 million.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 is a great game that actully lives up to the hype. Its a must buy for anyone.

Microsoft Xbox 360 gets new media content providers; HBO go & more

Microsoft has struck deals with over 30 content providers on the Xbox 360. The full list of companies that Microsoft has brought together are leaders in the entertainment industry. Here’s a short list of those that stand out right away:

• Comcast: Only Xfinity On Demand
• Clear Channel: iHeartRadio will be the only digital radio service on Xbox Live, complete with Kinect support. So Last.Fm going away?
• HBO: A new version of the HBO GO
• NBC Universal: Content from Bravo, SyFy and more.
• Manga Entertainment: Very big catalog of streaming anime.
• Crackle: Sony Pictures Entertainment backlog of movies
• EPIX: MGM, Lionsgate and Paramount catalog of movies.
• UFC: Streaming fights and interactivity  like ESPN.
• Verizon: 26 channels from the Verizon FiOS

Microsoft’s existing content providers AT&T, ESPN, Netflix, and Hulu Plus. Microsoft also made friends with some International content providers as well such as BBC (UK), Canal+ (France/Spain), MediaSet (Italy), and SBS On Demand (Australia).

Heart radio festival on xbox live

What if you could put the perfect concert together. Who would you have open and close? That is an incredible questions. How much do you like music? Of course you said you love it. Who in their right mind could possibly hate music? This weekend’s iHeartRadio music festival Carrie Underwood, Lady Gaga, Jay-Z, Jane’s Addiction, Kenny Chesney, Coldplay, The Black Eyed Peas, Steven Tyler, Nicki Minaj and many more.

It will be at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. What you Didn’t know about it and you can’t make it to Vegas? Relax, the festival will be streaming in HD on Xbox 360 through a partnership with Clear Channel Radio.

iHeartRadio will feature dozens of what the best acts in the world. iHeartRadio starts this Friday and runs through Saturday. Don’t worry you Silver members out there. Gold members are not the only ones that get to have all the fun. Both member sets will be able to access the HD stream through a special pane on the Xbox 360 Dashboard.

Gears of War 3: The best shooter since Call of Duty? Yes it is, find out why in this review.

Gears of War 3 is not a game that warrants the purchase of an Xbox360. In this day and age you should already have one. That said it is one of the main features to use the Xbox 360 for more than just Netflix & ESPN. Gears of War 3 takes off where it last left off. It is a in your face violent and bloody good time. The conclusion to a very well made series.

You are Marcus Fenix and your goal is the same as it always is; to end the Locust sum that you have been fighting since Emergence Day. As if the Locust were not bad enough, now you are fighting Lambent. They are the worst. They go after human and Locust. That does not mean that the Locust are going to help you. What it means is that you are going to have to load up on some more ammo to kill everything that isn’t human.

Taking cover, aim, fire and repeat is what this game is all about. It has not changed since day one so don’t expect it to change in this final round. That is not a bad thing this game works very well. They are the one that started it off. Mass Effect took to a new level as well as adding a role-playing feel. Gears of War 3 on the other hand is not having any of that RPG stuff. It’s Michael Bay action scene after scene. Chainsaw enemies, lots of fire fights and just pure over-the-top violence.

The Horde mode returns again in this version of the game. You can do it all by yourself or team up with up someone over Xbox Live. If you do go solo the game’s AI does will back you up. If you for some reason never played Gears of War 3; stop go play it and come back to this review. Still here ok fine. I will explain Horde mode. In a nutshell you need to survive 50 waves of enemies. Each wave gets harder. So pretty much it’s like a tower defense game in a shooters body. Beast mode is Horde mode only in reverse. Instead of humans you play as the Locust or the Lambent.

Gears of War 3 is one of the best looking games on the Xbox360. It pushes what this old system can do right to the max. The Uncharted series still has nothing to worry about but Xbox 360 does give it a run for its money. As far as your game play executions go. It should not be different then they were for Gears of War 2. The cover system is unmatched by anything out there with the Mass Effect series coming a close 2nd. That means nothing has changed under the hood and it should not. This is a great game and you should pick it up. Is this Medal of Honor or In Call of Duty but it is the best shooter for now.

EA Sports Season Ticket: How to jip your loyal buyers

There has been lots of talk about what Electronic Arts would do with it’s subscription plan. They had to do one. Micro payments and subscriptions are the wave of the future for gaming along with DLC. (Downloadable content) Activision was first to strike with its subscription service called Elite. The thing is that was for Call of Duty where the items on there would be worth it.  The high demand for ways to extend the great multiplayer experience justify the cost of a subscription..

EA Sports Season Ticket on the other had will cost $25 per year. You will be able to get it on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. At the moment you can only use it on EA Sports games.  The only benefit at the moment, if you can call it that; is that you can play Madden 12 a whole 3 days ahead of anyone else. Then you have to go out your house, wait on line with everyone and still buy it. So for more than the price of Nexflix and Hulu Plus combined you are basically paying to play an extended demo. 

You will also be able  get a 20% discount on all downloadable content for all EA Sports titles. Like that new color socks or even a helmet.  The games that are covered in this fleecing of the wallet are FIFA, Tiger Woods PGA Tour and NCAA Football.  I said it before 2K Sports made a better game year in and year out. Oh, how I miss them. Don’t get me wrong, I will buy Madden because I have no choice it’s the only NFL game out there.

Now recognized as art, Games get some Endowment Love By the Feds.

The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), a federal agency supporting artists and art organizations across the U.S., recently expanded eligibility for grant money to media produced for the Internet, interactive/mobile technologies, and digital games.

“We will continue to support television and radio,” explains Alice Myatt, director of media arts at the NEA, “but we are also going to support content developed for the Web, for theatrical release, for mobile phones, content to be distributed via satellite, and even content for game platforms.”

The NEA decided to expand the grant to games due to their ability to reach a large audience. Video games are viable grant candidates because technology allows anyone to experience art at any place and any time. Myatt said the NEA also wants the grant foster new forms of art, regardless of platform, and that by embracing games, the agency will demonstrate how art is evolving.

The NEA is the largest government grantor to art organizations in the U.S., with grants typically ranging from $10,000 to $200,000, based on the scope. Myatt stated that the NEA will judge games on their artistic merit and excellence, but did not identify more specific guidelines. Wonder how Heavy Rain would e looked at? Could a mature game be grated a grant.

Panels made of up experts will judge entries, and only nonprofit, tax-exempt 501(c) 3 organizations can apply. Sorry EA and Square. The NEA will have to explain the guidelines on June 15, July 13 and August 10. The deadline for entries is September 1.

Activision will have subscription service for Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3

Micro economics is big business in games. Just take a look at Xbox Live or Play Station Network when it is working. Download add on’s are the norm right now. With the music craze a few years back it almost became a business on it’s on. Guitar Hero and Rockband at one time had downloaded content every week like new music releases.

Activision Blizzard known for making subscription based games. Maybe you have heard of one of those little games; World of Warcraft. Well they are going to take that know how and try to translate that into a working model for one of the biggest FPS (First Person Shooter) in the world. Call of Duty has sold millions and holds the record for the biggest one day entertainment sale ever.

Activision Blizzard with the release of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 will have the first of it’s kind subscription-based DLC (Downloadable Content) service called Call of Duty Elite. The player will be able to get extra content and downloadable map packs.No word yet on how much this service will cost but COD fans are very loyal. This could be a start of a whole new way of doing downloads on home consoles.

[Update]
You can now signup for a closed beta.
You just need your birthdate, your console choice, your email address and of course a copy of Call of Duty: Black Ops.

Duke Nukem Forever goes gold. No it’s not April 1st

2K Games and Gearbox Software Announce Duke Nukem Forever Has Gone Gold. It can no longer be the butt of jokes. There is no going back after hitting gold status. This is it but there is more. Lucky players will be able to get a early hands on with a demo. The demo is for those that pre ordered. The demo will hit PSN, PC’s and Xbox Live on June 3rd. The game hit stores a week later on June 10th. It’s been 15 years. This game better be good. Keep in mind that that Duke Nukem Forever is rated M for Mature by the ESRB. So even though it may be a good game, high sales might not follow.

Christoph Hartmann president of 2K said what everyone is thinking right now; “Today marks an amazing day in the annals of gaming lore, the day where the legend of Duke Nukem Forever is finally complete and it takes that final step towards becoming a reality.”

The Press release [Short]:
New York, NY – May 24, 2011 – 2K Games and Gearbox Software are proud to announce that Duke Nukem Forever®, one of the most anticipated entertainment properties of all time, has “gone gold” and will be available at retailers on June 10, 2011 internationally and on June 14, 2011 in North America. The road to gold was paved over the course of 15 years and its legendary path climaxes on the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system and Windows PC. Gamers who pre-order the title from select outlets will ensure that they are among the first to experience this legendary piece of gaming history when the demo* launches on June 3, 2011 for all platforms, exclusively for Duke Nukem First Access Club Members.

Created over the span of 15 years, Duke Nukem Forever was first developed with the intense passion and commitment from an inspired group of dedicated designers, artists and programmers at 3D Realms under the direction of game industry icon, George Broussard.

In 2009, after many believed that Duke Nukem Forever would never be completed, a small team of intrepid developers, known as Triptych Studios, resurrected the dream. Through their inspiring and steadfast commitment to the game and their exemplary talent and skill, they finally assembled the pieces to create an incredible, epic and cohesive gameplay experience. Under the production of Gearbox Software, Triptych Studios, Piranha Games and many other contributors joined together in a heroic effort to complete the long awaited game as a polished, full-featured triple-A title. Check out www.dukenukemforever.com/preorder/ to see exactly how much stuff could be crammed into one box.

Apologizing to no one, Duke Nukem Forever is the high-octane video game equivalent of a Hollywood summer blockbuster. Starring the legendary lady killer and alien slayer, Duke Nukem Forever brings gamers back to a blastastic time when games were filled with head-popping, bone-rattling action, brazenly crude humor, impossibly statuesque women dying for affection, and catchy one-liners meant to make you laugh out loud.

Duke Nukem Forever is rated M for Mature by the ESRB. For more information on the game, including where to pre-order, please visit www.dukenukemforever.com.

*Xbox LIVE, PSN or Steam, Duke First Access Club token and Internet connection required to access demo.