After hours of zombie killing in Left 4 Dead versus, we are finally ready for valve to release new campaigns for versus.  Not only will this new update add two more campaigns for versus, the update will also introduce a new mode called “survivor.”

February 5, 2009, 10:47 am – Alden Kroll – Press Release

Valve’s Zombie Thriller Expanding In 2009

February 5, 2009 — Valve, creators of best-selling game franchises (such as Half-Life, Portal, Team Fortress, and Counter-Strike) and leading technologies (such as Steam and Source), today announced a series of content and development releases for its latest title, 2008’s best-selling new game property for the PC and Xbox 360, Left 4 Dead (L4D).

The first L4D DLC — dubbed the L4D Survival Pack — is due for release this spring and introduces a new multiplayer game mode entitled, Survival, plus two complete campaigns for Versus Mode . A Critic’s Choice Edition of the game will be heading to retail stores this spring, and will include access to all the content introduced in the L4D: Survival Pack.

In addition, for PC gamers and aspiring developers, the first Left 4 Dead release for the Source Software Development Kit (Source SDK) will allow the creation of custom Left 4 Dead campaigns that will be discoverable via L4D’s matchmaking system. The SDK update is also due for release this spring, and is free of charge to all owners of L4D on the PC.

“Since Half-Life launched in 1998, Valve has made continuous efforts to expand the offering of its products beyond what’s included on the day of launch,” said Gabe Newell, co-founder and president of Valve. “With Half-Life and Counter-Strike, and more recently Team Fortress 2, we’ve learned that we’re no longer making stand-alone games but creating entertainment services. With Left 4 Dead we’re extending that tradition by creating additional gameplay and releasing our internal tools to aspiring developers so they may also create and distribute new Left 4 Dead experiences.”

Left 4 Dead is a survival action game from Valve that blends the social entertainment experience of multiplayer games such as Counter-Strike and Team Fortress with the dramatic, narrative experience made popular in single player action game classics such as the Half-Life series of games. Released in November of 2008, L4D has earned over 25 industry awards from outlets around the world.

For more information, please visit www.l4d.com

Now the questions we have left to ask is the following:

• Will the new update be free?
• Will the two new campaigns simply be the two previous campaigns that were not versus compatible? (most likely yes)
• What is “survivor” mode?

Valve is certainly keeping the expectation low with this one.  Regardless, we are looking forward to more ways to experience zombie killing.

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The Nyko Frontman wireless guitar is an excellent affordable alternative piece of hardware to first party Guitar Hero and Rock Band wireless guitars, which cost a lot more. For budget shoppers though, you just can’t get a better feature set and play experience than the Nyko guitar for the money. Available in black or white for $20 a pop, it’s over $30 cheaper than either Guitar Hero or Rock Band guitars. This hardware review is for the PS3 platform, but Xbox 360 and Wii versions are expected to be similar. Below is a shot of the back of the box:

The Frontman guitar features an interchangeable pink pick guard in both black and white variations, though the black version ships with a white pick guard while the white guitar ships with a black pick guard. The pick guard is shiny and sturdy and the only complaint is its glossy exterior collects fingerprints easily. This is more noticeable on the black pick guard more so than the white or pink ones. Here is a shot of the black guitar wearing the pink pick guard:

From the picture you can see the white knob on the upper right is actually the direction pad and cut off in the lower right is the effects bar. The strum bar makes a click noise so it’s more reminiscent of the Guitar Hero variety than the Rock Band one which makes no noise. It has a sturdier feel than the Guitar Hero strum bar, however, which is like the Rock Band bar. At any rate, it’s a pleasure to use offering the best features of both Guitar Hero and Rock Band guitars. The three white buttons on the left are the PS3/on/link, start, and select buttons. The neat feature about the "on" button is that it lights up one of four colors (red, blue, orange, and green) to indicate player number. So if you and friend are both jamming out on your same-colored Nyko wireless guitars, there’s no confusion when you come back from a break who’s guitar is who’s thanks to the colored "Nyko" button.

You can see here that this guitar has sensed that it is player 3 (orange). This button is used to link the guitar with the wireless USB receiver. Before playing you must always press this button to link the guitar to the receiver but it’s usually very fast, less than a second, but never more than three. The first time you plug in your guitar to link, though, it does take a little bit longer to establish a connection. While it does this, the "Nyko" button actually pulses white.

This means the button is actually capable of displaying five colors, but it cheats with the white by lighting all red, blue, orange, and green LEDs at the same time. Look closely at the picture near the upper edge of the button and you will see how the white light is made.

The Nyko guitar is compatible with Guitar Hero III and Rock Band 2 (though only through a minor adjustment which is covered later). The included three AA batteries are good for 80 hours of gameplay and the battery housing actually hides a small hex tool that looks cleverly like a guitar pick.

The tool has a hexagon base and allows you to interchange the pick guard plate.

The buttom base of the guitar has a small USB port which allows for wired gameplay if you run out of batteries. Not only that, it can also charge rechargeable batteries if you are use them.

The guitar features a wireless USB receiver unit that looks like an effects pedal. Nyko really paid attention to the details: first the hex tool looks like a pick and now the wireless receiver is disguised as an effects pedal. That is a much better job than the drab treatment the Guitar Hero and Rock Band receivers get. Though it looks like a hefty unit, it’s quite light and only two buttons actually work.

The big black button is part of the link process, so the first time you sync up a guitar, you need to press this button and the "Nyko" button on the guitar. After the initial sync you don’t need to touch this button ever again when you power on your PS3 again. Simply touch the button on the guitar. The second functional knob is the one in the center, which you merely need to turn to Guitar Hero or Rock Band to play. There is a small issue which we covered previously for Rock Band 2 players, which is an incompatibility between the Rock Band mode and the Rock Band 2 game. To keep the story short, for Guitar Hero and Rock Band 2 players, use Guitar Hero mode. For Rock Band 1 players, use Rock Band mode. If you want to know the full details, you can read the post. There is one small problem with the effects pedal wireless receiver and that is the USB cord. It’s pretty short and can be a problem if your PS3 is stacked on the edge a shelf with no room to hold anything else. Then again, this is a problem with the Rock Band USB port as well. You may need to consider a USB extension cable if you have this problem. Also, there was no problem plugging in the wireless receiver into the Rock Band supplied USB hub.

Remember how Nyko paid attention to the details? You’ll be surprised again when you glance at the bottom side of the USB receiver to discover five LEDs. These light up when the corresponding button is pressed on the guitar. While you’re playing, your receiver will likely be flashing a veritable Christmas light show.

The most brilliant thing? The lights correspond exactly to the color keys on the guitar. Now that’s called paying attention to the little things! For reference, the buttons on the guitar:

Gameplay-wise, the Nyko Frontman wireless guitar plays most similarly to a Guitar Hero guitar and it’s a real joy to use. The buttons are somewhat small and don’t cover the entire key like the Rock Band and there are no separate keys for solos. The middle button even has a small bump so you can feel what position your hands are in without looking.

Here is parting shot of the Nyko Frontman wireless guitar between Guitar Hero (left) and Rock Band (right) guitars.

The positives:

• Affordable price
• Cool LEDs galore
• Attention to the details: tool that looks like pick, receiver that looks like effects pedal, LEDs light up when you play
• Colored button indicates player number
• Interchangeable pick guard
• Quick to link after initial sync
• Auto power off
• Batteries are included and are good for 80 hours of gameplay
• 25 foot wireless range
• Wired gameplay option
• Recharges batteries

The negatives:

• Incompatible with Rock Band 2 in Rock Band mode, needs to use Guitar Hero mode (then effects bar won’t work, but not a big deal)
• Pick guard attracts fingerprints easily
• Small buttons

In summary:

Despite a few negatives, the positive features far outweigh anything lacking on the Nyko Frontman wireless guitar. It comes with just as many features are first party hardware and then some. Nyko really put in the time and effort to design a solid guitar. Considering what you are getting for such a low price point, it’s easily the best wireless guitar out there for the money.

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Microsoft has announced the official numbers for Xbox 360 sales during the recent Black Friday weekend and says the sales were so high they broke previous records.

"Record Black Friday sales in the US, coupled with our existing global install base of 25 million and an online community of more than 14 million Xbox Live members, have laid the groundwork for continued global sales momentum in 2009."

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When Brandon Crisp’s parents confiscated his Xbox 360 on October 13, he decided to pack up and run away… probably so he could play some more Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare somewhere, like a friend’s house. But it’s been over two weeks now, long enough for any joke to be old, and the $25,000 (Canadian) reward offered by his parents has still not uncovered any information on the whereabouts of the boy. Hearing of this news, Microsoft has stepped in and offered to match the reward offered by his parents.

Microsoft stated, "Like everyone, we are deeply worried about the disappearance of Brandon Crisp. Law enforcement has contacted Microsoft about this matter and we are co-operating fully with them. We are unable to comment further on the nature of our co-operation because of the ongoing investigation."

It looks like the popo will probably be asking Microsoft to give up information on whether Crisp has logged into his Xbox Live account recently to play Call of Duty and who he has been in recent contact with. Getting the IP address of his connections could potentially lead to his whereabouts. As for the reward offered by Microsoft, it’s a nice gesture but really quite meaningless. Why not just tempt the 15-year-old boy with a brand new Xbox 360? It would be much cheaper, and might actually bring the kid out of hiding… that is if he hasn’t been kidnapped, or is still alive. That’s kind of important.

Image/Flickr/Great Beyond

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xbox 360

I guess price really does matter. Ever since good old uncle Bill reduced the price on the Xbox 360, sales have jumped up 100%. I guess people are still impressed with 360’s large game collection.

MS reps and retailed report “that between Friday, Sept. 5 and Sunday, Sept. 7, some Xbox 360 models were selling at six times the rate they were the weekend prior”

Congrats?

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Microsoft announced that starting tomorrow, it would begin selling its Xbox 360 console at a lower price point than the current sales champion Nintendo Wii. The Xbox 360 will see a price cut to $50 under the Wii’s $250 price, which has stayed the same since its initial launch, to hit the $200 sweet spot just in time for the holiday sale season. The $200 pricing is for Microsoft’s cheapest Xbox trim, the Arcade, but Pro and Elite versions will also see similar $50 price drops. This occurs just shortly after the Xbox 360 received similar price cuts in Japan where it has been seeing poor sales.

“Microsoft wants to drum up demand for the holiday. Microsoft’s long-term vision for the Xbox is not to turn a profit today,” said Toan Tran, analyst with Morningstar. “It’s a way to get a foothold into people’s living rooms.”

That sounds a lot like Microsoft back in 2001 when it introduced the first Xbox at a $5 billion loss. Fast forward seven years later and Microsoft’s still claiming to be playing the same game? I understand Microsoft has huge cash reserves but how long do they intend to be content with gaining a foothold at the cost of so much money? Must be hard for them to look at the less sophisticated but more innovative Wii make profit on every one of its 30 million hardware sales.

At any rate, Microsoft’s loss can only be our gain. As the holiday sales wars heat up, Sony and Nintendo both may have to consider similar price cuts to their own systems to stay competitive this season.

(source: xbox.com)

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For you Gears of War-heads out there we’ve caught wind of an exciting new Gears of War 2 exclusive lancer weapon just made available on Amazon.com for pre-order for $139.99. This pre-order comes with the Lancer weapon pictured with movable parts, chainsaw sound effects as well as vibration capability to give your Lancer one more purpose than you intended. The order also ships with a copy of the Standard Edition Gears of War 2 game for Xbox 360 free or for $10 more you can upgrade to the Limited Edition. The Lancer and game ship ship on November 7, 2008.

The Lancer features:

• Trigger Activates Motorized “Chainsaw” Sound and Vibration Feature
• Side Handle Folds In & Out and Slides Back & Forth
• Removable Clip
• Created from the actual 3D data used in the Gears of War 2 videogame
• Powered by 3 “C” Batteries (not included)

Now that’s nearly as cool as the lightsaber sitting in my room.

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According to a picture first submitted to VGC, the Xbox 360 should be getting a real price cut across the board in the US beginning on September 7th, one that should pressure the PlayStation 3 and possibly even the Wii into similar price drops.

If proven to be accurate, the Arcade model will drop to $199.99 USD, the Pro model will drop to $299.99 and the 120GB Elite model will drop to $399.99, the same price as the 40GB (and now 80GB) PlayStation 3 models that do not include backwards compatibility.

For years Microsoft has said that $200 is the “sweet spot” for console sales and price cuts on their console have proven to boost sales every time. After dropping their price to 199 euro in Europe in February sales doubled year-on-year for the six months following the drop.

The new price drop would make the cheapest 360 console $50 cheaper than the Nintendo Wii which has long had the lowest price point of the new generation of consoles. The move would also push the PS3 back to being the most expensive console relatively, despite its extra features, most notably Blu-ray playback right out of the box.

Also interesting to note is that the price drop should coincide with the launch of the “Jasper” chipset which is said to reduce manufacturing costs greatly for Microsoft. Large price cut and still be profitable? It could be possible.

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“Xbox 360 will sell more consoles worldwide this generation than PlayStation 3,” Don Mattrick, a senior vice president at Microsoft’s Xbox division boasted to kick off E3 earlier this week. Well let’s see how that works out Mr. Mattrick. As it stands today, the Xbox 360 has sold over 19.7 million units worldwide, 5.5 million units more than Sony’s 14.2 million units. The graph above indicates cumulative worldwide sales for the three major consoles over the past two years. The red PS3 curve comes into the picture after the two-year period snapshot starts while the green Xbox 360 curve has had a head start on the market.

By the point at which the PS3 is introduced, the Xbox 360 has already sold about 5.3 million units. If my fuzzy math works, then if we just subtract the Xbox 360’s current sales figures by that much it should give us a fair comparison to the PS3 since it will be a comparison over the same period of time. That would give the Xbox 360 a very narrow 200,000 units outselling the PS3 over the PS3’s lifetime. Yep! Your math works out Mr. Mattrick! Assuming this trend continues, the Xbox 360 looks like it will continue to outsell the PS3 at a very very small rate. The true factor will be how long the PS3 can remain on the market after the Xbox 360 retires and before Microsoft introduces its next generation console.

At any rate, it’s going to be a close one. Funny though, how that blue line never gets called out to attention isn’t it? The Nintendo Wii was introduced to the gaming market after both the PS3 and Xbox 360 but has thoroughly outsold both rival consoles, nearing almost 30 million in cumulative worldwide sales.

To make good on its boast, Microsoft said it will cut the price of the 20GB Xbox 360 Pro by $50 to $299 and introduce a new 60GB at the original 20GB’s price point of $349. In a response to Microsoft price cuts, Sony announced that it would be replacing the $399 40GB PS3 with an 80GB version in September.

Chart/VGChartz

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The evidence appears to be in and it looks like the anticipated US price drop to $299.99 for the Xbox 360 Pro is coming this Sunday. It will be a $50 drop from the current pricetag of $349.99.

Although there’s still been no official announcement from Microsoft, scans of ads for Sunday from both Best Buy and Target have appeared online, joining a previously leaked K-Mart filer.

No doubt expecting a major sales increase from the new price, Target even appears to be offering a $25 gift card to make the decision on where to buy a little easier.

It’s not clear yet what this will mean for the price of the bugdet Xbox 360 Core model, which currently sells for just $20 less than the new price for the Pro model.

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