Just when you thought it was safe to go outside, the action in Pacific City rages on. Coming soon to Xbox LIVE Marketplace, Microsoft Game Studios and Ruffian Games keep the “Crackdown 2” adrenaline pumping with “Toy Box,” the first Game Add-on for the action-packed, open world Xbox 360 exclusive. “Toy Box” offers “Crackdown 2” fans free downloadable content and an additional premium content pack for 560 Microsoft Points to keep the guns blazing and the bodies flying long after you rid Pacific City of crime and injustice.

The “Toy Box” Game Add-on is a literal free-for-all, offering all “Crackdown 2” owning fans the new Vehicle Tag mode, a Level 6 ability reward and the Keys to the City at no cost to bring the high-flying action to even greater heights. For fans who want to take things to the next level, “Toy Box” also comes with bonus content that can be purchased for 560 Microsoft Points, including 10 new Achievements, Avatar Awards and new vehicles and gadgets.

“Toy Box” offers explosive free Game Add-on content to all “Crackdown 2” owning fans:

• Keys to the City: Made notorious in the first “Crackdown” expansion as the ultimate cheat mode, Keys to the City returns to “Crackdown 2” and puts an even bigger set of tools at your disposal, including God Mode, Infinite Ammo, Fly Cam, spawning of weapons, gadgets and more, the ability to freeze the time of day, and pushing all skills to the maximum to become faster, stronger and more lethal.
• Level 6 Reward: Fans who reach Level 6 on all Agent skills will be rewarded with the new Thruster Ability. Thruster Ability is like having jetpacks for your boots, giving Agents built-in vertical propulsion to activate flying with the Wingsuit no matter where you are in the game.
• Vehicle Tag*: Once you’re done taking down the Freaks and the Cell, join your friends for a thrilling new multiplayer mode where up to eight Agents can compete in these six arenas: Speed is the Quay, Industrial Action, Maim Street, Skid Row, Beachhead and The Sum of Human Knowledge.

If that’s not enough to get your heart racing, fans can purchase additional in-game content to extend their gaming experience for 560 Microsoft Points on Xbox LIVE Marketplace:

• Two New Vehicles*: Access two new vehicles: the wall climbing aquatic mini-tank called the Agency ATV and the Squad Chopper, which allows four players to jump in and man their own weapon, including the proximity mine launcher, precision rocket launcher, twin machine guns and nose machine gun.
• Five New Toys*: Whether you’re soaring to greater heights or orchestrating a massive explosion, get creative with the following new toys: The Mass Driver (turreted gravity bending weapon), Portable Launch Pads (allows Agents to create their own launch pad jumps), Stickler Grenade (bouncing grenade that sets off smaller explosive charges as it bounces), Thrusters (allow vertical thrust), and Mags on Characters (allow Mag Grenades to be attached to characters).
• Two Avatar Awards: Deck your Agent in the latest gear. “Toy Box” offers two Avatar Awards to customize your Xbox LIVE Avatar with the Xbox Green Suit (must complete the Rocketeer Achievement) and Green Helmet.
• 10 New Achievements: Pacific City never sleeps and neither do the exploits. Industrious Agents will be rewarded with 10 new Achievements and 250 Gamerscore:
1) Beyond the Infinite
2) Run Get to the Chopper
3) Rocketeer
4) Tac Loc Takedown
5) Burnt Offerings
6) Mile High Club
7) Never Give It Up
One Careful Driver
9) Wing a Ding Ding
10) Hung Out To Dry
• Eight Agent Suit Colors: Pick up eight new shades of in-game armour for your Agent:
1) Peacekeeper
2) Terror Firma
3) Agent Orange
4) May Contain Nuts
5) Minti-Sting
6) Mega Agent
7) Haz Mat
Dem Apples

*Players who have not purchased the premium “Toy Box” content will only have access to the new vehicles and gadgets during multiplayer games if a friend who has purchased the premium content joins. Downloading “Toy Box” is not required to continue engaging in other multiplayer gameplay modes with those who have downloaded it.

It never made any sense to me that you could go and buy a many of the Game on Demand titles for a lot cheaper than on the Xbox Marketplace. You would think that with many companies ‘going green,’ that they would encourage users to purchase Game on Demand titles for a cheaper price than to actually go out and purchase the game disc. Starting today, Xbox is FINALLY dropping the prices on some of the most popular Games on Demand titles. Get Assassin’s Creed, Tom Clancy’s EndWar, Shaun White Snowboarding all for lower prices than ever before. Plus, Too Human launches on Games on Demand today.

All I can say is: ABOUT #%$@* TIME!!

As like the launch of Halo 3, Microsoft is commemorating the Launch of the “Biggest Game of the Year” with the Xbox 360 Limited Edition “Halo: Reach” Bundle and Accessories.

The Xbox 360 Limited Edition “Halo: Reach” Bundle launches day and date with the game on September 14. The bundle will be available with matching custom “Halo: Reach” Limited Edition Wireless Controllers. Additionally, Microsoft and Bungie revealed an onslaught of other “Halo: Reach” news today at Comic-Con International, including a first look at Forge World, Versus Firefight mode and more.

The Xbox 360 Limited Edition “Halo: Reach” Bundle features an exclusive silver design and comes with two custom Xbox 360 Wireless Controllers with artwork inspired by the game, a Standard Edition copy of “Halo: Reach,” a token for the Limited Edition Elite armor set, an episode of “Halo Legends” and a “Halo: Reach”-themed Xbox 360 wired headset. As an added touch, the specially designed console in the Xbox 360 Limited Edition “Halo: Reach” Bundle not only captures the look and feel of the game, but also features custom sound effects from the “Halo” universe.

Designed by Bungie, the Xbox 360 Limited Edition “Halo: Reach” Bundle includes all the features of the newly designed Xbox 360 console, such as a 250 GB Hard Drive and the fastest built-in Wi-Fi for the easiest connection to Xbox LIVE. The bundle is available in limited quantities and only while supplies last, so fans who want to own a piece of the “Halo” mythology are encouraged to pre-order asap. The Xbox 360 Limited Edition “Halo: Reach” Bundle has a suggested retail price of $399 CAD. To offer a closer look at the contents of the Xbox 360 Limited Edition “Halo: Reach” Bundle, Microsoft and Bungie unveiled an unboxing video of the bundle, which is available for download today on Halo Waypoint and Halo.Xbox.com.

Over at one of my favourite websites TeeFury, you can get yourself a one of a kind Mario Skull t shirt! Available for one day only for a low price of 9$US! Go check it out!

Summer is here and what a heat wave summer we have had!

Summer is, for many gamers, a relatively quiet time as there are few high-profile games being released. This means that it’s an excellent time to enjoy the company of family and friends; members from numerous gaming communities have all reported that their forums are quieter and Friends Lists are less-populated.

Relationship Tip: Spending some time with acquaintances during the summer game drought can (partially) make up for the inevitable neglect that always results from the holiday game-frenzy.

Social Conduct Tip: Trying to power a gaming console using batteries taped onto an electrical socket while sitting on the beach places you on the same social level as the man wearing a tin-foil hat and speaking to fruit.

Reality Check: The above action does not make you “cool like MacGyver.” No one but you and the tin-foil-hat-guy remember who MacGyver is. Everyone else thinks you’re nuts.

However, not everyone in the gaming world is taking time off. Console manufacturers are announcing their first-party holiday game releases, game developers are focused on finishing up games before the looming holiday release dates, publishers are handing out enormous amounts of money to advertisers who will convince you to buy Generic Mega-Action Shooter Space-Marine Game12, and the end of summer means one thing: Penny Arcade Expo (P.A.X.).

I hope you all have had a wonderful summer; and for those coming to PAX, I can’t wait to see you there!

Place your vote for the fate of the newest Carmine brother through the purchase of avatar gear on Xbox LIVE Marketplace with benefits going to charity

The fate of Carmine lies in your hands! For the first time in franchise history, Epic Games and Microsoft are giving fans the chance to decide the fate of a character in “Gears of War 3.” By purchasing avatar gear on Xbox LIVE Marketplace, fans and gaming communities around the globe will decide the destiny of the newest Carmine brother set to appear in “Gears of War 3,” with all the proceeds going to the Child’s Play Charity.

Keeping with the series’ tradition, Clayton Carmine will be introduced in the trilogy’s final chapter, and like Anthony and Ben, the newest rookie brother runs the high risk of meeting an early death. However, unlike in the previous games, the Xbox community will choose whether Carmine lives or dies by purchasing special “Gears of War 3” avatar gear on Xbox LIVE Marketplace. Starting July 29 two new avatar t-shirts will be available on the Avatar Marketplace on Xbox LIVE – one shirt reads “Save Carmine” and the other reads “Carmine Must Die.” By purchasing the “Save Carmine” shirt, you’re casting your vote to let Carmine live in “Gears of War 3.” Conversely, purchasing the “Carmine Must Die” shirt means you want to see Clayton follow in the fate of his brothers.

Fans attending Comic-Con International in San Diego this week will also be able to cast their votes early by purchasing real life limited edition “Save Carmine” or “Carmine Must Die” t-shirts at the NECA booth (#3145). “Gears” fans can also visit the Xbox 360 booth (#5153) to be amongst the first to play “Gears of War 3” Beast Mode throughout the show. Finally, the team from Epic Games, including design director Cliff Bleszinski, executive producer Rod Fergusson and lead writer Karen Traviss, will be signing Comic-Con exclusive posters at the Xbox booth on Saturday, July 24 at 12:00 p.m. PDT.

Child’s Play is a community-based games industry charity dedicated to improving the lives of children around the world. Through their network of more than 60 hospitals and through the generosity of their community of donors, Child’s Play raises millions of dollars each year to donate games, consoles and toys to sick children. The proceeds from the sales of the “Save Carmine” and “Carmine Must Die” avatar gear and limited edition NECA t-shirts will go to Child’s Play, so cast your vote, donate to charity, and get cool “Gears of War” gear!

Published by Microsoft Game Studios and developed by Epic Games, the “Gears of War” franchise has won over 30 “Game of the Year” awards, sold more than 12 million copies worldwide and redefined the third-person shooter genre for this console generation. The “Gears of War” series is exclusive to Xbox 360 and its riveting multiplayer action makes it one of the most popular titles on Xbox LIVE. The trilogy finale, “Gear of War 3,” will release on April 5, 2011, only on Xbox 360. More information can be found at www.gearsofwar.com.

Epic, Epic Games, Gears of War, Gears of War 3, Marcus Fenix, Unreal, and Unreal Engine are trademarks or registered trademarks of Epic Games, Inc. in the United States of America and elsewhere

According to gamerscoreblog.com “After two successful seasons, “1 vs 100″ on Xbox LIVE will not be returning for Season 3.”

I personally think that this is really a shame, as I rather enjoyed this game and thought it was a great alternative to everything that’s available to play on the Xbox 360. I’ve been reading many comments on Twitter from people saying that they are very upset with the cancellation of “1 vs 100″.

The post also included the following:

“This pioneering show which combined the best of TV experiences and interactive video games was a ground-breaking pilot in an entertainment genre that will continue to grow and evolve. During the Beta season, more than 114,000 people played “1 vs 100″ on Xbox LIVE simultaneously, setting an official Guinness world record for the most contestants in a game show.

The “1 vs 100” team is now focusing their skills and applying the technology used to develop “1 vs 100” to new projects that will be unveiled in the future.”

To read this article over on gamerscoreblog.com Click Here

Ever wondered about Xbox 360 Achievements and the inner workings of them? Check out the Xbox engineering blog for an interesting read!

The “Forza Motorsport 3” World Class Car Pack, available for download starting today on Xbox LIVE Marketplace, features some of the most stunning 2010 and 2011 production and performance models in the world. Available for 400 Microsoft Points, the pack offers some of the hottest new cars from leading manufacturers like McLaren, Acura, Mercedes, Cadillac, Fiat, Mitsubishi, and more.

This month’s car pack puts you behind the wheel of some of the world’s newest and most sought after vehicles. From the elite McLaren MP4-12C supercar and the luxurious power of the 2010 Mercedes-Benz CL 65 AMG, to the tuner-friendly 2010 Acura TSX V6 and the agile 2011 Citroën DS3, the World Class Car Pack will ensure your “Forza Motorsport 3” garage is fully stocked and ready to take the competition by storm during the summer racing season.
The World Class Car Pack features 10 new cars that are ready to hit the track or tuning garage:
• 2011 McLaren MP4-12C
• 2010 Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG
• 2010 Mercedes-Benz CL 65 AMG
• 2011 Cadillac CTS-V Coupe
• 2010 Fiat Punto Evo SPORT
• 2010 Acura TSX V6
• 2010 Kia Forte Koup SX
• 2011 Mazda 2
• 2011 Citroën DS3
• 2010 Mitsubishi Colt Ralliart

After launching the iconic McLaren F1 in the early 1990s, the 2011 McLaren MP4-12C is the culmination of over a decade of Formula 1 and street car development. Built upon a superlight Carbon MonoCell structure with a mid-mounted twin-turbocharged 600hp V8 engine, this latest supercar from McLaren is a must-drive in Forza Motorsport 3. Sample the World Class Car Pack now and download a free 2010 Mitsubishi Colt Ralliart, the hot hatch tuned by the legendary Mitsubishi motorsports division.

Having trouble thinking of what to name yourself for your online persona? Don’t know if the Gamertag you’d like is available? Then this is a solution for you. This website allows you to suggest a Gamertag and check to see if it is available for use on Xbox Live. Also, if you’re really stuck, it’ll even generate random names for you.
Visit Gamertag Creator to check it out.