GameSpoon: Magic: The Gathering XBLA

Magic: The Gathering - Duels of the Planeswalkers was recently released on Xbox Live Arcade to provides us with a great opportunity to play this iconic card game.

Magic: The Gathering is a trading card game that was released in 1993 by Wizards of the Coast. MTG is a highly addictive game that involves two (or more) players who assume the role of a spell-casting "planeswalker" in a battle of strategy, skill and luck of the draw.

It was around 1994, the time MTG Revised was released, when my friends and I began to explore the card game. A good friend of mine introduced a few of us to MTG and taught us how to play. It took a while for me to grasp the concept of the game, but it didn't take long for my friend to take advantage of my lack-of-knowledge in order to swindle me out of some good cards. "Sure, I'll trade you this one card for 5 of yours!" I thought he was the sucker...I miss my "Force of Nature."

Don't worry folks, I got my revenge. After I picked up the game, I started investing all the money I had at that time into buying cards and building decks. The game consumed my life with an obsession that could not be tamed. I poured over catalogs of MTG cards and looked for ways to build the most effective deck that I could possibly imagine. A different friend of mine and I would spend hours playing against each other, trading cards, strategically building decks and traveling to our local hobby store to challenge others. It all paid off, when we both challenged our card-swindling buddy. Match after match, he failed to stand a chance. He loved his green and blue decks - one which was a stasis deck that backfired on him horribly against our hand and land destruction decks; sometimes revenge is sweet.

Anyway, time passed on and I started to drift away from MTG. The obsession fell into a deep slumber, occasionally awaking, but only for short times. Then Magic: The Gathering - Duels of the Planeswalkers on Xbox Live Arcade stepped into my life.

Magic: The Gathering - Duels of the Planeswalkers is a great experience. It captures the feeling of playing with the real, physical thing. As you play through the campaign, you unlock cards and decks to further expand upon your arsenal. The game play is smooth and smart - when you encounter one of the many complex situations that arise during play (i.e. what rule happens first and when does this take affect), you'll find the results to be satisfying; expected resolutions.

I've spent many hours playing the Campaign mode - both single player and co-op. I look forward to experiencing the Xbox Live matches too, but I'm saving that until I find the deck that is right for me.

My only complaint is the deck customization. I wish there was a DLC or inherit feature that allowed you to build a deck from the ground up; to be able to specify the number of cards you want, the type of cards you want and how many of each you want in your deck - total deck building freedom. Currently, preconstructed decks are the only type available to you. You do unlock cards to add to your decks, but the customization is restricted to just those bonus cards (meaning, you can only add/remove those unlocked cards). This is the one complaint I have on the game, but it is not something that would cause me to stop playing; I love this game.

Check out Magic: The Gathering - Duels of the Planeswalkers on Xbox Live Arcade; for only 800 MS points the game could be yours! If you are new to MTG, there is a learning curve for mastering combos and strategies, but it is easy to pickup the basics! I highly recommend getting this game, try the demo or just buy the whole thing. If you like MTG, you can't go wrong.

GameSpoon: The Next Xbox Rumors

Gizmodo posted about a rumor they heard regarding the next xbox. They learned that the next xbox will not only have Natal built-in, but it will also support a fully immersible 3D environment.

Gizmodo's post referred to a Team Xbox article, which stated, "in addition to built-in Natal tech, a key feature of the next Xbox would be full HD stereoscopic 3D visuals similar to 3D movie theatres" (Team Xbox). Also, according to Gizmodo, "TeamXbox claims that the 720 won't be launched until 3D television solutions go more mainstream" (Gizmodo).

Let's recap some information here -

• Project Natal, which will be available for the Xbox 360, is clearly a future that Microsoft will be exploring and improving upon


• Microsoft employee Johnny Chung Lee, who is working on Project Natal, has already created an interactive 3D environment with a WiiMote


• At E3, Microsoft announced a 10 year lifespan for the Xbox 360

So what does this all mean? First, we can assume that the Project Natal's release on the Xbox 360 will basically be a massive "beta-testing" ground for the future of that type of technology. I use "beta-testing" loosely, it will be a fully-functioning add on to the 360, but the future of the Xbox console clearly has this technology in mind. So why not test it out on the current system, get the bugs out, see what developers can do and use the time to explore more ideas around the technology?

Next, we come to Johnny Chung Lee. Seeing how he has already created an interactive 3D environment (using a WiiMote), sure sounds like it is on par with this "fully immersible 3D environment" that the 360's successor is rumored to have. Watch this video:


Last, it brings us to the 10 year plan for the Xbox 360. Now, this does not mean that we have to wait for the full 10 years before the next system comes out, but it does buy Microsoft some valuable time. Time that they may not need, but time that the public will need to adapt to "3D television solutions."

I once had the pleasure of hearing Jawed Karim, a co-founder of YouTube, speak about the success of YouTube; the success of that website directly correlated with the publics' adaption to high-speed internet - thus being able to stream video. YouTube would not have been successful if the site launched before 2005. He stressed the importance of timing and technology, basically when the masses are ready for the new technology. This reasoning sounds like justification for Microsoft's patience.

Regardless of whether these rumors are true or not, these next few years will be exciting times. The way we've known console gaming is going to change forever, but these changes will be good. They will bring us forward and offer new experiences that will change the way we game and the way we interact with our games. Perhaps this will further break down the wall between gaming and film, joining forces to breed a new way of telling stories.

GameSpoon: Castlevania: Lords of Shadow

Castlevania + Patrick Stewart = EPIC! This game looks badass! It will be released on the Xbox 360 and the Playstation 3 in 2010...be prepared. This time, Hideo Kojima (Metal Gear) takes a hold of this series, you can expect only the best.

GameSpoon - Red Dead Redemption

Red Dead Redemption, the new upcoming game from Rockstar Games. This title looks sweet! I only hope it delivers.

Having never played the predecessor to Red Dead Redemption, Red Dead Revolver (a game that received average scores; released in 2004), I honestly can't tell you what I expect from the game play. I love the prospect of an old west setting, it's a great setting for an action/adventure game based on outlaws.

Red Dead Redemption places you in the shoes of Clint Eastwood-style, former outlaw named John Martson. You are tasked with bringing law to the open world of the old frontier of the west; you can surely expect a few gunfights along the way.

The game will launch in the Fall of this year (2009) and will be available for both the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3. This gives you plenty of time to clean out your spitoon, polish your Colt Peacemaker and saddle your ride... ye haw!

Enjoy!

GameSpoon - The King of Fighters XII

HELL YEAH!

SNK Playmore's The King of Fighters XII will be coming to the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 in July - worldwide! This is fantastic news, previously there had been no word regarding a non-Japanese release of this amazing hand-drawn game.

According to Kotaku's article, the game will be reinventing itself, returning "to a core set of characters, relaunching with a new look but retaining the classic feel" (Kotaku).

"I couldn't think of a more appropriate way to commemorate The King of Fighter's 15-Year Anniversary than with a gorgeously animated, high-definition installment that updates the KOF legacy for a new generation." said Shane Bettenhausen, New Business Development Director of Ignition Entertainment. "While other fighting games have abandoned the time-consuming process of creating beautiful 2D art, KOFXII fully embraces the refined aesthetic beauty that only human hands can produce" (Kotaku).

This is fantastic news to hear, riding on the tails of the Street Fighter 4 release. Combing SF4, KOFXII and the new Tekken that's in the works - it's time to seriously consider building out a custom arcade stick from Arcade-in-a-Box.

I think I know how I'll be contributing to the global economy

GameSpoon - A week with Street Fighter IV!!!!!

Street Fighter totally ate its Wheaties.

I have been playing Street Fighter games since about 1993. I came across my first Street Fighter II game at a local strip mall. The game was in its demo mode and the fighters were Ken And Ryu chucking fireballs at each other. It was quite possibly the coolest, most monotonous thing I have ever seen.

Well, 18 years later, the newest iteration of the game has come out. Even though 3 other Street fighter games have come out since, Street Fighter IV is truly the next incarnation of II. This game plays the same way as II, and seamlessly incorporates features of the others.

I have dipped my toes into about everything this game has to offer. The Arcade mode features your standard series of one-on-one matches against a series of computer-controlled opponents. It has a standard local versus mode where you and a pal can jump kick and yell obscenities at each other. The training mode is also included, where you can hone your skills against an opponent you can set to stand, crouch, jump, & block as well as have a CPU or Human controlled opponent for never ending matches. There is also a Challenge mode where you can compete in a race against the clock to beat a series of opponents, a survival mode where you only get one life bar.......to beat a series of opponents, and a trial mode which teaches you the intricacies of combat.

And then there is the online mode.

Fuck! People are REALLY good at this game. The online mode provides you with player matches and ranked matches. Ranked matches give Battle Points to rank your skill in fighting. I have played a few ranked matches and got absolutely wrecked. I have won one match in online play, which gave me 87 BP. I now have 12. Sigh...... well, at least you can create our own room in the player match setting where you and your pal can jump kick and yell obscenities at each other.

Quite possibly the COOLEST new feature in the is game is the ability to set yourself open to challenges while playing in Arcade Mode. While going through your character's story, anyone at any time can challenge you to a fight. While you will not get too far in the Arcade mode with this on, it is neat to see A NEW CHALLENGER HAS ARRIVED come across the screen without anyone else sitting in your livingroom.

In my very biased opinion, this is the best fighting game I have ever played. If it isnt the best fighting game you have ever played, let me know........ so i can yell at you.

GameSpoon - Fable 2: Knothole Island

Well folks, today's the day that Fable 2's DLC launched. Now, rumor has it that the size of the download file is quite small. Could it be possible that this small-size implies that this "new content" already exists on the game disc and that this DLC is doing nothing more than simply unlocking the content we already own?

Conspiracy aside, this DLC is available for a low-price of 800 MS points ($10.00)! If you liked Fable and *SPOILER* miss your dog *SPOILER*, then download that new content and enjoy!

GameSpoon - SF4 Character Videos

1UP.com has posted some exclusive Street Fighter 4 (console version) character videos.

SF 4 is a highly anticipated title that has a lot of potential at being one of the best fighting games around - especially for SF fans. The gamplay videos look promising, check them out and make up your own opinion; however, until you actually play the game, who knows what you'll think!

GEN vs ROSE

Street Fighter 4 Exclusive 'Gen vs. Rose' gameplay HD

DAN vs DAN

Street Fighter 4 Exclusive 'Dan vs. Dan' gameplay HD

FEI LONG vs CAMMY

Street Fighter 4 Exclusive 'Fei Long vs. Cammy' gameplay HD

GameSpoon - Gears of War 2

Gears of War 2, I love it!

So I came to the party a little late for Gears 2; you can't blame me, I was obsessed with Fable 2 at the time of launch. When Gears 2 came out, I knew I'd play the game, but I didn't really have a drive to go out and get purchase the game. I was wrapped up in my Fable 2 world, engulfed by that storyline. Upon completing Fable 2 with one character, I quickly started another. It didn't take a long time before I felt a little burnt out on RPGs and with Fallout 3 in my sights, I knew I needed to take a break before engaging myself into another massive RPG world. Gears 2 was the fix I needed and I knew it.

I remember the launch of Gears 2 well, to me, it seemed to have launched very "quietly." This surprised me, to be truthful, perception might be one thing, but facts are another - Gears 2 sold over 2 million copies in it's opening weekend! Well deserved numbers for an outstanding game.

Gears 2 is a fantastic game with epic battles and an intriguing storyline that captivates your attention and at times, is creepy as hell. I often found myself quite reluctant to put the controller down while playing through the game; hours would pass like minutes.

PROS

• Right off the bat, upon loading up the game for the first time and noticing in the menus that I had already unlocked characters because of my achievements in the original Gears of War, blew me away! I love the fact that you are rewarded for playing the original. It's great to know that those of us who have stood by the series, benefit in some way. Sure, it might be a business method to make people purchase the original, but not in my eyes. To me, it says, "thank you for being loyal."


• The challenge and intensity of the game. You can't go wrong with the epic tale of humanity's survival against all odds. This game does that well and brings Marcus Fenix and the rest of the Delta crew through one hell of an adventure.

CONS

• I think the controls for Gears 1 and 2 are very good, very thought-out and react perfectly; however, I continued to experience the same issues in Gear 2, that I did in Gears 1 - "attaching myself to cover." On more than one occasion, I found myself being shot to shreds as I "ducked and rolled" instead of "grabbing cover." I'll give Epic the benefit of the doubt and place the blame on myself, I can imagine that the physics that went into building that element of gameplay is quite complex. However, it resulted in the downfall of Marcus Fenix; can you put a price on Fenix's life?


• Delta team, the dealers of death. They are reliable, fierce and sometimes, just sometimes, they are in the way and blocking my shot! Ha, I love it though, they'll tear the Locust to shreds, even if they are preventing me from helping.

SCORE - on a scale of one to super-fudge, I'd give this game a 9.5! Hands down, best Xbox 360 game I've played to date. Cliff "dude huge" Bleszinski (as Kotaku calls him) and his team did a great job with this game. Thank you everyone.

BUY, PLAY AND RE-PLAY THIS GAME!

GameSpoon - Maj. Nelson's Top 20 Xbox Games of 2008

Major Nelson has posted the top Xbox Live games for 2008 for a few categories: Xbox 360, Xbox Arcade and Original Xbox games. It's a pretty good list and who doesn't like a good list?

Xbox 360 Top Live Titles (based on UU’s)
1 Halo 3
2 Call of Duty 4
3 GTA IV
4 Gears of War 2
5 Gears of War
6 CoD: World at War
7 Guitar Hero III
8 Battlefield: Bad Company Demo
9 Star Wars: The Force Unleashed Demo
10 Rock Band
11 Fable II
12 Mirror's Edge Demo
13 Madden NFL 09
14 BF: Bad Company
15 Rainbow Six Vegas 2
16 UNO
17 Castle Crashers
18 COD: World at War Multiplayer Beta
19 Forza Motorsport 2
20 Too Human - Demo

Top Arcade Titles (Full Versions purchased)
1 Castle Crashers
2 Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved 2
3 Braid
4 A Kingdom for Keflings
5 UNO
6 Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix
7 Fable II Pub Games
8 Duke Nukem 3D
9 Bionic Commando: Rearmed
10 Worms
11 SOULCALIBUR
12 Portal: Still Alive
13 DOOM
14 1942: Joint Strike
15 Bomberman Live
16 MEGA MAN 9
17 N+
18 Wolf of the Battlefield: Commando 3
19 Marble Blast Ultra
20 Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3

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 Doom 3
7 Conker: Live Reloaded
8 Splinter Cell Chaos
9 SW: KOTOR
10 SW: Republic Commando
11 Star Wars: Battlefront
12 Burnout 3
13 Guilty Gear XX #Reload
14 Gauntlet Seven Sorrows
15 Call of Duty 3
16 Ninja Gaiden Black
17 Crimson Skies
18 MechAssault 2
19 Call of Duty 2
20 Rainbow Six 3

GameSpoon - Review of a Demo; Star Trek Legacy

WOW! Look at all this action!

I thought this game would be fun. I am fairly interested in Star Trek, and have been looking to play a fun game based on the series. Well, what a perfect storm this is. The game spans the over 40 years of the Star Trek franchise AND it is developed by Bethesda - YES!

Then I find out it is a real time strategy game - NO!

I generally hate RTS games. I tried Command and Conquer and Warcraft on the PC when I was younger. I found that I do not have the patience for the style of game, so gave up on them very quickly. Star Trek Legacy, unfortunately, is the same way.

For the demo, you get to choose between skirmish or multiplayer action. Since I was alone. I chose a quick skirmish. You start with a set amount of points you can use to select your fleet. I chose the four different starships, from destroyers to scout ships. After a loading screen showing you what the controls were, I was off and running. Of course I forgot what all of the buttons did, so I was left trying to figure things out on my own...... then I lost. I don't think I destroyed one enemy within that time.

One thing that bothers me about the RTS genre is the controls. I have always heard that RTS games belong on the PC, and in the case of controls they are right. There is just too much you would need to do in this game, and 16 buttons can't handle it. Controlling the direction the ship faces has a very slow reaction time. It is very hard to get a good shot at opposing starfighters.

The demo doesn't give you a good look into the story, but from what I have researched it is pretty extensive. You play through the stories of the Original Series, The Next Generation, and Enterprise. Now if only they could have gotten Scott Bakula to do the voice of John Archer.

Will this demo make me purchase this game? No. Do I like real time stratigy games? No. I think it is pretty clear where my bias is. I could see a fan of the genre playing this game, and they would probably be a better authority than me to tell you how this game is. Case in point, this will not get people attracted to the genre.

Lets hope Halo Wars does that.

GameSpoon - Threats of injuring your Lateral Malleolus in Rockband.

Do real drummers have this same issue?

Over the last weekend I had a chance to "beat" Rockband 2, but not without a cost. I was playing my solo world tour on drums when I felt a slight pain above my ankle. I was playing a warmup show before playing a sold out show in Shanghi when I first noticed the pain. I played through the slight annoyance, not thinking any more pain would come.

I was wrong.

I got to Shanghi to rock the socks off of millions of virtual fans. After about the third song [of eight], I started to notice this slight pain to be a little more than slight. after the fifth song, it got a bit unbearable. Knowing that I could not dissappoint my "fans" I trudged through it. By the time I had played 'Tallica's "Battery" and "Eye of the Tiger" by Survivor, I was in a conciderable amount of pain. Not even the games "ending" made me feel better.

This may be a worthless story, yes I know this. But the fact that I injured myself playing a video game kind of pisses me off.

GameSpoon - Review of a Demo; Mirrors Edge

This is a 14 button combination move

Here is a quick review of the Mirrors Edge Demo:
Conceptually, this game is very neat..... but it is executed poorly. The Jump and Duck buttons are the LB and LT buttons respectively, which makes for very awkward game play at its core. This game will devinetly give you hand cramps. There are plenty of things that you can "do" but it all involves too much timing and coincidence.

Basically, a first person street runner game is kind of weird...........

Buy it: No
Rent it: No

GameSpoon - Tekken 6

Tekken has been my favorite fighting series since the game launched on the original Playstation in the US. The speed of the game, the variety of styles and the unique control over the characters captivated me instantly.

Since my first experience with the game, I have always done my best to keep up with the series' releases and it's hard to ignore it when trailers, such as this one, are released!

This trailer, showcased for the "Atari Live" press event, gives you a glimpse at the gameplay of Tekken 6. This will be the first title, that I'm aware of, that will not only be released for the Playstation, but will be released on a non-Sony platform as well - the Xbox 360!

It'll be interesting to see the differences between the PS3 and Xbox 360 versions. I wonder how this change will affect the series, will any previous versions of the game be released on the Xbox Live Arcade to help promote the release? We'll see in "Autumn of 2009"...well, time to go hibernate.

BlackFridaySpoon - Why people? Why?

We're back! We all had a great Thanksgiving holiday...including a 9 hour stint of Super Street Fighter 2 HD Remix and MK vs DC over at SpoonThrash's place. But, all good things must come to an end and we're back to the grind.

Cruising through Kotaku this morning, I saw this video that they posted. I thought, "yep, this needs to go on the spoon," so here you go:



People on Black Friday are psychotic...poor woman in the white t-shirt, she had no shot. All she needed to do was throw some elbows and gouge some eyes and she would have been home free. That was a woman...right?

GameSpoon - Protect your Xbox Live Account

People, this is a real issue that could have a very negative affect on your Xbox Live experience, and I'm not talking about the new interface. IGN wrote up an article about a real hacked event that occurred to one of their journalists, Dan 'Shoe' Hsu.

In this article, Dan explains what happened to him and how he found out that his account was hacked! It's important to know that you may have been hacked and not even know about it. Please consider Dan's (IGNs) seven tips to protect your account:

Seven tips to avoid being hacked on Xbox Live - courtesy of IGN.com

Here are a few things you should do to protect your Xbox Live account, compiled from other users (special thanks to MDK x2002x), my own experiences, and Stephen Toulouse:

1. Don't answer your secret question with the real answer. Instead, select something completely unrelated (for example, First Pet = Will Tuttle) that you can remember, effectively giving you a second password.


2. In the "address 2" line of your profile [My Account - Contact Info], put down: "XBOX SUPPORT DO NOT ASSIST WITH ACCOUNT RECOVERY" to help automatically raise a red flag when a customer support rep looks up your account.


3. If you're planning on gaming away from your default console, put your account on a memory card or move it with your hard drive, as opposed to recovering it on another machine.


4. Never reveal any personal details about yourself while gaming over Xbox Live.
   On that same note, go ahead and leave your profile's bio blank. No need to tell everyone where you live.


5. Limit the amount of information you put out there for everyone to see on social networking sites...or any website for that matter. Especially ones where you also have your Gamertag listed.


6. Create an Xbox Live passcode if you haven't already. To do this, select "My Xbox" on the Xbox dashboard and go to your profile, then go to "Account Management" then "Xbox Live Pass Code."


7. And try to keep track of your purchases on Xbox Live as well as your Microsoft Points balance, so if you ever do get hacked (knock on wood), you'll be able to help customer service facilitate your refunds more efficiently.

GameSpoon - NXE and Netflix

FINALLY! NXE is off and running. As SpoonThrash has already posted, NXE is chalk full of new features including a new interface, a new Xbox Avatar system, and Netflix. I had a chance to play around with the Netflix option last night, and I must say: I am pleased.

Not being a Netflix subscriber, I found this to be the perfect opportunity to join. I signed up for the free 2 week subscription as soon as I installed the NXE. After a quick and easy setup, I was ready to go online to start browsing the titles they have available to stream straight to my Xbox. While Netflix offers more than 100,000 movie and television titles to choose from, only about 10% of those are available to stream.

After debating with my fiance about what to watch; Hanna Montana Season 1 or CSI: Las Vegas Season 9, We finally decided on CSI. After selecting the title on Netflix.com, the option was immediatly available on my Xbox. The option came with 6 expisodes to watch. We selected the first episode, which brought us to a screen that confirmed our internet connection. After determining our network speed, the episode started loading. It is worth noting that I have my Xbox hard wired into my modem. With that being said, I was shocked to find that my network connection was very low [2 bars filled out of 5]. It took about 3-4 min for the episode to load and start. The video quality was very low, with the picture being grainy and blurry. We decided to suck it up and just watch the episode like that. Throughout the show, I was a little unimpressed to find such bad quality, and a bit dissapointed that the network speed was so slow. I have pretty fast internet otherwise, as watching television programs on my laptop has been nothing but perfect. Is this the way it was always going to be?

Being the troopers we are, we finnished the episode. Deciding that one was not enough, we decided to watch another epidode. We selected the next one, and was supprised to find that the network connection was 4 out of 5 bars, and the epidode loaded in under a min (and as a confirmation of the recent NXE that SpoonRock posted, yes the episode was in HD!). A few seconds later our epidode started with the crispest picture I have ever seen in a streaming video. There were no more doubts in my mind that this wasn't the best thing ever. We watched 4 more episodes after that with only one minor stall in playback, which lasted all of 5 seconds (if that).

All in all, I am very pleased with the decision Microsoft made with teaming up with Netflix. It allows the system to be more than a gaming system, more of a focal point of your entertainment center.

RUMOR: After writing this post, SpoonRock has informed me that Sony has pulled all of their movies from Netflix-Xbox Access.........to which he says, and I quote: "[those] dicks!"

GameSpoon - New Xbox Experience

It's finally here! The moment you've been dreading/waiting for! Well, I'm sure most of you are well aware of the significant user-interface changes for the Xbox 360, dubbed the "new xbox experience," so I'll save you the trouble of going into depths as to what some of these changes include. Here's an overview:

• Blades are gone...or are they? - They were actually moved to the Xbox Guide (the menu that pulls up when you click the "xbox" button).


• Avatars - Well, what can you really say about that? Time to make some messed up looking characters.


• Parties! BYOB - Party Chat is finally here, thank Christ. Up to 8 people can chat in one channel now...that means, your entire Halo 3 Big Team Battle team can communicate without having to touch the frickin' d-pad. Think of the glory! GLORY, DAMN IT, GLORY!! *fade to black*


• Play From Your Hard Drive - Finally, a solution to the problem of the EXTREMELY LOUD disc drive, that I love so much. I think mine has gotten worse...No more! You can download your games to you HDD. Not enough space? No worries, just delete the game you aren't playing! Also, load times will be quicker.


• Netflix - This is going to be sweet! Stream flicks, including HD (I believe); however, you need to have a Netflix subscriptiong w/unlimited streaming.


• and a ton more...

If you want to learn more, check out Xbox.com; sttraight from the source.

GameSpoon - Xbox 360 Avatars

Check out this video about creating avatars with the New Xbox Experience that we'll all be "invited" to use beginning November 19th (lovely use of language).



"for me, I've always wanted to have a faux-hawk. So I'm going to start here, with this douche-bag" ha! That's awesome. Personally, I liked the "warrior john mccain" with creepy teeth avatar; priceless.

I'm looking forward to the NXE, hopefully it'll go through without any glitches...god help me if for some reason I lose my saved data...my FABLE 2 saved data. Hell hath no fury like a gamer scorn.

GameSpoon - Halo Montage

Why? Because Halo is awesome! Anway, this is a montage that Bungie tossed on their site, it's pretty great. If you are a Halo player, you should enjoy this. Hope to see you online this weekend.