Posts by Richard Mitchell at Xbox 360 Fanboy

Richard Mitchell
Tulsa, Oklahoma - http://www.xbox360fanboy.com

Richard received a BFA from the University of Oklahoma. Foregoing the endless rejection that is the life of an actor, Richard opted instead to follow his true passion, games. Lucky for him, the internet has turned writing about games into a financially viable occupation. Otherwise he would be condemned to a life in hell, also known as community theatre.

X3F TV -- XBLA in Brief: Gin Rummy, Shred Nebula, Pirates vs Ninjas Dodgeball

Posted Sep 5th 2008 8:00PM by Richard Mitchell
Filed under: X3F TV

XBLA is packed to the brim this week with three full releases landing on the Xbox 360's download service. All told, we have Gin Rummy, Shred Nebula, and Pirates vs Ninjas Dodgeball. One of them is a wacky sports game, one is a space shooter, and one is a card game. See if you can guess which is which! Failing that, you could always just watch the latest episode and find out if any of these are worth your time and money.

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[M4V] Download the M4V directly.

Video: the story behind Tomb Raider: Underworld

Posted Sep 5th 2008 3:30PM by Richard Mitchell
Filed under: News, Tomb Raider: Underworld

So, we've all seen Lara Croft running and jumping and kicking her way through Thailand (and swimming in the deep blue sea) in her latest adventure, Tomb Raider: Underworld, but why? What is she searching for? It turns out that she's looking for Thor's hammer. In the video above, creative director Eric Lindstrom explains that Norse mythology is the underlying thread of the game. Exactly how Norse mythology applies to Lara's journey into Thailand and South America, Crystal Dynamics isn't saying, but it certainly sounds intriguing. It doesn't hurt that it looks great either. Here's hoping it all comes together.

Sting and Tool appear in Guitar Hero World Tour

Posted Sep 5th 2008 2:45PM by Richard Mitchell
Filed under: News, Guitar Hero World Tour

Activision has announced that well-known artists Sting and Tool will appear in Guitar Hero World Tour. Sting will be available as a selectable character in the vocal career mode. He will also appear in the game to perform The Police's "Demolition Man." Activision also announced that popular rock group (and makers of scary music videos) Tool will lend three songs to the game, "Parabola" and "Schism" from the album Lataralus along with "Vicarious" from 10,000 Days. In addition to contributing these tracks, Tool will also help design a venue for the game "highlighting the art style that has become a staple in their music videos, live shows and album artwork." So, in other words, it should be the freakiest venue ever, right?

[Thanks, Willenholly]

iPhone and mobile users: read X3F at i.xbox360fanboy.com

Posted Sep 5th 2008 2:00PM by Richard Mitchell
Filed under: News, X3F Features

Attention to all you snazzy iPhone users out there, X3F is proud to announce a brand new version of Xbox 360 Fanboy formatted specifically for your phone of choice: i.xbox360fanboy.com. Mobile users have been enjoying our regular mobile offering m.xbox360fanboy.com for some time now, but this new mobile site is built with iPhones in mind. However, if you're not rocking Apple's latest wallet-sucking wonder machine, you'll be happy to know that i.xbox360fanboy.com works great on regular mobile browsers too!

You get all the same information posted on Xbox 360 Fanboy and now i.xbox360fanboy.com even includes comments! Next time you're on the go and have a hankering for some Xbox 360 news, give it a try. It's still considered to be in 'beta,' so be sure to leave your thoughts in the comments.

Death Tank rolling to XBLA for real, first video

Posted Sep 5th 2008 12:30PM by Richard Mitchell
Filed under: News, Xbox Live Arcade

Okay, we're just going to let out a heartfelt woohoo here, because Snowblind Studios has confirmed that they are indeed bringing Death Tank to Xbox Live Arcade. We imagine anyone that has played the Sega Saturn classic will share our enthusiasm. Played like a real time version of Scorched Earth or Worms, Death Tank is a fast-paced game of strategy and quick thinking. Tiny, but powerful tanks attempt to destroy each other -- on a fully destructible landscape -- using a variety of weapons and abilities. Oh, and it's awesome too.

The Xbox Live Arcade version features updated graphics and support for up to 8 players on Xbox Live or 4 players locally. Check out the first trailer of the game in action above and a the first screens in the gallery below.

Our only concern thus far: where is the awesome theme music?

Gallery: Death Tank (XBLA)

[Via GamerBytes. Thanks, Jonah Falcon]

Fanswag: Shred Nebula and CrunchTime T-Shirts

Posted Sep 5th 2008 10:00AM by Richard Mitchell
Filed under: Contests and Giveaways

It's time for a special Friday Fanswag boys and girls. We've gotten our hands on five redemption codes for Shred Nebula from CrunchTime Games. Not only that, but we've scored five CrunchTime T-shirts to go along with each copy. In case you haven't noticed, CrunchTime has a sweet logo. Even if you don't know who the folks at CrunchTime are, you'll be proud to wear their shirt. It just so happens that Shred Nebula is a nice space shooter with deep play mechanics and online dogfights, so it's win-win, really. To enter:

Leave a comment on this post telling us about your favorite space battle.
Only one comment will be accepted per person. Posters of multiple comments will be disqualified. We'll accept entries until 5:00PM, Eastern Time, Friday, September 5th, 2008. You must be at least 18 years old to enter. This giveaway is open only to residents of the U.S. and Canada (excluding Quebec).
Later today, we'll pick five winners via a random drawing.
Five winners will each receive a redemption code for Shred Nebula on XBLA and a CrunchTime Games T-shirt, worth a total of $25.
Complete giveaway rules can be found here

Gallery: Shred Nebula (XBLA)

X3F TV -- Watch the Rock Band song export process

Posted Sep 4th 2008 5:00PM by Richard Mitchell
Filed under: X3F TV, Rock Band 2

Now that Harmonix has released a title update to allow users to transfer songs from the original Rock Band into Rock Band 2, we thought it might be helpful to post a video walkthrough of the whole process. It's pretty simple, actually. All that's required is about 10 minutes and 400

($5). Check out the video above to see the whole process from start to finish (minus the boring bits).

[iTunes] Subscribe to X3F TV directly in iTunes.
[Zune] Subscribe to the X3F TV directly (Zune Marketplace link coming soon).
[RSS] Add the X3F TV feed to your RSS aggregator and have the show delivered automatically.
[M4V] Download the M4V of the first section of this video directly.

Reminder: win Smash Court Tennis 3

Posted Sep 4th 2008 4:00PM by Richard Mitchell
Filed under: Contests and Giveaways

Hey kids, don't forget that there's still time to win a copy of Smash Court Tennis 3. Featuring real pros, not so real courts, a create-a-player option and online play, it's ... well, it's tennis (and it has achievements). If that sounds like your cup of tea, head over to the official giveaway post and enter. Remember that we have three copies to give away and you can enter once a day, so come back tomorrow for one last chance before the giveaway ends at Noon (ET).

Halo Wars monthly: Weird code, scrambled image

Posted Sep 4th 2008 12:15PM by Richard Mitchell
Filed under: News, Halo Wars

As we've come to expect, the latest Halo Wars monthly update doesn't contain much in the way of juicy information. No new UNSC units have been uncovered. There are no details about how the Covenant plays. No, what we get is some general info that the game is coming along nicely. There are promises that more info is on the way soon though, along with some significant changes to the Halo Wars website. And then there is the image at right (click here for full size), which is undoubtedly the most intriguing part of the update. It's accompanied by the text below.

"Scrambled Transmission
Incoming Sub Space Trans Encode ####121478####121381####
ONITrans Priority; Delta
ReceiveTrans Loc; Subspace Relay 000003878
ReceiveTrans Loc; Subspace Relay 000003879
ReceiveTrans Loc; Subspace Relay 000017438
CovCarrier Detect; Encode [ Null ]"

What does it all mean? We have no idea. We're fairly certain that the image is some kind of environment. Dare we hope it's a Flood containment facility? Given the presence of human lettering in the lower left corner, we're inclined to think it's not. Thoughts?

Joystiq spends an hour with Fallout 3, X3F jealous

Posted Sep 4th 2008 11:00AM by Richard Mitchell
Filed under: News, Fallout 3

Those lucky sons of guns over at Joystiq got the chance to spend an entire hour with the full version of Fallout 3. Not only that, but they got to do it in a tricked out Airstream trailer at PAX. Remembering the half-hour we had in a crowded room at E3, we've decided that we're jealous. Anywho, the 'Stiq has recorded its impressions of said hour -- for the record, it chose the Evil route -- and listed some important and interesting facts about the experience. For instance, not every lock can be picked by any player. This is counter to Oblivion, in which any lock could be picked if you were good enough at the mini-game, regardless of a character's skill level. Oh, and character Karma is universal, so don't think you can stay Good just because nobody's watching.

Head over to Joystiq for full impressions.

Ask X3F: The solitude of space edition

Posted Sep 3rd 2008 5:00PM by Richard Mitchell
Filed under: X3F Features

This week on Ask X3F, we discuss important issues like analog stick ... um ... stickiness, Canadian pricing, dead batteries and that all important topic: how do you convince your significant other that he or she needs an Xbox 360? Yes, we take a look at all this an more in the latest installment. Find them after the break. If you've got questions of your own, don't forget to send 'em our way.

Got a question for Ask X3F? Maybe you have a story or some information you'd like to share? Send it all to ask [att] xbox360fanboy [dawt] com.

Continue reading Ask X3F: The solitude of space edition

Sex Pistols, MC5, Motorhead re-record classics for Guitar Hero World Tour

Posted Sep 3rd 2008 2:30PM by Richard Mitchell
Filed under: News, Guitar Hero World Tour

Activision has announced that several bands will re-record their classic recordings for Guitar Hero World Tour. First up is MC5's lead guitarist Wayne Kramer who will re-record and "modernize" the track "Kick Out the Jams" with the help of Jerry Cantrell of Alice in Chains and Gilby Clarke who spent three years with Guns N' Roses (the recording will retain the vocals originally recorded by lead Rob Tyner). The Sex Pistols will contribute another track, "Pretty Vacant," which was re-recorded at the same time as "Anarchy in the UK," which was featured in Guitar Hero III. Finally, Motörhead will re-record the title track from its album Overkill.

Guitar Hero World Tour releases later this year.

Update: Added Rob Tyner details.

Fanswag Weekly: Smash Court Tennis 3

Posted Sep 3rd 2008 1:30PM by Richard Mitchell
Filed under: Contests and Giveaways

It's time for another round of fanswag, folks. This week we've got three copies of Smash Court Tennis 3 up for grabs. Featuring the new Pro Tour mode, Smash Court Tennis 3 allows gamers to create their own custom characters and build their stats as they climb the ranks. Of course, if you don't feel like creating your own character, you can always choose a seasoned pro like Maria Sharapova. You can also take the game online with up to four players. For your shot at a copy, follow these directions:

Leave a comment on this post about your favorite tennis shot. Feel free to make one up if you like.
You may leave one comment per calendar day, Eastern Time. Posters of multiple comments in a single calendar day will be disqualified. We'll accept entries until 12:00PM Noon, Eastern Time, September 5th, 2008. You must be at least 18 years old to enter. This giveaway is open only to residents of the U.S. and Canada (excluding Quebec).
On Friday, we'll pick three winners via a random drawing.
Three winners will receive a copy of Smash Court Tennis 3, worth $60
Complete giveaway rules can be found here

Bethesda on Fallout 3 DLC plans

Posted Sep 3rd 2008 12:30PM by Richard Mitchell
Filed under: News, Fallout 3

Speaking to Shacknews, Bethesda's Pete Hines and Istvan Pely shed some light on the downloadable content plans for Fallout 3 (among other things). When asked about DLC, Hines noted that Bethesda was shooting for content that was "several hours." Hines elaborated, "Not just like a one-off thing, but something like where you can download it and play it for X number of hours," adding that it would be akin to Oblivion content like Knights of the Nine, "where it's like whole new quest lines, new stuff, that kind of thing." Reading between the lines, we're getting the message that Hines means not horse armor. While release plans remain in the dark, Hines does note that Bethesda is already "looking into" future DLC.

Hit the source link for the full interview, which contains talk about Fallout 3's design as well as how Bethesda feels about comparisons to Oblivion.

[Via Joystiq]

Prince of Persia Limited Edition free with pre-order

Posted Sep 3rd 2008 11:30AM by Richard Mitchell
Filed under: News, Prince of Persia

Now here's and interesting idea. Ubisoft has announced that those who pre-order the upcoming Prince of Persia will receive a special Limited Edition version of the game at no extra cost. Yup, you read that right. There will be no $10 or $20 premium for the Prince of Persia Limited Edition. It will run for the standard price of $59.99. The catch is that pre-ordering Prince of Persia is the only way to snag the Limited Edition. So, what do your no extra dollars get you? How about this:

Collectible Limited Edition packaging
An exclusive look at the making of Prince of Persia
A Prima digital mini-strategy guide full of developer's secrets
A digital art book
The original soundtrack scored by master composer Inon Zur

And let's not forget, you also get a game that looks pretty damned good (as the video above will attest). That's a lot of stuff in exchange for putting your name on a list.

[Via Joystiq]

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