EA, podcast and contest updates

Here’s a note to all the EA fans out there: I’ve just finished adding some new media for Army of Two, Burnout Paradise and Need for Speed ProStreet to the Totally360 website.

I’m also in the process of finishing up a new podcast all about Halo 3 including the NY launch event.

And finally, I wanted to remind everyone that we’re giving away a copy of Bioshock and some cool Arcade codes at the new Xbox Gamers Feedback Forum. Join up and get in the running!

Arcade is having another sale

I missed this story yesterday, but better late than never.

Microsoft is having another Arcade sale from now through Tuesday October 2^nd. This time around, the games that have been discounted are: Bankshot Billiards 2 (PixelStorm) – 900 Microsoft Points (normally 1200 Microsoft Points), Frogger (Konami) – 300 Microsoft Points (normally 400 Microsoft Points) and Hardwood Spades (Silver Creek Entertainment) – 300 Microsoft Points (normally 400 Microsoft Points).

The Bulldog shows his teeth

I want to give a nod to a buddy of mine Paul (aka Bulldog) who earlier today completed Halo 3 on Legendary!

While I know he’s not the only one, and probably not even the first, it’s still one heck of an accomplishment considering the game is not quite 48 hours old. Nice work!

Guitar Hero III coming to NYC

For those of you who have managed to tear your bleary eyes away from Halo 3, Activision has announced their soon-to-be-released Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock will be making it’s community debut at the DigitalLife Conference taking place at Javits Center in New York City, September 27-30. Earlier today, city officials proclaimed today as “Guitar Hero Day” in the city to mark the upcoming event.

Gamers are invited to visit the Javits Center and jam-out to tunes from Guns N’ Roses, The Rolling Stones, Beastie Boys, Red Hot Chili Peppers and Pearl Jam as well as original songs by guitar icons Slash and Tom Morello.

In related news, The Sex Pistols recently returned to the studio to re-record “Anarchy in the U.K.,” for the sole purpose of offering the song as a master track in the game.

Halo 3 Launch Event recap and photos

Last night’s Halo 3 Launch Event in New York was simply awesome! Football stars from both the Giants and Jets rolled in throughout the event to play the game with some of the die-hard fans who had been taken their spot in line as early as 6:00 pm on Sunday. The media coverage was out in full force with G4’s Adam Sessler and Morgan Webb broadcasting live from 8:00 pm until well past midnight plus national and local television crews. Microsoft’s own Major Nelson was also on hand, giving those waiting in line a chance to play the game early and handing out tons of great prizes. Mountain Dew reps were cruising through the crowd, handing out samples of their new Game Fuel and offering up hand massages (to help players get ready for the long fragging hours ahead) to those waiting in line for the game.

This particular Best Buy was far from huge, so the entire setup for the event was packed tightly into the front corner of the store. Trying to get a view of the gameplay from inside was near impossible (especially for someone like myself who tops off at about 5’6″) so the crew set up monitors in the store windows and speakers outside so fans and passersby alike could see and hear everything right from the sidewalk.

As launch time grew closer, I’d say there were at least a couple hundred people who had gathered around to take it all in….and were they in for a surprise. Shortly before midnight, Fifth Ave was closed down as several Halo Marines, each riding their own Mongoose, came screaming down in front of the store, clearing the way for the big arrival…a totally tricked out Halo 3 Hummer carrying all of Best Buy’s Halo 3 copies.

I have to say, for all the people who had gathered around – both fans and onlookers – there were simply no problems at all. Everyone was very cool, polite and just generally excited to get their hands on the game. The one exception to this was the media. When the Hummer pulled up, cameramen nearly came to blows as each jockeyed for a spot to grab a photo. Kinda’ funny how the community at large knows how to handle themselves yet the “professionals” turn out to be the true problem at these events.

Personally, it was great to finally put some faces to names of some really great folks within the Xbox 360 community.

I’ve uploaded all the photos from the event at Flickr and I should hopefully have a podcast with all the rest of the highlights and some interviews very soon.

My thanks again to all of the great folks at Microsoft and Bungie for the chance to attend such a cool party J

Halo 3 “Midnight Madness” retail events announced!

In case you weren’t paying attention, there’s a little game being released next week called Halo 3…

Gamers will be lining up early as more than 10,000 stores across the country are set to open their doors at 12:01 am Tuesday for the release of the most anticipated game in history: Halo 3. While a good many of these stores will be hosting local celebratory events, Microsoft and Bungie are planning a few major retail events themselves.

New York – Where: Best Buy, 529 5th Ave, New York, NY, 10017

Located in the heart of 5th Ave. and only a few blocks from Times Square, the Best Buy store on the corner of 5th and 44th Ave. will be the first to provide consumers in the U.S. with their copies of “Halo 3.” The event, which will begin early afternoon on Monday and can be seen on televisions nationwide via live broadcasts from both Spike TV and G4, will feature day-long activities. People are encouraged to demonstrate their fanaticism for Halo through costumes, distance traveled, best signs and more. Additionally, fans in line may get to play “Halo 3” prior to launch against on-site celebrities from early Monday afternoon through midnight. Every hour, a new personality will enter the fray with the fans. At midnight, attendees can expect a spectacle unlike any other. A number of Bungie team members and local professional athletes will be on hand to participate in the launch festivities.

Los Angeles – Where: GameStop, 1000 Universal Studios Blvd, Universal City, CA 91608

From the entertainment capital of the world, GameStop’s flagship store at Universal CityWalk in Los Angeles will host the Halo 3 West Coast launch. The event begins Monday evening and will lead up to the first sale of the game at 12:01 a.m. Tuesday, September 25, and will feature a celebrity autograph session, Halo trivia contest and a special appearance by the man of the hour, Master Chief, as well as a number of Bungie team members. Fans in line will also have a chance to be one of the lucky few who can battle it out against a celebrity on “Halo 3” prior to the launch. The event can be seen on televisions nationwide via live broadcasts from both Spike TV and G4.

Seattle – Where: Best Buy, 457 120th Ave NE, Bellevue, WA 98005

Seattle fans are invited to join the celebrations at Bellevue’s Best Buy, which will open its doors at 12:01 am on September 25 to sell the highly anticipated and final chapter in the “Halo” trilogy. To commemorate the release of “Halo 3” in the game’s hometown, fans will be able to celebrate the occasion with product giveaways. People in line may also get a chance to play against Bungie team members and local professional athletes.

Miami – Where: Circuit City, 8575 Northwest 13th Terrace, Miami, FL 33126

Hosted by Circuit City, Miami’s Midnight Madness event of choice will feature product giveaways and contests starting at 9 p.m. Monday, Sept. Current Miami Dolphins stars, Chris Chambers and Joey Porter will be on hand signing autographs as well as challenging fans in “Halo 3” inside Circuit City. Additionally, a number of Bungie team members will be on hand to participate in the launch festivities.

Additionally, attendees at these events will have a chance to walk away with some very cool swag including:

Halo Action Clix from WizKids

Collectible trading cards from Topps

Halo Ghosts of Onyx by Eric Nylund from Tor

Frag Fest t-shirts from Mighty Fine

Accessories and hats from Changes

Messenger bags from Enmon Accessories

Console sling bag and hardware organizers from BD&A

Halo Graphic Novels published by Marvel

2008 Halo calendars from Trends International

Halo Uprising Comic (issue one) from Marvel

Halo soundtracks from Sumthing Else Music

Weapon replicas from Master Replicas

Zune Halo 3 edition

Limited-edition figurines from the diorama created for the “Halo 3” ad campaign and much more!

Plus, anyone going to the Best Buy Event in NYC will get the chance to meet ME! (I can hear you cheering from here!) Yes, I will be in attendance on Monday in New York to help ring in the celebration that is Halo 3 and I look forward to meeting everyone and hanging out at the party. See you there!!

Win a copy of Bioshock

As I mentioned on Friday, the brand new Xbox Gamers Feedback Forum is now open for business. And what better way to celebrate the ribbon cutting than with a contest! That’s right, courtesy of the good folks at 2K Games and Microsoft, I have a copy of Bioshock, the hottest game available for Xbox 360, and I want to give it to you!

Winning couldn’t be easier. Just head over to the Xbox Gamers Feedback Forum, register and share your thoughts with the community! Everyone that registers between now and 11:59 pm EST October 30th will be elegible to win. On October 31st, one registered forum member − 18 years of age or older, active and in good standing − will be chosen at random to receive the game. And that’s not all…

3 random forum members − also 18 years of age or older, active and in good standing − will be chosen to receive a free Arcade download code courtesy of Microsoft and the new XGFF.

One thing to note, this is not a “post volume” contest. Continually adding non-relevant posts will not help your chances of winning so please keep that in mind.

So head over to the forum, get registered and get talking 🙂 Let’s make the XGFF a place we can ALL be proud of!

GamerDad family could use some help

Andrew Bub a.k.a. GamerDad from www.gamerdad.com has been a huge asset to the family-gaming community for what seems like forever. On September 1st, Andrew suffered a heart-attack which was followed shortly thereafter by Quadruple Bypass surgery. The surgical procedure saved his life, but because of the extended hospital stay, and the possibility of more surgery, he and his family could really use the community’s help.

His wife Linda has reached out and asked for whatever help can be provided so that she, Andrew and the rest of their family can deal with the financial burden that always follows this sort of tragedy. Asking for help can sometimes be one of the hardest things to do so please visit their site and help out the best you can.

New forum launched — promotional give-away details coming soon…

I was going to wait until Monday to do this, but it was ready to go so I figured I’d open the doors today!

After much consideration, I’ve put together a place for everyone to share their input on all things Xbox 360. The new Xbox Gamers Feedback Forum is now “open for business” and all are welcome.

Check out this page here for details on the new forum, then head over, register and get postin’!

PGR 4 goes Gold

Great news came out of Redmond today with the announcement that Project Gotham Racing 4 has been completely wrapped up and sent for manufacturing with a confirmed shipment date of October 2^nd.

Microsoft and Bizzare Creations also revealed the new official PGR 4 website www.pgrnations.com which will feature news, updates and all things good about the game.

Call of Duty 4 updates

Activision and Infinity Ward will be releasing a special Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare Collectors Edition which will include a bonus DVD along with an exclusive hardcover art book.

The bonus material found on the DVD includes a series of “making of” vignettes taken from 4 different perspectives of the game’s development (research, technology, story and multiplayer), a documentary on the history of the British S.A.S., a level walk-through hosted by the Infinity Ward team plus some of the best trailers from the game. The DVD clocks in at nearly 4 hours of total bonus content.

The hardcover art book features never-before-seen concept, development and final in-game artwork and is narrated by the back-to-back “Game of the Year” award winning team of Infinity Ward’s developers and artists.

Activision and Infinity Ward have also released an all-new Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare Media Widget which delivers a live feed to the latest screenshots, videos and bonus content and also includes a countdown clock to Deployment Week, buttons for you to send the widget to friends, download code, join the Buzz Brigade and more. An HTML version is also available for bloggers and website owners to feature on their own site.

For more information and to download the widget, head over to www.CharlieOscarDelta.com and register.

Halo 3 promotional films focus on “Heroes”

I know I’m a little late to the table on this one, but Microsoft has launched a new promotional campaign for Halo 3 featuring a series of commercials completely unique to any previous videogame advertising.

The films feature real-life accounts from soldiers who stood at Master Chief’s side during battle as they tell of the courage, sacrifice and heroism of their fellow soldiers and their leader.

However, the most impressive piece of these films has to be the backdrop: A 1200 square foot diorama which depicts a “key moment from a climactic battle set in the “Halo” universe”. This work of art peaks at more than 12 feet in height and features handcrafted human and Covenant figures standing eight to twelve inches high. The story of the diorama and the battle that day has been told through films that will be shown in 27 countries around the world on television, in cinema and on the web.

Viewers can check out the first of these films, entitled “Museum”, now at http://games.yahoo.com which will followed by a sneak-peek of “Diorama” Friday Sept. 14 at 9 a.m. PST / 12 p.m. EST, as well as a feature on the making of the diorama, entitled, “Ammo”. The “Diorama” work will make its TV debut during NFL Football on CBS Sunday Sept. 16. This, and the full series of web films, which honor the heroism of Master Chief, will also be available on Xbox LIVE Marketplace and http://www.halo3.com/believe starting September 14.