Rainbow Six Vegas 2 European charity event

 

In case you hadn’t noticed the RSS link to the story at XE, some friends of mine from across the pond, along with Gaming4Others.org, are working hard to raise funds for the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children by way of an online Rainbow Six Vegas 2 tournament:

“XboxGameZone, in association with Gaming4Others, are pleased to announce the first ever European charity gaming tournament to be held across Xbox LIVE. The event, which will take place on Ubisoft’s newly released Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Vegas 2, will invite players and teams from across Europe to test their skills as they go head to head. But this time it’s not just about the winning – teams will be competing against each other to help raise money for NSPCC (registered charity – National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children), have some fun and maybe even win some prizes along the way.”

Registration is now open with full details listed here.

List of the participating community sites:

http://www.xboxgamezone.co.uk
http://gaming4others.org
http://www.matchbox360.co.uk
http://www.msxbox-world.com
http://www.play2compete.com
http://www.wonderwallweb.com
http://www.xboxliveaddicts.co.uk
http://www.xboxlivenation.com
http://www.xboxelite.co.uk

This week’s Arcade Wednesday title revealed!

NAMCO BANDAI Games will be providing this week’s Arcade Wednesday title with the release of MR. DRILLER Online (800 Microsoft Points).

MR. DRILLER Online, a unique new puzzler, challenges players to…, well…, drill through colored blocks while avoiding a crushing collapse AND maintaining an adequate air supply. The game features single player Standard Driller and Quest Driller modes along with online multiplayer support for up to 4 players.

Head over to http://www.xbox.com/en-US/games/m/mrdrilleronlinexboxlivearcade/ for more information on MR DRILLER Online.

Pinball FX fans should also take note since new downloadable content for that game will be available this Wednesday as well.

Spotlight on Community – Hawty McBloggy Invites You to Play

Hawty McBloggy Invites You to Play is without question, one of the most entertaining, creative and relevant gaming blogs on the internet today. The blog’s author, and self proclaimed “gamer geek” bs angel, has quickly risen to Superstar status within the gaming community thanks to both her fantastic writing style and her outstanding dedication to delivering the best gaming-related web finds to her ever expanding audience of readers.

Just how relevant is Hawty McBloggy? When bs angel took up the cause for gamer Nathaniel and his ruined Xbox 360, gaming communities across the net took notice, pleading for Microsoft to make things right for the poor guy. Her rallying cry, coupled with a massive outpouring of community support, resulted in both Bungie and Microsoft sending Nathaniel a pair of incredible gift packs to try and make up for what he had lost.

If Hawty McBloggy Invites You to Play isn’t part of your daily surf routine, it should be. I’ve had her link here on the blog for quite a while and I strongly suggest you add one to your collection as well.

Faceplate give away at XboxAddict.com

The Faceplate Addict Forums over at XboxAddict.com are running a faceplate give away with prizes that include:

* A complete set of all five Eternal Sonata Faceplates
* A complete set of all five Ace Combat 6 Faceplates (four giveaways + the promo plate)
* Five codes for the Mass Effect “Bring Down The Sky” DLC, GRACIOUSLY donated by the fine folks at BioWare, Edmonton.
* One custom faceplate made by SpaceGhost2K

All the contest details are here!

Win a copy of Don King Presents: Prizefighter

Don King Productions and 2K Sports announced today that they will be celebrating the launch of King’s very own digital network, www.DonKingTV.com, by giving away 5 copies of the upcoming Don King Presents: Prizefighter.

Winners will be chosen at random from those who tune into tonight’s “Meet Me in St. Louis” championship doubleheader at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT which includes a live webcast fight between Cory Spinks and Verno Phillips. Ten runner-ups will also be chosen to receive a copy of Major League Baseball 2K8.

“This is another new and exciting adventure for us,” said Don King. “Like the Gateway to the West, we will be taking St. Louis and this trailblazing fight card worldwide via the internet. Fans will be able to see IBF 154-pount champion Cory Spinks take on Verno Phillips and undefeated 140-pounder Devon Alexander against Miguel Callist. We want as many people as possible to see just how great our technology is, so we’re making four exciting hours of action available free of charge.”

Don King Presents: Prizefighter is set for release on June 10th, so be sure to tune into http://www.donkingtv.com tonight for your chance to win!

“Play & Win” with Major League Baseball 2K8

2K Sports will be hosting “Opening Day Xbox LIVE Weekend for Major League Baseball 2K8“, which will include a 72-hour Play & Win Sweepstakes, beginning April 4th.

Players who participate could win some nifty prizes such as exclusive 2K Sports t-shirts, hats, Microsoft points and more. Additionally, gamers will have a chance to play online against some of the game’s developers on Friday, April 4 from 7:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. EDT. Here are the Gamertags to look out for:

MLB2K8Robert: Robert (Senior Producer)
MLB2K8Jon: Jon (Associate Producer)
MLB2K8Dan: Dan (Designer)
MLB2K8Joe: Joe (Production Assistant)

For more information and to register, go to www.xbox.com/openingday or, simply download the free “Major League Baseball 2K8 Play & Win Registration” gamer picture from Xbox LIVE Marketplace and get ready to swing for the fences.

Switchball re-released with an update

In addition to the debut of TiQal (800 Microsoft Points) on XBLA yesterday, Sierra Online re-released a new and improved version of the “TeamXbox.com’s XBLA Game of the Year for 2007”, Switchball.

The updated version of Switchball includes enhanced graphics for a smoother gameplay experience as well as enhanced leaderboards and is available now for 800 Microsoft Points.

For more information on Switchball, visit http://www.xbox.com/en-US/games/s/switchballxboxlivearcade/default.htm.

Turok adds new downloadable maps

A set of new maps are now available on Marketplace for the dinosaur laden FPS Turok according to the game’s publisher Touchstone. The Velociraptor Pack can be had for 400 Microsoft Points and includes:

Co-Op – A brand new Turok co-op map for 2-4 players. In this co-op map your Whiskey Company squad has been captured and is being held in a Mendel-Gruman facility designed for holding dinosaurs. You and your team have to break out and make it to the rescue chopper before the Wolf Pack troops decide to feed you to the captured raptors.

Desolation – A brand new swamp-based map where simple structures are set up alongside a rock cliff to allow helicopters and transports into the area to bring in supplies. There are many hiding spots on this multi-level map which enables numerous quiet kill opportunities.

Sentinel – Another new multiplayer map and one of the largest Turok maps to date. The setting takes place at the top of a mountain around one of Kane’s orbital defense arrays – the very base that shot down the Whiskey Company ship from orbit in the single-player campaign. Also, the presence of a few large dinosaurs on the map can make things very interesting during multiplayer combat.

Inconclusive Tests – This time the Testing Grounds map takes place at night and offers a different view of the world that now contains more dark hiding spots. A word of caution — watch out for the raptors.

A Rivalry Continues – As the name suggests, the struggle for the compound from A Heated Rivalry is not over and has extended into the eerie darkness of the night.

Official website for Sid Meier’s Civilization Revolution

Sid Meier’s Civilization III and IV are two of my all-time favorite games on PC. In fact, the only game that I may have wasted more hours of my life playing would be the original Half-Life, so I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t really excited about Civilization Revolution coming to Xbox 360 in June.

For those of you who also have June 3^rd circled on the calendar, 2K Games have launched the official Sid Meier’s Civilization Revolution website at www.civilizationrevolution.com. The site contains a ton of info regarding the new game including fun and interesting facts about the in-game Civilization leaders, screenshots, concept art, the official game trailer and more.

They also have a nice community section for fans of the game which includes a game forum, podcasts from the developers and the ability to sign-up for community updates. It’s a fun, nicely designed site about what will hopefully be an awesome game!

Halo 3 Legendary Map Pack coming April 15th

Microsoft and Bungie have announced that a brand new set of multiplayer maps for Halo 3 will be hitting Marketplace on April 15.

The Legendary Map Pack (800 Microsoft Points) will contain a total of 3 new maps: Ghost Town, Avalanche and an as-of-yet unnamed slaughter ground. Here are a few details:

Avalanche is a tribute to Sidewinder, a Halo: Combat Evolved fan-favorite. This massive, vehicle-oriented objective map adds a twist to its classic predecessor with all new interiors, dramatically reshaped exteriors and brand new vehicle variants. Take a ride and admire the visual variety from the cockpit of the retuned Hornet.

Ghost Town is a battle-scarred maze of narrow passages and dangerous ruins outside the once-prosperous city of Voi. Collapsed ceilings and shell-battered buildings provide both valuable cover and deadly traps, as catwalks and stairways take the fight from claustrophobic ground combat to dizzying rooftop battles. Ghost Town is a mid-sized map ideal for Team Slayer games and smaller, objective types.

In regards to the third map, Bungie has only said “fans of smaller Slayer maps” should start getting excited! Check out www.xbox.com and www.bungie.net for more details.

 

New Deadliest Catch Alaskan Storm videos

Believe it or not, my original post on the announcement of Deadliest Catch Alaskan Storm for Xbox 360 drew a fair amount of reads, so I thought it was worth updating.

Since we last discussed the game there have been two more videos released featuring members of the crew as well as scenes from the game. The vids can be viewed below and, as always, your thoughts on the game are welcomed.

AT&T offers up Xbox 360 goodies

AT&T has launched a new promotional program that includes a number of Xbox 360 related rewards. Gamers who sign up for their broadband internet service will receive an Xbox Live Vision Gold Pack, a 12-month Xbox Live subscription, Xbox 360 games, free gateway or modem, and more. Visit www.att.com/xbox for more information.