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!

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!

It’s been a long week…

Last week was insanely busy for me, the result of which was my falling quite a bit behind here at the blog. That being said, the next few posts will be my attempt to play a little catch-up on the relevant gaming news that took place while I was “gone”.

With the NBA playoffs right around the corner, 2K Sports released a sizeable roster update for NBA 2K8 which includes all player movements up through the trade deadline. More than 60 player swaps are updated in this free download including Shaquille O’Neal to the Phoenix Suns, Pau Gasol to the Los Angeles Lakers, Jason Kidd to the Dallas Mavericks, Mike Bibby to the Atlanta Hawks, Ben Wallace to the Cleveland Cavaliers, and Shawn Marion to the Miami Heat.

NBA 2K8 High Risers Tournament

Konsole Kings and 2K Sports have partnered up for an Xbox LIVE hoops competition where participants can win a Halo 3 Zune and an LCD HDTV.

The NBA 2K8 High Risers Tournament begins tomorrow Sunday, March 2^nd on Xbox LIVE and registration is required. The Tournament itself is broken down into two competitions:

The High Risers Qualifying Tournament

• Limited to the first 225 entries, the NBA 2K8 tournament pits team versus team, as the participants will be split into brackets, and everyone will need to shoot, dunk, board, dish, and steal their way to the finals. The winner will receive an exclusive Halo 3 Zune.

The High Risers Slam Dunk Main Event

• The top 16 of the High Risers Qualifying Tournament will automatically be entered in the High Risers Slam Dunk Main Event. This tournament will be voted on by the public, as all dunks are submitted via 2K8 ReelMaker. The public will vote until it is down to the final 4. Special guest judges will then decide which of the finalists the ultimate High Riser is, and award them with a brand new LCD HDTV.

For more information on the NBA 2K8 High Risers Tournament and to register for the competition, visit http://www.konsolekingz.com/highrisers.

Spotlight on Community – 360Voice.com

For the first entry in the “Spotlight on Community” series, I present to you 360Voice.com.

While the website drew initial attention from its unique and humorous “Give your Xbox its own blog” features, 360Voice.com has grown into one of the most comprehensive statistic-tracking websites in existence.

Members get their own personal page which includes their Xbox 360’s blog entries, a list of their most played games, world leaderboard standings, earned badges and more. Links within these lists lead you to even more refined statistics, giving you a finely detailed picture of your gaming prowess.

Ever wonder what happened to the Old Spice Experience Challenges that first appeared on Xbox.com? 360Voice.com has got ‘em. Members can join a challenge or start their own with winners receiving prizes from Microsoft Points cards to Best Buy gift cards and more.

What I find to be just as impressive as everything listed above is the fact that the three administrators of 360Voice.com all have full-time day jobs while managing the website in their spare time. That, my friends, is community dedication!

I highly recommend you check out their site. Membership is free and the resources they provide are outstanding!

Become a professional gamer

How would you like to become a professional gamer? If you think you have what it takes to compete at the professional level then pay attention:

The Championship Gaming Series will be holding the 2008 North American Combine and Draft on March 8-9 at the South by Southwest ScreenBurn Arcade in Austin, Texas. General Managers from CGS pro teams San Francisco Optx, Los Angeles Complexity, Dallas Venom, New York 3D, Carolina Core and world champion Chicago Chimera will be on hand to evaluate players and award contracts as CGS professional gamers for the 2008 season.

Some of the official game titles that players will be competing in are: Counter-Strike: Source (PC), FIFA 08 (PC), Dead or Alive 4 (Xbox 360) and Forza 2 (Xbox 360).

Anyone interested in competing at the Combine must reserve a space by registering online at http://thecgs.com/index.php?s=events&d=registration&id=1. However, if you would like to attend as a spectator only, the event is free and open to the public with no registration required.

WHERE:
South by Southwest ScreenBurn Arcade
Austin Convention Center
500 East Cesar Chavez Street
Austin, TX 78701
Exhibit Hall 4 – First Level
WHEN:
Combine: Saturday, March 8 – 11:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.
Combine: Sunday, March 9 – 11:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Draft: Sunday, March 9 – 4:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.

Spotlight on Community

There’s no question that the biggest factor separating Xbox 360 from the other 2 major consoles is the community that surrounds it. From Microsoft and the Xbox.com forums to the remarkable fansites that exist, the Xbox community offers up countless ways for fans to share their thoughts and, in essence, their passion for gaming.

Beginning this week, I will be highlighting some of the best community-oriented sites that I’ve come across in my travels. My hope is to introduce you to some outstanding websites which you may not have known about, while also acknowledging the great people who have dedicated so much of their time to help bring the gaming community together.

Win a trip to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

Activision is currently holding the Guitar Hero Fan Appreciation Giveaway where fans can enter to win a trip to New York City for this year’s Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony. The winner will receive two tickets to the ceremony, round-trip airfare to New York City, hotel accommodations, ground transportation and $500 in spending cash!

However, this contest ends TONIGHT at 11:59 PDT so you need to enter NOW!

All the details on how to enter, as well as contest rules and info can be found at http://www.guitarhero.com/forums/8/forum_topics/48186.

Good luck!

XE is temporarily down

I noticed yesterday that our website was not available, which I attributed to one of those minor issues that pop up now and again just to keep things interesting. I was sort of right…

After speaking with Ross, I learned that the server host was doing some maintenance on their end and something went wrong. They’re currently working on resolving the issues and have managed to get some of their other customers back up and running. We’re in line for service so I’ll post when things are functioning again.

*UPDATE: We’re back online!

New RSS feed

As you may have noticed, I’ve recently added a new RSS feed for our headlines over at XE. My reason for doing this is twofold.

First, I want to make sure that I’m doing everything possible to help increase the readership at XE. Our spot on the interweb is currently a great source for Xbox 360 news and our plans for the very near future will only make it better.

Secondly, I’ve fallen into a bad habit of posting strictly news here at the blog which was never my intent. Now, with the RSS headline feed, I can feel comfortable that readers will have access to the latest console news and I can refocus my attention on delivering community related content along with my own personal insight and opinions.

So please, use the new feed and visit us over at XE. While you’re there, join our outstanding forum and help us spread the word!

I’ve found a new home

After nearly 2 years with Totally360, the time has come for a change. The decision to leave was not an easy one, but sometimes a change for changes’ sake is a good thing. I had a great time during my stay and made a bunch of outstanding friends. Most importantly, I will always be appreciative of the opportunity that the site’s owner Neil Vaughan gave me.

I’ve accepted an invitation, extended by my good friend Ross McClymont, to join XboxElite.co.uk as their U.S. Editor. I’m very excited about joining their team and helping the continuing effort to evolve XE into a truly global gaming site.

I invite you all to come by and check us out. While you’re there, be sure to join the XE forums and say “hi”.

New tracks for Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock available now

Activision released the brand new Classic Rock Track Pack for Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock featuring master recordings from some several-decades-old rock icons.

Boston’s “Piece of Mind,” Foreigner’s “Juke Box Hero” and Journey’s “Any Way You Want It” are all included in the download, priced at 500 Microsoft Points. Point your browser to http://www.guitarhero.com for more details.

Oh, and while you’re at it, be sure to sign up for the Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock – Rock Your Party Weekend
taking place Superbowl weekend, February 1-3, 2008. The three day event will feature a Play & Win Sweepstakes where a variety of prizes including Microsoft points, Guitar Hero Gear and an Xbox 360 wireless guitar faceplate signed by Slash will all be up for grabs. In addition to these great prizes, one lucky Grand Prize winner will receive the Ultimate Home Gaming Center, which includes an LG 50″ 1080p Flat-Panel Plasma HDTV, an Xbox 360 Elite and a BoomChair – Wi-FX Wireless Gaming Chair. Sweet!!

Wondering how you can toss your pick in the ring? It’s simple. Download the Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock GamerPics from Xbox LIVE Marketplace for automatic entry or visit http://www.xbox.com/rockyourparty and register your Gamertag. Good luck (and Go Pats!!)