‘Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine’ Being Developed

THQ has officially confirmed work on Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine, yet another game set against the backdrop of Games Workshop’s gritty tabletop universe. Relic has again been handed developer duties on the title, though unlike Dawn of War, the console-focused Space Marine will be an action RPG that lets players control individual units through a “narrative-driven story campaign and in wide-scale online battles.”

In development for both the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, it’s unclear what ties, if any, the project has to the leaked Space Marine footage that made the rounds late last year. However, judging from this IGN-hosted trailer, the game certainly looks to keep more with 40K‘s combat-heavy fiction when it eventually decides to chainsword retail shelves.

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Xbox 360 Reaches 30 Million Console Sales

Microsoft today dropped an Xbox 360 statbomb, showering figures on a range of metrics including the fact that the Xbox 360 has now sold over 30 million units worldwide.

After combing through financial reports and rooting around in bins, Shacknews offers the following list of worldwide lifetime console sales:

1. Nintendo DS – 101.78 million units (as of March 31 2009)
2. Nintendo Wii – 50.39 million units (as of March 31 2009)
3. PSP – 50 million units (as of February 13 2009)
4. Xbox 360 – 30 million units (as of May 28 2009)
5. PlayStation 3 – 22.91 million units (as of March 31 2009)

Microsoft also boasts it leads current-generation consoles in attach rate, with 8.3 titles being bought per console, as well as sales for third-party developers–$5.9 billion.

On the community front, Xbox Live’s 20 million active accounts have downloaded nearly 1 billion pieces of Marketplace content. Sony announced in February that the PlayStation Network had 20 million registered users, though this includes forum and PSP accounts.

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Fallout 3′s ‘The Pitt’ Expansion Coming March 24

Bethesda Softworks has finalized a release date for the second Fallout 3 downloadable expansion: March 24, 2009.

The add-on, dubbed “The Pitt,” gives player the chance to explore the post-nuclear wreckage of Pittsburgh. Unlike modern-day Pittsburgh, The Pitt is a decrepit industrial wasteland run by raiders and slavers.

Based on the images Bethesda has so far released, it almost looks like Barter Town from Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome, only with a notable lack of Tina Turner in chainmail.

As with the previously released Operation Anchorage add-on, The Pitt will be priced at $10 on release and should hit the Xbox Live Marketplace and Windows Live simultaneously.

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Left 4 Dead receives massive patch on Xbox 360

Valve just informed us that a patch has been released for the Xbox 360 version of Left 4 Dead, just in time for the soon-to-be-released downloadable content.

The patch, applied via a mandatory title update over Xbox Live, fixes a bunch of bugs, attempts to balance online gameplay and generally improves the Left 4 Dead experience. View the entire list of changes after the break.

(Oh, PSA: Be sure to take extra care staying away from Tanks. We don’t remember asking for reduced auto-shotgun damage against them.)

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Xbox 360 Game Creator Kodu Coming This Spring

Microsoft has confirmed that its extremely accessible “visual programming language,” once known as Boku, is coming to Xbox 360 later this spring under the name “Kodu.”

The game has drawn numerous comparisons to Media Molecule’s LittleBigPlanet (PS3) due to its reliance on users taking the initiative to create and share their own content. Along with creation tools, Kodu packs several pre-created levels and games.

A demonstration of Kodu during Microsoft’s CES keynote presentation saw …

See the rest of the article at ShackNews.com

Microsoft Reveals Top Xbox 360 Games of 2008

As the trend of looking back at 2008 continues, Microsoft has provided lists of the year’s 20 most popular Xbox 360, Xbox Live Arcade, and original Xbox games.

As noted by Xbox Live programming director Larry “Major Nelson” Hryb, the original Xbox and 360 lists were calculated by the amount of online Xbox Live users playing each game, while the Xbox Live Arcade list was based off sales of the 360 downloads.

1. 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

Xbox 360 Top Live Titles

To see the rest of the lists, visit ShackNews.com

Valve Teases Left 4 Dead DLC Reveal Soon, Simultaneous Xbox 360 Release

Solid details on the first batch of Left 4 Dead downloadable content should be out “shortly,” according to Valve writer Chet Faliszek. But, in true Valve tradition, it appears the announcement has already been postponed, as it was expected “before Christmas.”

Though details are light, Faliszek confirmed that the upcoming download will bring new scenarios, as “what we want to do is just deliver more content you can play at this point.” These new scenarios will be released on the “[Xbox] 360 at the same time as the PC,” instead of receiving a later Xbox 360 release a la Valve’s Team Fortress 2.

Owners of the PC version can also expect the long-promised SDK at some point, which should allow for the creation of custom maps, scenarios and other mods.

“We should be announcing that before Christmas, what the DLC is,” said Faliszek in a Kotaku video podcast, seemingly recorded December 15. “The holidays aren’t actually so much delaying it as the press guys–[marketing VP] Doug [Lombardi]‘s been taking some time. We’ll have an announcement shortly, I don’t know exactly when.”

As for a movie editor that would let users capture and edit in-game footage–something Valve apparently hinted at in an E3 interview–Faliszek merely noted that the team wants to make sure that playable content will be “the first out–after that, I hate to speculate.”

While pricing was not discussed, the new content is expected to be free for PC owners, continuing in Valve’s tradition of providing PC gamers with free post-release support. However, it is uncertain if the Xbox 360 DLC will be free, as Microsoft is apparently forcing Valve to charge for the upcoming Team Fortress 2 DLC on Xbox 360.

Source: ShackNews.com

XBOX Live Marketplace Deal of the Week: Halo

The fourth and final of Microsoft’s weekly Xbox Live Marketplace holiday deals is none other than the original Halo: Combat Evolved. Major Nelson has announced that the franchise-launching, system-selling FPS will be available for 600 ($7.50) starting tomorrow, Tuesday, December 23 for Xbox Live Gold members. Its usual going price is 1200 ($15).

When the history of video games eventually becomes mainstream college curriculum, Halo will the “required playing” equivalent of War and Peace. You can get ahead of the curve – or make sure you’re as hip as those young whippersnappers – for one week only.

Last week’s deal, Bomberman Live, is available until midnight tonight at the half-price sum of 600 ($7.50).

Source: Joystiq

800 Microsoft Points cards hit retail shelves

Another option is now available at retail for shoppers in the U.S. looking to purchase cards loaded with Microsoft Points. In addition to the 1600 Point variety available for $19.99, Microsoft has released a 800 Point card for the easier to swallow price of $9.99.

It’s convenient, plus gift cards remain a bastion of hope for the last minute holiday shopper. And for those who fancy video games on your lists, why not fill their stockings with digital money instead. It works just like regular money, but it’s, er … fun.

Source: Joystiq.com

Xbox Live Arcade Sales ‘Almost Tripled’ After New Dashboard Launch

Sales of downloadable Xbox Live Arcade games “almost tripled” in the week after the November 19th launch of the Xbox 360′s new interface, Microsoft has announced.

In particular, Cabonated Games’ UNO saw a 650% sales jump in just one day, a feat attributed to the fact that it was updated with support for the new customizable player avatars. NinjaBee’s A Kingdom for Kelflings, an avatar-utilizing game launched on November 19, “registered the second-best first week of performance ever.”

In addition, Xbox Live members have added an average of 33% more friends since the New Xbox Experience hit, Xbox Live programming director Larry “Major Nelson” Hryb observed on his blog, though no explanation or hard numbers were given.

Source: ShackNews.com

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