Tired of Chopping Wood in Fable II? Here’s a Hint for Fast Money
Fable II is a time grabber. No doubt about it, the allure of trying to buy up all of Albion is near impossible to escape. I know that there are many of you out there trying all sorts of different ways to make more money, and make it faster. So I’m sure some of you have figured this out, but no one on my friends list had, so I’m sharing it.
If you’re interested in some fast money, hit the jump:
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New Xbox Experience First to Stream Netflix in HD
Engadget stumbled upon something pretty significant:
It’s something you can’t get on the Roku. Nor on LG’s BD300. Nor on Samsung’s P2500 / P2550 Blu-ray players. Nor through Netflix’s own “Watch Instantly” portal. It’s high-def Netflix streaming, and it’s coming first to Microsoft’s Xbox 360. Yes friends, when the all new dashboard hits on November 19th, with it will come HD Netflix streaming for Xbox Live Gold members. You should know that this is only a “soft launch” with about 300 titles available for now, and the litany of details you’re surely craving simply aren’t available at present time. At any rate, we’d say things just got a lot more interesting in the world of digital downloads, but there’s really no need. The real question is: when will everyone else follow suit, and how quickly can we expect current Netflix streamers to get the HD upgrade? — Engadget
I hadn’t realized this. Even beating out Netflix’s own Watch Instantly portal, it’s impressive to see the 360 delivering this kind of HD experience first.
What do you guys think? Does this tidbit make you anticipate NXE even more, or at all?
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Media: Left 4 Dead "Dead Air" Screens
Left 4 Dead is so close I can almost taste the zombie flesh, or can I almost taste the zombies tasting my flesh or…nevermind. Anyway, Valve is keeping us properly hyped for the title by releasing 10 new screens of the Dead Air portion of the game. It shows all the characters in action, along with the requisite hordes of zombies.
Hit the jump for the rest:
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Microsoft Readying 60GB HDD Bundle for Xbox 360
Still looking for a way to scrounge up that 128MB of storage space Microsoft says you’ll need to enjoy Xbox 360’s New Xbox Experience? Perhaps you’re going to be interested in the company’s latest storage solution, then.
Jump into Xbox LIVE with the Xbox 360 60GB LIVE Starter Pack. Everything you need to get up and running is included: a spacious 60 GB Hard Drive, Headset, 3-month LIVE Gold subscription, and Ethernet cable. Save your games and profiles, along with a host of downloadable content: Xbox LIVE Arcade and Xbox Original titles, demos, game content, and HD videos. — GameStop
The bundle will run you $99 should you spring for it, and GameStop says it’ll start shipping out the pack on November 4. I think the it’s a tad on the pricey side, but when Microsoft is pricing a 20GB HDD at $79 by itself, I guess this 60GB bundle is a little more enticing for Xbox Live Arcade bundle owners.
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Why Bethesda Didn’t Reboot the Fallout Franchise
Are you one of those people that always feels like they’re missing something when you start playing a game on it’s third or fourth sequel? If so, Bethesda would like to remind you that with the release of Fallout 3 we are definitely missing something by not playing Fallout and Fallout 2. No, not huge important story elements that will affect your enjoyment of the newest entry, but two very great games that serve as a great backdrop to what is presented in Fallout 3.
Patrick Klepek from over at MTV Multiplayer sat down with Pete Hines, Fallout 3’s product manager a few weeks ago and he had the following to say about why they decided to stick with calling it Fallout 3, and not attempting a reboot by merely calling it Fallout.
“We do consider it to be part of the series and we are trying to continue the legacy of ‘Fallout 1′ and ‘2′,” explained Hines. “That’s part of it, which is that we wanted to fit in to what’s going on. We didn’t want to suddenly just call it ‘Fallout’ because then it’s like we’re trying to pretend like the first one didn’t [exist].”
“There’s only one ‘Fallout’ ever. There’s only one ‘Fallout 2,’” said Hines. “Those games will always exist and we didn’t want to do anything that was seen as trying to start over again. Honestly, we never really seriously considered anything else. It’s the next ‘Fallout’ game, that’s what we’re trying to to, both for people who played the original games and people who never have.”– MTV Multiplayer
I think Fallout fans are going to have a lot to love about Fallout 3, as well as new fans just discovering the franchise for the first time. Who knows, maybe it will translate to people going back to check out the PC classics.
Probably not though, I tried playing through Fallout 2 again a few months ago and it made me realize that modern gaming has made me a pussy when it comes to anything remotely difficult.
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Preorder Left 4 Dead - Grab the Demo on November 6
Did you know that Left 4 Dead is exactly 3 weeks away from forcing us to put down every other game in our collection to play it? While that is the release date, those waiting in anticipation for the zombie co-op shooter will get a chance to try the game 2 weeks before it hits store shelves and 1 week before anyone else. See, Valve has sweetened the deal for people who have decided to preorder Left 4 Dead (that’s me!) by giving them access to the demo on November 6 instead of the full out launch of the demo on November 11.
If you are one of the many itching to get your hands on Valve’s most recent IP – Left 4 Dead – preordering the title will get you the game nearly a week early. Valve just announced that preordering Left 4 Dead will result in access to the official demo on Thursday, November 6 for both Xbox 360 and PC systems.
The bonus also applies to games preordered through Valve’s digital distribution service – Steam. The demo will then go live for everyone to check out on November 11, and will conclude on November 18 when the retail version hits shelves.
“Every time someone plays Left 4 Dead, we witness the most overwhelmingly positive reaction that we’ve seen from any of our games,” said Gabe Newell, president and co-founder of Valve. “This gives us tremendous confidence in the product and why we’ve taken the game on the road, produced this pre-launch demo, and invested more advertising dollars on the title than any prior release from Valve.” — Game Informer
I’ll check out the demo at some point but with all of the games I have at the moment, I won’t be putting a ton of time into it. I’m already sold on Left 4 Dead, it’s paid for, I’ll play the hell out of it – you should to. What I really find interesting about all of this is that the demo is dropping November 6. I seem to remember some other game coming out the very next day. Hmmm…
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Tomb Raider Underworld Demo Now Available on Xbox Live
Just a friendly little reminder, courtesy of Major Nelson: The Xbox Live Marketplace demo of Tomb Raider Underworld is now available, and will only cost you a paltry 1.3GB of storage space.
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Media: Gears of War 2 Launch Trailer
So, have you heard? There’s not going to be a Gears of War 3. Seriously, I heard the guy in the trailer say as much! See for yourself:
“Humanity faces extinction, unless we end this war… now!”
See? Right there. So there are your choices: You win, and then there’s nothing left to fight, or you lose, and you’re extinct. Either way, that doesn’t sound like much room for a “3,” does it? Oh, sure, you may say I’m just exaggerating, but come on, really. What other possibility could there be?
Either way, it won’t be long now before the fight for survival continues.
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Hendrix and Raconteurs Coming to Guitar Hero DLC; Hendrix Hatin’ on the Wii?
Hmm, this is an interesting press release we’ve received from Activision. An excerpt:The Raconteurs Track Pack and Jimi Hendrix Track Pack will be available on Xbox LIVE® Marketplace for Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft for 440 Microsoft Points and on the PLAYSTATION®Store for the PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system for $5.49. In addition, the three tracks from The Raconteurs Track Pack will be released as single downloadable songs for Xbox 360 for 160 Microsoft Points, PLAYSTATION 3 system for $1.99 and Nintendo® Wi-Fi Connection for Wii™ for 200 Wii Points. — Press ReleaseSounds like the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 are sitting pretty in Hendrix’ house, but the Wii has been shut out of half the party. Is this a sign of things to come for future Guitar Hero Wii DLC?
The full release is after the cut.
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RedOctane and Activision Issue Statement Regarding Guitar Hero World Tour Drum Problems
We mentioned yesterday that some proud new owners of Guitar Hero World Tour were facing some difficulties with the set, most notably the included drums. Today, Activision has issued an official statement to address the situation:We have learned that certain drum kit controllers manufactured for Guitar Hero World Tour have sensitivity issues. We believe that these controllers are limited to ones in the earlier manufacturing stages. While we believe that this was an isolated manufacturing issue, we are stepping our efforts to randomly test our drum kit controllers so customers can be assured they work properly. In the event any consumers do experience problems with their drum kit controllers associated with sensitivity issues, Activision will soon be offering a drum tuning kit that will enable players to fully optimize their drums.
Our goal would be to immediately address any hardware issues Guitar Hero World Tour players have with the game. Consumers should visit the Activision Publishing customer support website at www.activision.com/support website or call 310 255-2050 in the U.S. where a customer care representative will assist them. Activision is fully committed to the highest quality manufacturing standards, and to satisfying every Guitar Hero World Tour fan so they can enjoy the best musical gaming experience ever created. — RedOctane/Activision Customer Support CenterI would hope there is no charge for the drum tuning kit which they’re offering.
Update:
We’ve now learned that the kit is a Windows application which allows you to calibrate the drums to your liking, and Activision says it should be available soon.
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