Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six: Vegas is gearing up again. Today, Ubisoft released a sort-of miniature expansion pack for the popular Xbox Live shooter with The Player’s Pack: Red Edition. The new DLC includes five new multiplayer maps and also comes with Assassination and Total Conquest, two brand new online games modes.
The Player’s Pack: Red Edition is available for 800 Microsoft Points ($10).
It’s been close to a decade since Dance Dance Revolution took the world by storm. Who would have thought stepping on arrows could ever been so popular? Now as we’re entering the next-generation of consoles, DDR is following suit with the first DDR game for the Xbox 360, Dance Dance Revolution Universe. Sold alongside a 360-enabled dance pad, Universe displays a lot of qualities seen in the Ultramix series and takes advantage of Xbox Live with online play and leaderboards. Probably what is most evident is that players of any difficulty level can get into the game with the new tutorials geared towards beginners. Although there are a few low spots in the quest mode and online play, Dance Dance Revolution Universe holds a formidable pace in the DDR universe.
Maybe the best way to begin this review is to say that I myself am a complete novice when it comes to DDR. That being the case, it’s a good thing that Universe is probably the most beginner-friendly version the series has seen thus far. Even if you’ve never set foot on a dance pad in your life, Universe dumbs it down to the most basic of concepts by not only adding in a lengthy (if not monotonous) dance pad tutorial but an entire difficulty mode tailored to the dance-impaired. Series veterans will surely want to forego all of this, as things can get right down to hand-holding standards. Seeing as how this is the first next-gen DDR, though, it seems appropriate that Universe makes a point of educating the masses in foot-stepping.
Once you clear through Game Mode Lite, (or just completely bypass it altogether) you’ll have access to the Master Edition, which has a seemingly endless line of game modes to choose from. There’s probably everything that DDR fans have come to expect, including the basic game mode where you play through songs and party mode that allows for local multiplayer. Quest mode is also available, where you go through North America completing challenges to earn money. Challenge mode, workout mode, and even an edit mode where you can create your own step-lists make Universe a pretty large experience.
As for the track listing, it varies between different genres. Tracks by Chris Brown, Goldfrapp, Cascada, Depeche Mode, a remix of Kylie Minogue’s A
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It’s Wednesday again, and Microsoft continues its streak of releases on Xbox Live Arcade for the fifth week in a row. This Wednesday sees the release of [i]Jetpac Refuelled[/i], an update of the classic game made by Ultimate, the predecessor of Rare, in 1983.
[i]Refuelled[/i] has you playing as an astronaut on several alien worlds. It’s your mission to zap the aliens while collecting the parts and fuel to build a spaceship to get off the planet and finish the level. As the usual standard, a demo is also available showcasing the first two levels of the game. Like [i]Geometry Wars[/i], the game features both a “Retro” version as well as the enhanced “Refuelled” version, and like most classic arcade games, goes for 400 Microsoft Points.
The Playstation 3 has just recently been launched in Europe and Australia, and Microsoft isn’t just sitting back and watching. While its no secret that the launch events in both territories have been far less dramatic than the frenzied launch in Japan and North America last November, Microsoft isn’t taking any chances.
In Paris, France, Microsoft decided to crash the launch party surrounding the Playstation 3. Not that there was much of a party to speak of, [url=http://www.jeux-france.com/news19695_la-playstation-3-sort-en-europe.html]judging by these images[/url] of the PS3 launch party (the site is in French but images are located down the page). At any rate, Microsoft played their card and sent a boat with a friendly message reminding PS3 enthusiasts that [url=http://kotaku.com/gaming/only-in-france/xbox-crashes-french-ps3-launch-246475.php]Xbox 360 loves them a lot[/url]. Creepy, but flattering.
Meanwhile, in New Zealand where the Xbox 360 is celebrating its one-year anniversary, Microsoft used the PS3’s high price to try and turn gamers away from the PS3, whose launch also happens to share the Xbox 360’s NZ birthday. How is Microsoft doing it? With alcohol, of course. [url=http://www.nzgamer.com/news-all-1668]480 dollars worth of beer[/url] to be exact, which happens to be the price difference between the Xbox 360 ($719.95) and the PS3 (1199.95). The ad-campaign? “What would you buy with $480?”
In some cases, however, Microsoft hasn’t the need to step in. That’s because in many places, launch events are turning out far less gigantic than they did in the U.S., including mild launches in [url=http://www.theage.com.au/news/games/playtime-for-midnights-children/2007/03/23/1174153291466.html?page=fullpage#contentSwap1]Australia[/url], France, and the [url=http://technology.guardian.co.uk/weekly/story/0,,2039112,00.html]the United Kingdom[/url]. With many retailers also heavily stocked in the United States, this shouldn’t make for a pleasant read back at Sony HQ in Tokyo.
Could this mean trouble for Sony? That, my friends, would be an understatement.
Did you miss out on playing the three Burger King games because your arteries wimped out? Well, now you can get the three wonderfully bad titles without having to order up a Whopper, because [url=https://shop.bk.com/SearchResult.aspx?CategoryID=5]Burger King[/url] is now selling the games in their online store. Now you can buy [i]Big Bumpin'[/i], [i]PocketBike Racer[/i], or [i]Sneak King[/i] without the cardiac arrest. Each one costs $3.99, or you can order the whole set for $10.99. Unfortunately, [url=http://arstechnica.com/journals/thumbs.ars/2007/03/19/burger-king-games-now-for-sale-directly-online]according to this website[/url], shipping will cost an extra 11 bucks and there are a limited amount of sets available.
These cholesterol jokes have been brought to you by Snackbar Games.
