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Microsoft is making it even easier to expand your Friends network on Xbox LIVE®, starting with the Fall Dashboard Update on December 4. You’ll be able to check out the friends lists of fellow Xbox LIVE members right from the Dashboard. With this new feature, members can find old friends or connect with new ones within the community of more than eight million people on Xbox LIVE around the globe and send messages and game invites, as well as compare games and Achievements.

With the prevalence of social media websites such as MySpace and FaceBook, this type of capability has largely come to be expected from consumers as a means to relate in an online community. Xbox LIVE continually seeks new ways to better serve the expectations of its members, which often result in free enhancements made available through the bi-annual Dashboard updates.

Friends List Settings
When the Fall Dashboard update is distributed on December 4, the new default setting on Xbox LIVE will be active, enabling members to see the Friends lists of other Xbox LIVE members. If you’d like to keep your friends list private, you can take the following steps to change your settings beginning today:

Log in to www.xbox.com/fof and select one of the three options available for your Gamertag:

• Everyone (only available to members 18 and older)
• Friends only (available to members 13 and older)
• Blocked (available to all members, and automatic for anyone under the age of 13)

Midway, today announced it’s multi-million dollar, global marketing campaign for the highly anticipated and award-winning , expected to release in North America for the Xbox 360 on September 5. The PC and PlayStation 3 versions will follow on September 18 and September 25, respectively. Stranglehold’s marketing campaign, Midway’s most robust campaign ever, is anchored by the pioneering integrated Fox Interactive Media campaign which includes the True to John Woo Short Film Contest, and the special, limited collector’s edition on the PlayStation 3 that features the game and a full-length version of John Woo’s critically acclaimed action film “Hard Boiled” together on the same high-capacity PlayStation 3 Blu-Ray disc. The expansive TV advertising campaign kicked off last week with a sneak peak at Stranglehold and the debut of the winning short film of the True to John Woo Short Film Contest, during the Saturdasian Invasion Film Marathon, on Spike TV.

“Our strategic and unparalleled marketing campaign for Stranglehold has produced immense awareness among consumers,” said Steve Allison, chief marketing officer, Midway. “We’ve reached outside the typical marketing campaign and tapped into new avenues to reach the mass consumer.”

The Stranglehold marketing campaign will cover all pertinent mediums worldwide and include:

• National television advertising campaign on multiple mainstream broadcast and cable networks such as Spike TV, ESPN, MTV, USA Networks, Comedy Central, and Cartoon Network.
• Outdoor advertising such as billboards, bus shelters, trolley cars and wallscapes in top markets including New York, San Francisco and Los Angeles
• Sponsorship of Spike TV’s Saturdasian Invasion Film Marathon on August 18 beginning at 2pm ET.
• Aggressive online campaign to top-tier enthusiast and mainstream consumer sites including MySpace, IGN, Team Xbox, IMDB, GameSpot, GamesRadar, and Rotten Tomatoes.
• Demo on Xbox LIVE! Marketplace, PlayStation Store and PC
• National pre-sell programs at select retailers, where gamers can pre-order Stranglehold and receive Stranglehold branded items such as a shot glass, Xbox faceplate skin, and a special edition John Woo comic book.
• Dedicated web presence at http://www.strangleholdgame.com, http://strangleholdcentral.ign.com/, and http://www.myspace.com/strangleholdgame
• Special, limited edition PlayStation 3 collector’s edition featuring the game and a full-length version of John Woo’s critically acclaimed action film “Hard Boiled” together on the same high-capacity PlayStation 3 Blu-Ray disc. While supplies last.
• Special, limited edition Xbox 360 collector’s edition featuring a behind-the-scenes documentary, extended in-game cinematics with commentary, a sound design featurette, and a look at the visual style of Stranglehold. While supplies last.
• Various video vignettes and trailers on enthusiast Web sites highlighting various game modes
• Press events where enthusiast and mainstream, print and online, media can play pre-release versions of Stranglehold
• Stranglehold’s True to John Woo Short Film Contest which received over 300 entries
• Various sweepstakes with different partners including; PLAY! Magazine, GamesRadar.com and IGN.com
• Cross promotion with Genius Products in conjunction with their Dragon Dynasty DVD collection, including the recent release of “Hard Boiled”
• Sponsorships of major U.S. Asian film festivals in Los Angeles and New York