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Rumor: Bungie IS Dropping Microsoft Like a Hot Potato

Move along there is nothing to see here, Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain! Says the Microsoft Rumor security Force.

While the majority of Internet denizens are stating that this could never happen and that it’s not true, we’ve heard the opposite. From a source close to Bungie, Game Informer has learned this rumor has some merit. It looks like with Halo 3, Bungie really is finishing the fight.

Game Informer checked with its own sources and reports that Bungie and Microsoft separated on October 1, 2007. According to the magazine, Bungie did not wish to be tied down to indefinitely making Halo games. As a result, shareholders of Bungie bought the studio name back from Microsoft for “an unstated, but significant amount of money.”

Microsoft will retain all rights to the Halo franchise, assuring that the Master Chief will never grace competitors’ systems, and will also hold “the right of first refusal on future games,” meaning that Halo 3 probably won’t be the last Xbox 360 exclusive title from Bungie Studios.

Spider-Man: Friend or Foe In Stores Now

Spider-Man: Friend or Foe hits Retail Stores Nationwide.

It’s time to experience the ultimate fighting team as Spider-Man unites with popular super-heroes and powerful super-villains from the movie trilogy and beyond in Spider-Man: Friend or Foe from Activision, Inc.. Throughout the game’s original story and thrilling battles, players are challenged to defeat and then join forces with notorious movie foes including Doc Ock, Green Goblin, Venom and Sandman, as well as others from the classic Spider-Man family of characters, and embark on a global quest to overcome an evil threat.

“Inspired by both the Spider-Man film trilogy and the classic Spider-Man comics, Spider-Man: Friend for Foe is a unique take on the most successful Super Hero franchise of all time,” said Rob Kostich, vice president, global brand management, Activision, Inc. “For the first time ever in a Spider-Man game, Spider-Man: Friend or Foe features a unique co-op mode in which a friend can join the game at any time and take control of Spider-Man’s sidekick as they battle side-by-side and replay favorite levels.”

As the Spider-Man: Friend or Foe experience unravels, Spider-Man and his sidekicks unlock a variety of arenas and secret areas containing special tokens which allow players to revisit previously explored levels at any time as well as fortify their cache of collectables and power upgrades. Gamers can also replay levels as Spider-Man’s darker, more mysterious persona, Black-Suited Spider-Man, and experience a robust Versus mode, with multiple arenas, where players match up any two characters and battle it out to see who wins.

Spider-Man: Friend or Foe is available now for the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and the Wii home video game system from Nintendo for a suggested retail price of $49.99, the PlayStation 2 computer entertainment system and PSP (PlayStation Portable) system for $39.99, the Nintendo DS for $29.99 and the PC for $19.99. The game is rated “E10+”

The Gears of War Facts and Only The Facts

Here are the Facts and only the facts for the upcoming title Gears of War for the PC.

“Gears of War,” a Games for Windows title, features the amazing tactical action and multiplayer excitement found in the critically acclaimed “Gears of War” for the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system that sold more than 3.5 million units, and a variety of all-new content, including three new multiplayer maps, a new multiplayer game type, Game Editor, five new campaign chapters and DirectX 10 support.
“Gears of War” thrusts gamers into a deep and harrowing story of humankind’s epic battle for survival against the Locust Horde, a nightmarish race of creatures that surface from the bowels of the planet.

With “Gears of War,” Epic Games returns gamers to the massively scoped worlds, memorable characters, cooperative gameplay and hyper-realistic combat that gamers have come to expect from the franchise, plus a few new surprises.

*Frag-filled new content. “Gears of War” will feature locations that are unique to the franchise and the genre. Players will encounter all their favorite foes from the Xbox 360 version; however, these intense encounters will take place in some new environments and allow players to manipulate the new game modes and technology found only in the Games for Windows title. Boasting three new multiplayer maps, a new multiplayer game type, Game Editor, five new campaign chapters and DirectX 10 support, “Gears of War,” will challenge and push the limits of the PC gaming experience and provide an unparalleled visual presentation. *Engaging and disturbing cinematic story. Movie-like cut scenes, cinematic camera moves and in-game storytelling bring the brutal, emotionally charged narrative to life. Gamers control Marcus Fenix and his fire team as they pit advanced technology against the overwhelming and horrific Locust Horde.*Unmatched online gaming. “Gears of War” will tap into the power of Games for Windows — LIVE to deliver online matchmaking for its Gold account members. The service will enable gamers around the world to connect via their PCs, allowing players to experience individualized matchmaking, view player statistics, earn player Achievements, customize games and create personalized profiles.*New Game Editor. The game will also feature the all-new Game Editor, guaranteeing new user-generated content in the future. The “Gears of War” community will be able to tap its endless creative potential to develop an unlimited number of user-created levels through complete access to the Unreal Editor. Using the new engine, players can now import custom artwork into the engine, create particle systems, scripted encounters, cinematics and more.*Astounding visuals in next-generation gaming. “Gears of War” ushers in the next generation with incredible visuals, pushing DirectX 10 visual designs and bringing out the smallest details in the largest battle. Gamers experience a rich, dynamic world with a supreme level of detail. Characters come to life with unbelievable model quality and a physics-integrated animation system that has them truly reacting intelligently to events unfolding around them.

*Hyper-realistic and intense combat. In “Gears of War” the battlefield is a lethal place — to foolishly stand out in the open is to invite an untimely demise. To survive, gamers must employ strategy, take cover using the interactive and dynamic environments, and suppress the enemy with blind fire, using their weapons and teammates to outwit and outfight their terrifying enemies.

Xbox 360 World in Conflict Delayed

The forthcoming Xbox 360 version of Massive Entertainment’s World in Conflict won’t see a release anytime soon. Originally slated for a fall 2007 release, publisher Sierra said today the title will come to Microsoft’s console some time in 2008.

2 New Xbox 360 Bundles For Christmas?

Two new Xbox 360 bundles look like they will be showing up for Christmas this year. The new bundles are already showing up on BestBuy.com and should be the same for all retailers across the board.

The “Microsoft Xbox 360 Elite Bundle” will contain the Xbox 360 Elite console along with two games, Forza Motorsport 2 and Marvel: Ultimate Alliance. Best Buy is listing the price for this bundle as $449.99, the same price that the Xbox 360 Elite currently retails for alone.

The second bundle is similar to the first bundle, but contains an Xbox 360 Premium instead of an Elite along with two games, Forza Motorsport 2 and Marvel: Ultimate Alliance. This bundle will retail for $349.99, that’s what the Xbox 360 Premium retails for currently without a bundle.

**Update** Well It looks like BestBuy has taken this down. What this says about the bundles we will see

**Update 2** Doing more searching and the bundles are still showing up around the net. The Model number for the Elite is 52V-00004 and the Pro is 52T-00057 Check this link out for Google confirmation on the bundle.

Halo 3 Pulls Down Over $170 Million in the First 24 Hours

Microsoft today announced that the Xbox 360 exclusive game “Halo 3” has officially become the biggest entertainment launch in history, garnering an estimated $170 million in sales in the United States alone in the first 24 hours. The Xbox 360 title beat previous records set by blockbuster theatrical releases like “Spider-man 3” and novels such as “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.”

Within the first 20 hours alone, we’ve seen more than a million Xbox LIVE members come online to play Halo 3 – that makes September 25 the most active Xbox LIVE gaming day in history.”

More than 10,000 retailers hosted Midnight Madness events to celebrate the launch of this third installment in the billion-dollar franchise. In New York, Seattle, Miami and Los Angeles, Microsoft and retail partners hosted marquee launch events that featured contests and appearances by local celebrities and professional athletes who are fanatical about the “Halo” franchise, including Ludacris and Zac Efron and Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates.

More than 1.7 million copies of “Halo 3” were preordered in the United States before a single store opened its doors at midnight, Sept. 25, making this the fasting pre-selling game in history, surpassing the previous record-setting pre-sales of “Halo 2.” Well beyond just a U.S. phenomenon, the launch of “Halo 3” was a worldwide celebration that released in 37 countries and available in 17 languages.

Halo 3 Mimobot - Designer USB Drives With Exclusive Content

Mimoco announced today a brand new crossover in their line of mimobot Designer USB Flash Drives, the Halo mimobot Series 1, in celebration of the overwhelmingly popular sci-fi shooter’s third and final game. Licensed by Microsoft and Bungie Studios, the Halo mimobot Series 1 will be available in three limited-edition colorways – Master Chief Green (edition of 5,000), Red Spartan and Blue Spartan (3,000 each). Halo mimobot Series 1 is now open for pre-orders at Mimoco and will be released officially at E for All Expo in Los Angeles on October 18th.

The tradition of preloading mimobot Designer USB Flash Drives with exclusive digital content continues with the Halo mimobot Series 1. Each Halo mimobot will contain a wide variety of Halo-related media, from wallpapers, screensavers, and soundBytes™ to unpublished pages from the Marvel Halo comics, sections from the Halo 3 strategy guide, and excerpts from the upcoming Halo novel. Additionally, the in-game talk show “This Spartan Life” has provided Mimoco with an exclusive episode only available on the Halo mimobot Series 1.

Mimobots are the world’s first character-based Designer USB Flash Drives. Previous releases have included Star Wars, Happy Tree Friends, and a variety of artist crossovers, as well as Mimoco’s original Core Series characters. The Halo mimobot Series 1 will be available in 1GB ($49.95), 2GB ($69.95) and 4GB ($109.95) capacities, are high-speed USB 2.0, and are compatible with both PC and Mac platforms. As with normal flash drives, Mimobot Art Toy USB Flash Drives can be used with the Xbox 360 as well, and preloaded images and sounds can be accessed through the Xbox Dashboard. Learn more about Mimoco and mimobot Designer USB Flash Drives at www.mimoco.com.

Exclusive Content for Xbox LIVE Gold Members

All you have to do is click on the the Unite to Fight ad in Xbox LIVE to get access to this content:

1. Halo 3 Theme – Available starting tonight at midnight
2. Halo 3 Gamerpic – Available starting tonight at midnight
3. “Inside Bungie: Halo 3 – The Story” video: Interviews with the Bungie team. Available on Thursday, Sept 27
4. “Inside Bungie: Halo 3 – New Features” video: Interviews with the Bungie team about the new Halo 3 game features. Available on Friday, Sept 28

Source: Gamerscore

Hard Hitting Saints Row 2 Announced

THQ Inc. today announced Saints Row 2, sequel to the title that redefined open-world gaming for next-generation consoles, is scheduled to deliver all new, genre-defining features and game play for the Xbox 360 and the PLAYSTATION 3 in 2008.

Saints Row 2 is set years after the original Saints Row in a Stilwater both familiar and strange. The explosive conclusion to Saints Row has left the player wounded, betrayed and thirsty for revenge, and now it’s time to take back the city that has forgotten him. A sequel to the first open-world title on next-generation consoles, Saints Row 2 features all new customization options, including gender, age, voice, crib and gang customization.

The sandbox just got larger with a totally transformed and expanded city of Stilwater, offering all new locations to explore with new vehicles, including motorcycles, boats, helicopters and planes. Saints Row 2 will be playable online in 2-player co-op through the entire single-player campaign or in the all new open-world competitive multiplayer mode never before seen in the genre.

EA Unraps It’s New sci-fi horror Game Dead Space

Electronic Arts today announced that Dead Space will introduce a new experience to the sci-fi horror genre. In the brilliant, bold and often-bloody Dead Space gamers will step into a third-person sci-fi survival horror experience that promises to deliver psychological thrills and gruesome action.

Set in the cold blackness of deep space, the atmosphere is soaked with a feeling of tension, dread and sheer terror. In Dead Space, players step into the role of engineer Isaac Clarke – an ordinary man on a seemingly routine mission to fix the communications systems aboard a deep space mining ship. It is not long before Isaac awakes to a living nightmare when he learns that the ship’s crew has been ravaged by a vicious alien infestation. He must fight through the dead silence and darkness of deep space to stay alive.

Under development at EA Redwood Shores, Dead Space is expected to ship in Fall 2008 for the PLAYSTATION 3 computer entertainment system and Xbox 360 videogame and entertainment system. This product is not yet rated by PEGI or ESRB.