New Xbox Live record met

Last week, shortly after the release of war game Goliath Modern Warfare 2, Microsoft's Major Nelson reported via Twitter that Xbox Live had reached a new milestone. For the first time ever, over 2 million users were signed on to Xbox Live all at once.

That calls for some oversized text to be aligned in the center as a means of celebration. Ready?

Happy 2,000,000 Xbox Live!

Keep your eye on these XBLA games

Hey folks. Been wondering what to check out on XBLA? Luckily for you, I've got a quick guide of the new and the old essentials. But before you spend your hard-earned money, be sure to play the demos. Here's a short list:

NEW:

- TMNT Turtles In Time Re-Shelled - A remake of TMNT Turtles In Time, the classic arcade game. If you liked the original, you'll like this one.



- 'Splosion Man - You play a man made out of explosions. It's made by the same people who made The Maw.



- Marvel Vs. Capcom 2 - The old Dreamcast game gets re-released. Play as Spider-Man, Mega Man, Captain America or Ryu. It's a great fighting game.



OLD:

- Peggle - The mind-blowingly addictive puzzle game.



- Castle Crashers - The incredible 2D beat-em-up.



- Braid - The gorgeous puzzle platformer.



- Geometry Wars Retro Evolved 2 - Another gorgeous puzzle game in the vein of Asteroids (if Asteroids was colorful and harder).



Well those are my picks. Any that I've forgotten?

An Xbox E3 Roundup

OK, so this one is going to have to be a bit more abridged, but here are some of the highlights from Microsoft.

Xbox 360

- Assassin's Creed 2 gets a November 17 release date. Trailer.
- The Beatles Rock Band is looking amazing. Harmonizing vocals, downloadable Abbey Road, awesome plastic instruments and an awesome intro video.
- Brutal Legend still looks great. Jack Black gets electrocuted and Ozzy Osbourne joins the line-up (meanwhile, Dio mysteriously disappears from it). Trailer.
- DJ Hero exists. Trailer.
- Final Fantasy XIII looking at a 2010 release date. Trailer.
- Halo 3: ODST gets September 22 release, will feature four-player co-op. Trailer.
- Left 4 Dead 2 is luckily not titled Left 4 Dead Again and will hit stores on November 17 (alongside its assassin brother listed above). Four new characters will be featured in gameplay. Extremely violent trailer.
- LEGO Rock Band looks charming, totally unnecessary. Trailer.
- Metal Gear Solid Rising is coming to the Xbox 360. Teaser trailer.
- Project Natal is revealed - it's like a Wiimote for the 360. Cool?
- Tony Hawk Ride to be played with a skateboard peripheral controller. Great Yeah Yeah Yeahs-laden trailer.
- XBLA Summer of Arcade to feature TMNT: Turtles In Time Re-shelled, 'Splosion Man, Marvel Vs. Capcom 2 and Monkey Island Special Edition.
- Oh, and Facebook, Twitter, Last.fm, and a special Games On Demand service were all announced for Xbox Live. Again, cool?

OK, so that's the bulk of it, folks. Any notable omissions? I ran through this really fast.

'Marvel vs. Capcom 2' heads to XBLA and PSN this summer

Perhaps in my entire college career so far, one of the greatest times I had playing a video game was playing Marvel vs. Capcom 2 for the Sega Dreamcast. A couple of friends had unearthed an old Dreamcast, and we decided to battle Mega Man and Spider-Man.

I couldn't tell you how many times the phonetic pronunciation of the term "K.O." was screamed that day ("KOOOOOOO!"). Great stuff.

The game will be out this summer for XBLA and PSN. Excellent news for the 2D fighters? It is, indeed. I'm just excited to have Iron Man shoot Zangief with an enormous proton cannon.

Here's a video for all you lonely hearts out there.

New this week: Lost & Damned Street Fighters edition

It's finally here: February's equivalent to Christmas. No, not Valentine's Day. Nobody cares about that. I mean the week where they finally release one of the only games that I'll spend a substantial chunk of my paycheck on.

Street Fighter IV, 360/PS3 (02/17) - I'm not sure how many hours in my lifetime I've spent playing any game with the Street Fighter moniker attached. The number is probably embarrassing. Honestly, Capcom needs to stop taking my money, though. They keep producing excellent work. With Mega Man 9 already in the can and with Street Fighter IV, Resident Evil 5 and Bionic Commando all coming out soon, where's all this money supposed to be coming from? Street Fighter IV looks like an excellent addition to the franchise and I am nothing short of excited to get my hands on it. Here's the trailer, but please excuse the terribly written dialogue.



Grand Theft Auto IV: The Lost and Damned, XBLA (02/17) - This is the first of two Xbox 360 exclusive expansions for GTAIV. You play a biker in a gang and you get more music and achievements. This is excellent news for those who rushed in to finish that game after it initially came out.

Some excellent Xbox 360 deals this week

I don't mean to alarm you, but there are deals going on this week that are so outrageous, they could well be a matter of national security.

OK, so that's an enormous overstatement.

Still, take heed that Geoffrey Giraffe is selling a 12-month Xbox Live Gold subscription for $29.99. In the meantime, Old Man Amazon is offering Grand Theft Auto IV: The Lost and Damned with three months of Xbox Live Gold for free.

Even if you already have a subscription to Xbox Live, this could save you money on your next 12 months before that subscription runs out. So bust out the wallet, money bags! Times are tough! Microsoft needs that money!

New Screenshots from "Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix"

There was a time in my life (last year) where I would play Super Street Fighter II while I was on the phone with one of my friends. Over time, if my answers became shorter and if I started taking longer pauses between sentences, one friend would ask, "Are you playing Street Fighter again?"

I love Super Street Fighter II Turbo. It's just as good as the original, but there are more characters to humiliate by pinning them into a corner with some hundred hand slap action. Sometime this fall, Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix (and I think six or seven more words) is coming to the PlayStation Network and the Xbox Live Arcade. Here's a screenshot to give you an idea of how awesome the graphics are.


Click on the image to see the full range of detail. That's Balrog, an American boxer, fighting Dee Jay, a Jamaican kick boxer. Spoiler alert, Balrog wins. They're exciting, these HD remixes. They take the games from your childhood and make them just slightly more perfect. I wonder how shimmery Ken's hair will be?

New Xbox Experience Dated

I've been looking forward to this announcement for quite some time. The New Xbox Experience - the redesign of Xbox Live - is coming on November 19 across the globe. That's right, it's about time that you can stream movies from Netflix, make a cute little avatar and enjoy your Live experience with a hint of class.

You know what game I'm excited for on the New Xbox Experience this fall? Stackenblochen Live.

But in all seriousness, this is one of the reasons why I've been looking forward to getting an Xbox 360. That, and being able to stop pushing nothing but Wii news in your faces. BELIEVE.

"Mega Man 9" Coming Monday, Releases New Screenshots

You know how gamers everywhere have been excited about Mega Man 9? Well all dreams will be realized this Monday, when the game will be released on WiiWare (PSN gets it on Thursday, and Xboxers will have to wait until the 1st). Also, they released some artwork, a la the cartoon shows, for Mega Man's latest foes. Here's what Splash Woman, the first lady of robotic evil, looks like in cartoon form.


Thanks to Destructoid for the image. So who's buying?

E3: The Netflix News

I've mentioned a few times the hush-hush word about a possible Xbox/Netflix fusion plan. Well it has finally been officially announced. Some clever hackers had already come up with a way to do this, but now it has been made completely user friendly. Check it out.

This comes on the heels of other things that are all a part of the new Xbox experience. Translation: I need to buy one for my new apartment.

Mega Man Back in 8 Bit!

I like that the gaming industry is starting to wise up and realize that they need to go back to square one. There's a reason why people still play the original Mario games and Mega Man games. But instead of just going back to the original format, Capcom are taking it a step further. They're going back to the bare bones of graphics: 8-bit!

Mega Man 9 will be released for WiiWare, Xbox Live Arcade, and the PlayStation Network. There are over a dozen new levels and 50 new enemies to battle. What's more, the character designs are being directed by Keiji Inafune, the original character designer of Mega Man. Oh, and did I mention the announcement of the first ever female boss? Authentic, new, and awesome. Can't wait.

The Fab Four Debut a Song on "Rock Band!"

That's right - Mick, Vince, Nikki and Tommy are releasing a brand new song exclusively on Rock Band. Mötley Crüe, baby!

If you were wondering, I really don't care much for them. Really, the only hair metal band song that I ever really, legitimately got into was "Photograph" by Def Leppard. "Saints of Los Angeles" released yesterday on the Xbox Live Arcade and will release tomorrow on the PLAYSTATIONStore. The song will join the likes of "Simple Man" by Skynyrd, "Message in a Bottle" by The Police, and "Call Me" by Blondie. "Saints of Los Angeles" marks the first song to be debuted on Rock Band.

I'd make a "Kickstart My Heart" pun, but it's way too early for that.

WiiWare - What to Expect

Have you heard about WiiWare? Let me drop some knowledge on you.

WiiWare is essentially an extra facet of the Wii Shop Channel. Taking a cue from the Xbox Live Arcade, it will feature games specifically developed for the Wii (you know, instead of the TurboGrafx 16). The new games will hit on May 12, 2008. And what are these games? Let's check it out.

- Defend Your Castle - The bloody stick figure game of little strategy and lots of death. It's unnecessary, and I would recommend playing it online instead of spending five bucks on it. If you want to play it, check it out here.
- Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: My Life as a King - Interesting. Check out the Italian trailer.

- LostWinds - Again, one of the cooler looking things releasing for WiiWare. Control the power of the wind to help a young spirit guide...you know, it just sounds stupid unless you see a picture.

See, there's your little guy, and the blue line is the Wiimote telling him to move - with the power of the wind!

There are only a few examples. Any questions?