Well folks, it's finally become a reality. Viva Piñata is getting a true and proper sequel in Viva Piñata: Trouble in Paradise. The details come by way of an accidental uploading of some screens to Microsoft's Game Day 2008 press site. The game will be available in September 2008.


So, right off the bat, one thing you should notice about this screenshot is the two cursors, which would indicate, that VP2 will include true co-operative play! (the original VP would only allow two controllers to share a single cursor) Other screens show different weather effects and climates, including a snowy environment, and new piñatas. Check out Xbox 360 Fanboy's screenshot gallery for the full-size versions of the below thumbs. Colour me excited! Hopefully this game launches sometime this year. [Story also via X3F]



Update: Some additional details come by way of the latest Game Informer magazine. It is confirmed that the game will feature two player drop-in-drop-out co-operative play, a trading card system (?), over thirty new pinatas and a photo mode (sorry GhostGundam, no more piñata custom portraits, it seems...). There will also be increased interaction between the piñatas and the environment, more piñata to piñata interaction (they mimic eachother and play follow the leader), toys for the piñatas including musical instruments, spaced-themed toys, and trains that the piñatas can ride around the garden in (wow).  It also promises to use the Xbox Live Vision Camera and game-generated codes to share objects with other Xbox Live users, including custom designed piñatas, buildings or abilities, the weather and more. All-in-all, it's shaping up to be an incredible leap in functionality and a worthy sequel to the original Viva Piñata. [Update via X3F] Digging deeper reveals that the snowy climate shown in the thumbnails above is actually a subarea called the Piñarctic that players can visit to set traps for piñatas. There will also be a "dessert" environment (that's probably an intentional candy-themed typo for "desert").



Update 2: Looks like Microsoft is read to let the cat out of the bag and have updated their website with a fresh new VP2 page. Additional details gleaned include: releases September 2008, some more focus on a storyline, as "as Professor Pester and his gang of Ruffians have wiped out Piñata Central's computer records, posing a threat to parties everywhere. Rebuild the computer database and thwart Professor Pester's evil plot by sending piñatas at full candiosity to parties all around the world." Sand and snow can indeed be placed in the garden. Special objects can be purchased to change the weather. The number of new species is 32, bringing the species total to over 100! From the looks of it, the 2-player co-op won't be available  over Xbox Live, but "second player has access to all tools, actions, activities, and can help by collecting magic". In addition to the traditional mode, there will be a "Just for Fun" mode "which allows you to build a garden full of colorful creatures without worries" (presumably without monetary constraints and the invasion of Pester/goons/sours and species conflicts). The Piñata Vision allows you to "scan" a card with your camera to add content to the game. Also, "[p]hotograph your piñata and turn it into a piñata card, then share it with your friends so they can scan it and put it into their own garden." There will also be a "trick stick tool. Watch as piñatas play together, perch on each other, and interact in new ways to make them even more appealing." Very promising news indeed. Just 4 months away! [Thanks for the heads up, Gh0sT B4cKFir3]

Update 3: 10 seconds of joy (see 0:49 to 0:59). [Via X3F]

Once again, I must apologize for this week's digest being a couple days whole week late late. The arrival of GTA IV, the return of my son, and the end of the month all led to a very hectic week last week for me, as you may have noticed there was a distinct lack of updates after the midnight launch story. So this week, to make up for it, I bring you a double digest, two weeks of news packed into one thirst-quenching post!

Wits and Wagers is this week's XBLA release - after last week's complete lack of XBLA release (it was deemed that GTA IV would completely overshadow any release), this week brings us another trivia title Wits and Wagers. If you've already got a big-button controller from Scene It!, you're in luck, because it's compatible with this game. Apparently the Xbox Live Vision camera is also used "interestingly", according to X3F. Thanks for being completely cryptic, guys! Anyhow, XBLA profile page here, and giving the trial a test drive is of course, recommended.

Grand Theft Auto IV smashes sales records like an elbow to a car window - beating analyst estimates, GTA IV laid a thorough pwning on Halo 3's paltry $170 million first-day sales record, racking in an amazing $310 million in its first 24 hours and over $500 million in the first week (that's almost 6 million copies moved). I'd love to see the look on the faces of any of those fools who tendered their Take Two shares to EA in the past two months. [Via Xbox 360 Fanboy]

the sequel is a lie not coming until 2009 and probably on a disc - a follow-up to the surprise hit Portal (included on The Orange Box compilation) unfortunately won't be hitting store shelves this year. I can't say I disagree with the rationale for the delay, as Valve spokesperson Doug Lombardi explained the "successor [to Portal] has to be equally as revolutionary as the first". [Via X3F] It was also reported that Valve toyed with the idea of using the Xbox Live Arcade as a distribution mechanism for the next Portal (they love that digital distribution stuff), but Microsoft's size limits put the kibosh on that. [also via Xbox 360 Fanboy]

Breet Farve to grace the cover of Madeen '09 - I'm not sports fan, but apparently this is A Big Deal™ so I would be remiss not to report on it. I'm also told that you'll have the ability to do user-driven touchdown celebrations as well as return missed field goals, whatever that means. oh, and there's some more deets over at Xbox 360 Fanboy.

Grand Theft Auto IV steals Xbox Live top spot from Call of Duty 4 - did anyone really doubt this would happen? GTA IV sped into the top spot for games being played whilst connected to Xbox Live in its first week, usurping Call of Duty 4 from the number one spot it had held for 12 weeks straight after wrestling it from Halo 3's mjolnir-covered hands. [Via Major Nelson]

get orientated to Xbox Live with X-Play (NSFW!) - I became a big fan of G4TV while I was visiting the in-laws, mostly due to the complete lack of Xbox 360 while I was there. When I came back to Canada, I realized we had a form of G4TV called "G4TechTV" - but it has a distinct lack of Ninja Warrior, and I was sad. But at least I can check out Olivia Munn bobbing for a hot dog once in a while. anyhow, check out this n.s.f.w. segment from X-Play which ought be required viewing for new Xbox Live users: Xbox Live Orientation. [Via X3F]



new Prince of Persia title launches this holiday season - the press release from Ubisoft promises a sequel "featuring a new breed of gameplay. The game is poised to rejuvenate the action-adventure genre in addition to introducing a brand-new illustrative art style." I've just never managed to get into a Prince of Persia title (I bought it for original Xbox and never played it) but hopefully the 'cheevments will call my name. [Via X3F] From what I hear, the controlling-time gameplay element will be absent. [more details and some screens at X3F]

Bourne Conspiracy demo available - but who has time to play it? - if you can drag yourself away from Liberty City, you might want to check out this demo now available from the Xbox Live Marketplace. or not. your choice.
Remember folks, even if you hate Matt Damon, this is a book tie-in, not a movie tie-in! [Via X3F]

some Rock Band track to be discounted for a limited time - still haven't managed to snag me a copy of Rock Band, but I know it's got a huge following, so I thought I should let you folks know they're having some reduced prices (to 80 msp per song) going on over the next few weeks.  Major Nelson has the details. Oh, by the way, you have McDonald's to thank for these deals - so,... go buy a quarter-pounder or something. [Via X3F]

Well folks... After grabbing a few last straggling achievements in Vegas 2 (The House Always Wins!), I headed out to the mall slightly before 11 PM. I took with me my PlayStation Portable locked 'n' loaded with GTA: Liberty City Stories, and a folding lawn chair. On the way, I picked up some rations - some sour candy, a can of Coke, and a large Tim Hortons™ coffee (double-double). I was in line about 11 PM and they hadn't let us in the mall yet, and the last breath of a long Canadian winter nipped at my face. As I unfolded my chair, I received a few jealous glances as people commented what a great idea it was to bring a chair (n00bs!). Initially it looked like there was only around 25-30 people ahead of me, but when they finally let us in the mall, I saw there was another 15-20 people who had apparently been waiting from as early as 5 PM!



Anyhow, as you can see, things looked promising. I figured I'd be out by 12:30...12:45 at the latest. I ended up leaving the PSP in the car, so I fraternized with my fellow fanboys as the excitement grew in the line. We poked at a touchscreen display advertisement for the new mobile phone company, Koodo (which I learned is really only a thinly disguised subsidiary of Telus), and wondered why they would choose such hideous females to put in their advertisements.

While we waited patiently, the EB Games employees tried to keep us entertained with trivia, querying us on the exact release date for the original Grand Theft Auto - the correct answer would net one lucky fanboy an empty oversized GTA display box (...).  For the first time, Wikipedia failed me and only gave a general release timeframe of "1997". A follow-up trivia question asked how many pre-orders that particular store had for GTA IV (the answer was 335) which the lad in front of me guessed and received a single movie-admission pass (luckily most nerds don't have girlfriends!). Anyhow, if I haven't made it obvious, I was pretty unimpressed with these giveaways (after all, Best Buy was giving away a GTA IV Special Edition 360 Elite, and Future Shop at least had GTA baseball caps). But, as I reminded myself, I came here because it was closest to home and (I presumed) would get me playing the soonest. By that time, the line had grown to a great length of nearly 150 people...


12:01 AM came and went and yet the line did not budge one inch. I craned my neck to look to the front of the line, and saw no activity whatsoever... What was going on? I half-heartedly tried to start a minor stir or at least lighten the mood, exclaiming in a shrill tone, "what do you mean the shipment didn't come in?" By the time 12:10 rolled around, I was starting to get ticked off. Then the EB Games employee came around telling us it would be "just 10 more minutes" because their computers were slow and their printer was jammed. WTF?! Isn't this the kind of stuff you ought check at, I don't know... 11:45 PM? Anyhow, the line didn't start moving until 12:25 or so, but at least it started moving at a good chop.

Anyhow, I was out of there just before 1 AM and I rolled up the complimentary poster they gave me and briskly walked back to my car. Using the trusty scissors I had the forethought to bring, I cracked open that bad boy and popped the soundtrack into my six-disc changer and blasted the first track as I peeled out of the parking lot in full GTA form. After a brief momentary lapse in reason, I decided not to run any red lights, but was still home within about 5 minutes and booting up my 360. I turned off all the lights, turned the volume way up and watched in excitement as the introduction cutscene began.

Initial impressions... The game does an excellent job of capturing the grimy world that Niko finds himself in, from the dank freighter he arrives on, to his cousin's cockroach infested apartment, to the dark streets of Liberty City. The cars handle much more realistically than in the past GTAs, and it's definitely going to take some getting used to in order to nail the fast corners that I used to pull off with ease. There's a wide range of characters and the voice acting thus far has been pretty solid. The classic humour of GTA is present, as a hot dog vendor cries out "you can't beat our meat!". The initial missions do a good job of acclimating you to the controls without overwhelming you with instructions. There has been one instance where I had to make a decision between two missions - and I'm not sure how far-reaching the consequences of these decisions will be.

The mini-games are fairly well-done, and I've managed to snag the darts and pool achievements, but haven't been able to nail a strike in bowling yet, nor have I tried the arcade game QUB3D. I've already had some 'warm coffee' and been invited up to my first girlfriend's apartment. As far as I can tell, the dating system in this game isn't going to be as annoying as it was in San Andreas, but there is a friendship system much like in The Sims with two different scales: level of friendship and respect. So far I've been chased by the cops twice, the first time was after my first 'jacking and I escaped fairly quickly...the second time was during a mission and they were on me for a good four minutes as I tried to escape their patrol radius.

I'm not sure what I think about the radio stations yet, but the soundtrack CD is great. I listed to it all on the way into work this morning and there's a great mix of bassy hip-hop, to high-energy rap tracks, a bit of rock, some reggae, and some really sweet instrumental jazzy tunes. I didn't get a chance to do any multiplayer, and I decided to go to bed around 4:30 in the morning to catch a few hours of sleep before work. (Didn't help!) Anyhow, look for more impressions in the coming days and weeks - though I'm not sure how much playtime I will have seeing as my son coming back today and all. For those of you who have picked it up... what are your thoughts?

I can barely contain my excitement at the upcoming launch of Grand Theft Auto IV - I'm finding it extremely difficult to concentrate here at work. In less than twelve hours, the most anticipated game of the year will go on sale to fanboys everywhere in the Eastern time zone. Embedded below is some gameplay footage, that I dare not watch (but be my guest - it's apparently Rockstar ninja approved™). [Via X3F]



April 29th heralds not only the return of GTA, but also the return of the king little prince, my beautiful baby boy. My video game time may be curtailed, but that's alright, because I haven't seen him since March 12th! Almost two months... I can't wait to see his smiling face and how much he's changed.

If you pop in your Rainbow Six Vegas 2 disc, you'll be treated to the first title update which fixes the Private First Class & Freedom Shall Prevail achievement issues and resolves the nasty involuntary rank reset issue (in addition to a number of things). Here are the full details (posted by Ubi.LevelUp here) -


[Thanks for the heads up, BluStorm3D]

Welcome to the new and improved wednesday edition™ of the xbox 360 news digest. Both the 360 and PlayStation 3 communities have reached what can only be described as a fever pitch with the impending release of Grand Theft Auto IV less than a week away, marking the franchise's first big step in the seventh generation of home consoles. In fact, earlier this morning, we reported on some tantalizing footage of the game's intro and a slice of gameplay that had made its way onto the 'net. This writer has actually placed two seperate pre-orders for the Special Edition - hedging his bets, so to speak...have you placed yours? Anyways, without further ado, we gladly present to you the juiciest news of the week -

Lost Cities is this weeks XBLA release - this objective of this game is to mount profitable expeditions to one or more of the five lost cities (the Himalayas, the Brazilian Rain Forest, the Desert Sands, the Ancient Volcanos and Neptune's Realm). I'm not gunna lie - I've never heard of this game (I shameless pilfered the above sentence from Wikipedia). Lost Cities will run you the typical 800 Microsoft points and is available now. As is customary, here is a link to the games profile page and a helpful reminder that you can check out the trial before committing yourself to a purchase. But don't play too often, or you might end up looking like that guy --->

Joystiq's brief history of Grand Theft Auto - I'm sure a majority of my readers have been jacking virtual cars from the early days, but that doesn't mean we can't remember our roots. Joystiq's retrospective look at "prior offenses" takes us back to 1997 when GTA IV was but a twinkle in David Jones' eye with the release of Grand Theft Auto. Featuring a top-down view that pulled back when you reached high speed, I played hours upon hours of this initial offering...ah, the sweet sound of a Gouranga. Joystiq gives a a brief but concise overview of each game in the series complete with screenshot galleries, and is highly recommended to GTA fans both old and new as we count down the hours and days to Tuesday, April 29, 2008. Click here for the full article.

You passed go - collect $200! EA to bring Monopoly to the 360 - family gamers rejoice, as Parker Brother's classic board game no longer has to take four hours. EA is promising "a sped-up version of the original game, with some new interactive minigames thrown in" for Xbox 360, Wii and PS2 (yes, PS2). Though, I hope they include a legacy option - I prefer my Monopoly traditional (but you might convince me to throw some cash into Free Parking). I'm calling dibs on the car. [Via Joystiq] Some additional details here (it's looking more and more like they're totally going to fubar it - legacy version please!) [Via X3F]

first full album available now as Rock Band downloadable content - Judas Priest's Screaming for Vengeance was made available yesterday in its entirety for 1200 Microsoft points, or you could opt to download any of the nine songs individually for 160 MSP each (Hint: you save 240 MSP if you download the full album!). I tell you, Harmonix just keeps on piling onto Rock Band's value proposition, and it's making it increasingly difficult for me to stay away (I just think of all the Microsoft points I'm NOT spending...). They also have plans to release several more full albums in the near future, including The Cars' The Cars and Pixies' Doolittle as well as The Who's Who's Next? [Via Xbox 360 Fanboy]

Activision feels the squeeze, announces 'additional instruments' for Guitar Hero IV - no doubt feeling the pressure from Rock Band's landslide popularity, Activision announced that GH4 (not to be confused with Guitar Hero: Aerosmith) will include 'additional instruments' including a microphone for vocals. In related news, GH: Aerosmith will not feature a new instrument, only a new, Aerosmith-inspired faceplate on the same old wireless Les Paul. But look forward to a more "full band" experience in GH IV. Let the Rock Band comparisons commence! [Via Xbox 360 Fanboy]

Sam Fisher, a Glitch in the System, sneak into the Xbox Originals section - This week saw the release of both Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory (great game) and Metal Arms: Glitch in the System (never heard of it, sorry) as Xbox Originals, available for 1200 Microsoft points each, bringing the total number of original Xbox games available from the North American Xbox Live Marketplace to 14. Keep in mind that SC:CT sports a massive 5.39 gigabyte footprint and thus will occupy over 25% of a standard 360 hard drive. (eye can haz 120 gig hard drive???). Metal Arms, on the other arm hand, takes up a modest 1.61 GB. [Via Xbox 360 Fanboy]

Call of Duty re-imagined as...a real-time card game? - When I came across this section of the Call of Duty (series) article in my daily Wikipedia-crawling, I thought to myself "oh emm effing gee, a late April Fools joke..." Imagine my surprise when I found out that it was in fact, not a hoax, and Upper Deck is actually developing the Call of Duty series into a real-time card game. The Call of Duty Real-Time Card Game is "all about moving as quickly as possible to take down your opponents—and survive. Players who have honed their skills playing the video game will find that the same skills apply to the new Upper Deck real-time card game, which has all the strategy of other card games, plus requires the quick reaction time that defines the Call of Duty® franchise. In this game, your soldiers fire, move, dive for cover, and attack the enemy with precision, accuracy, and speed!" If you still think I'm pulling your leg, check out the official website. We can look forward to this exciting new addition to the COD franchise in Fall 2008.

web-based achievements hidden throughout the Internetz- file this under "why didn't I think of that?!". A friend of mine, DjDATZ writes for the fledgling news site 360 sync which has come up with an intriguing way of getting people to diversify their 360-based website portfolio. Entitled "Unlock the Achievement", participants can register to participate in what is billed as "one of the largest Internet-based scavenger hunts in the entire history of the world, ever!" Over four dozen community sites (including, of course, X3F) are participating and cleverly hiding 5 pictures somewhere in their site. Finding and clicking on one of the pictures will unlock one of the 215 available achievements. Prizes are numerous including a 120 GB hard drive that you could use to house your shiny new SC:CT download. My only question is...where's the love DjDATZ? You couldn't even throw one achievement my reader's way? ;> (Note: Because of this virtual cold-shoulder the picture to the right will not actually unlock an achievement in the scavenger hunt!)

Spoiler warning: OK, this time the street date really is broken (or maybe this is the leaked copy). 'Nuff said. Anyways, I only watched a tiny slice of it because I didn't want to spoil anything for myself. Oh, and keep in mind this is the PS3 version. [Via Wikipedia - Thanks, ChimpanzeeUK]

Less than 6 days, folks. 6 days.

Update: It looks like the Take Two ninjas are swiftly eliminating any trace of this wayward footage. I fear for my safety.

Update 2: At great personal risk to my safety, I bring you this new footage. (360 version this time!). [Thanks, uK Armageddon]

Fans of Crackdown and massively multiplayer online games have surely been following the development of "APB" (All Points Bulletin) currently in development by Realtime Worlds (the makers of Crackdown).

The game takes place in a modern-day, fictional city where there is a constant battle raging between "Law Enforcement" and "Gangs", and players decide which side they want to pledge their allegence to. The two sides battle for territory within the city 24 hours a day.

Realtime Worlds recently announced that it had secured USD$50 million in funding for "continued expansion", which is The Good News™. The Bad News™ is that they also "clarified" that "the PC edition was the priority and will be the first to market" and "that if [they] proceed with console editions of the game, both an Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 version" would be considered. Frankly, it's not the PlayStation 3 part that concerns me. They could use a few good games. It's the if part.

"IF" they proceed with a console version?!

Come on, Realtime Worlds, it was Crackdown that thrust you guys into the limelight. And what platform drove Crackdown? Yes, the Xbox 360. Exclusively. Way to stick it to your supporters! Say it ain't so... [Via GameSpot]

Update: A sharp-eyed reader pointed out that mention of a console version (360 or otherwise) is completely absent in Realtime Worlds' latest press release. [Thanks, mnemo]

Those keeping score will note that this digest is actually a day late. This is because I had an off-site meeting yesterday, and then didn't find time to write up the digest (read: I got lazy). To make up for it, next week's will be a day early, as I think I'll be moving the digest to Wednesdays so I can report on the Arcade releases.

XBLA Wednesday double header - Rocky & Bullwinkle and Battlezone now available - I'm not going to lie, I don't know a thing about either of these games. I suppose R&B might be ok for the kids - if they even know Rocky and Bullwinkle are! Apparently R&B includes over 100 minigames and support for up to 12 players via hot-seat (controller hot-potato) and Battlezone is a classic game that's received a graphical overhaul. My suggestion is to check out the trials before you commit your Microsoft points. As always, you can check the XBLA profile pages to see if you even want to bother doing that (links - R&B, Battlezone).

Rockstar teases us with even more GTA IV details, receives perfect review - file this under GIVE US THE GAME ALREADY!... Rockstar recently updated the website, providing new details on the multiplayer modes to be included in this blockbuster title releasing in less than two weeks. The new modes include Team Deathmatch, Team Mafiya Work, Team Car Jack City, Cops n' Crooks, Turf War, Race, and GTA Race. Head over to Xbox 360 Fanboy for the details on each game mode. Also, this week the Rockstar Games Social Club was launched (last night around 7:30 PM to be exact), but presently is only accepting pre-registrations. If you hurry you might still be able to snag a five-digit member number (#55596 here). And I would be remiss if I didn't embed this sweet new commercial from across the pond and point out that OXM UK has given GTA IV a perfect score . [Via Xbox 360 Fanboy]



New "Legendary" maps for Halo 3 available now - weighing in at 411 MB and costing you a mere 800 Microsoft points are three new maps for your Halo 3 enjoyment (the Sidewinder-inspired Avalanche, the Lockout-remake Blackout and Ghost Town). As an added bonus, anyone who purchases the maps will be treated to a free four month subscription of Bungie Pro, increasing the size of their fileshare. For my U.S. readers: if you pre-order Ninja Gaiden II from Circuit City, you apparently get a free redeem code for these. As the resident penny-pincher (diapers are teh expensive), I just have to ask...how long until they become free??? [Via Xbox 360 Fanboy]

360 receives console update, Xbox Live to be down for 8 hours - I fired up my console this morning and received a console update, but much to my surprise there was nothing at all different. Speculation is that this is a preparation for the upcoming system downtime starting April 21, 2008 at 5 AM Eastern and lasting for 8 hours. Major Nelson has confirmed this is not for the spring update, but to "prepare for future growth of the service" (GTA IV anyone?). But don't cry fanboys, because you'll still be able to enjoy all your games any of your game not affected by a DRM issue while LIVE is down.

New game demos roundup - available for download via the Xbox Live Marketplace are demos for Universe at War (a cross platform real-time strategy game...why???), Condemned 2: Bloodshot, Iron Man, Next month, we can look forward to a Bourne Conspiracy demo (this one is actually shaping up to look like a pretty good movie book tie-in game), as well as an Alone in the Dark demo. [Via Xbox 360 Fanboy]

Afro Samurai details begin to emerge, trailer released - I've seen a few episodes of Afro Samurai, and I like it - but I'm just not that much of a television guy. As such, I've been keeping an eye and looking forward to it's upcoming video game release. Heck, I created the Wikipedia article for it. Anyhow, the GameSpot had an opportunity to check out the game, and they like what they see. A trailer was also released for the game. Check it out in all it's cell-shaded glory:



LEGO Indiana Jones to launch in early June - many gamerparents agree that the LEGO Star Wars series of games are great to play co-operatively with the little ones. Well, get your whips and cowboy hats ready, because June will see the release of LEGO Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures as it rolls over the 360 like a giant boulder. Look forwarding to fighting against an  "anonymous genocidal, occultist, trenchcoat-wearing master-race" (because fighting Nazi's is so cliché). The game should play out much like the LEGO Star Wars games, with a new "phobia" dynamic (i.e. if Indy sees a snake he will be stunned until the snake is gone). [Via Xbox 360 Fanboy]

If you've been following my Twitter or watching my gamercard, you may have noticed me zeroing in on 200/200 in N+. Well friends, I finally made my way through this a maze zing game last night, and I must say it is one of my prouder 200/200's.

The first thing you'll notice upon loading N+ is the sweet opening music, an electrically charged techno-inspired track that is very appropriate for the subject matter and helps to psyche you up for the upcoming tests of your ninja-like agility. Next, you'll likely head into the tutorial for an easy 5 gamerscore which will acquaint you with our nameless hero, who subscribes to the way of the ninja - a "highly advanced system of spiritual, cognitive and physical training. It emphasizes pacifism, humility, and the need to traverse a series of 5 rooms before the end of your [90 second] lifetime".

After picking up your freebie 'cheevo, you'll begin your journey through N+'s standard 250 room obstacle course which will continually increase in difficulty, testing your dexterity, jumping power, reflexes, and ability to reach the exit of each room completely unarmed save for your wits. You'll encounter lethal robots with an insatiable thirst for ninja blood, as well as deadly landmines deliberately positioned to impede your progress. The game encourages you along the way with strategically placed achievements at 15, 30, 40 and 50 episodes completed - as well as a surprise secret achievement that I can almost guarantee you'll obtain by the time you complete the game... There's also a pair of pretty easy ones for completing an episode without dying and collecting all the gold scattered throughout the episode (I reccomend doing these early on).

From a visual point of view, the game subscribes to a minimalist design philosophy. The grey background is reminiscent of a silicon landscape and is only decorated by the enemies and objects that you will use to traverse the level, flipping various gate and door-opening switches, and of course, the precious gold that you can collect to provide a brief extension of your lifetime. Metanet has spoken on the simple design and monotone colour scheme, noting that "if the level graphics were more detailed/busy, it would be much harder to take in at a glance everything that was going on, and apply the focused precision necessary to play the game.. which is very important! We definitely knew that the graphics had to be kept as sparse as possible in order to make things as clear as possible for the player."



It's in the gameplay where N+ really shines. Remember back in Super Mario World, how Mario could jump continually from one wall to an adjacent one in an ever ascending climb (all while gleefully shouting in that musical Italian falsetto voice?). Well, the same dynamic is present here - in fact your ninja can bend the rules of physics even further by free-running up a wall and then wall-jumping ever higher, much like a pixelated Jackie Chan. Certain levels will also have springy blocks which you can bounce off of and pads which launch you high into the air. While falling from a great height will end in a satisfying bloody splatter, if you manage to land on an incline sloped downwards, your ninja will somehow survive.

A complete lack of conventional weaponry can make the enemies in N+ a constant source of frustration. Moving gun turrets, auto-targeting blasters, electroshock sentries, homing missiles and frick'n laser beams all make your life difficult and force you to devise ways to avoid these hazards on your goal to complete the level. Expect to die. A lot. But completing a particularly hard level and outsmarting these enemies all the while making it look so damn cool is just so satisfying - and that is what makes this game tons of fun.

My one and only gripe with the game is the fact that it won't save your progress until you quit to the main menu. Thus if you simply shut off your 360, or quit to the dashboard quit to the dashboard from the Xbox Guide button, you'll be forced to replay any progress which hadn't been saved. Metanet explains this peculiarity:


Luckily, I was only caught by this issue twice. The first time was early on and didn't pose too much difficulty in replaying it, but the second time forced me to replay episodes 47 and 48 - both include a number of very tough levels - one of which took me a while due to a degree of luck that was involved (or perhaps I just wasn't "in the zone" as I was the first time through).

In addition to the standard 250 levels, there is also an "expert challenge" consisting of another 50 levels. I haven't tried these yet, but I have a feeling I've got my work cut out for me. There is also a level editor, if you're into that kind of thing (I don't have the patience). Unfortunately Microsoft denied Metanet's plans to allow users to post content to a central repository - instead you'll have to find episodes by joining other users games. When you're done playing, you have the option to save the content onto your hard drive. As usual, the XBL community has come through with a workaround, the N+ Level Sharing Society.

There are also several multiplayer options, including two versus modes: Survival and Race. Survival tasks the competitors with, you guessed it, surviving. By collecting more gold than the other guy and avoiding the enemies and hazards, the last ninja standing wins. Coincidentally Race mode involves beating the other ninja(s) to the end of the level. You can also opt to work your way co-operatively through the single player campaign or an entirely new multiplayer campaign. In the MP campaign, the host is often in a different location than the other ninjas and you have to work in conjunction to make your way through the level. This can lead to a lot of gentle ribbing of your fellow ninjas as you watch them fail, often quite epicly. There is also an unwritten ninja rule that you refer to eachother by colour, rather than gamertag (as ninjas have no name). The achievements for multiplayer include completing 10 ranked matches of each adversarial type and completing 5 and 10 co-op campaign episodes.

Each level has a clever, often pop-culture inspired name that will often have you chuckling, such as "one jump to rule them all", "all the leaves are grey, and the sky is grey" and "Ninja In The City". Your ninja also does a variety of ninja-like victory dances upon reaching the end of each level. All in all, N+ handily justifies the 800 Microsoft point price tag (approximately $10), even though the game it's based on is offered free on the Internet. Either check out there, or download the trial version and see if it tickles your fancy. Again, my only gripe is the aforementioned saving issue (and a slight netcode issue in multiplayer that's distracting but not gamebreaking) - as such N+ scores 9 precious squares of gold out of 10.

[With files from X-Power.be]

P.S. I would like to thank my close personal friend Josh for reccomending this game to me. Without your continued support and gentle guidance, I would've never added these 200 achievements points onto my gamerscore. Truly, thank you - from the bottom of my heart. I forgive you for cheating in our gamerscore contest by playing "King Kong". You are the wind beneath my leaf.

I recently posted an article about how to view achievement timestamps via Xbox.com. This knowledge came to me via close friend and fellow gamerdad JD Buck, who shares my views on earning gamerscore legitimately as well as my disdain for all forms of gamerscore cheating. If this is your first visit to the site, it may be best to review my previous diatribes on this matter before continuing.

• the sacred institution of gamerscore
• the gamerscore police - meet ace attorney of xbox cheaterwatch
• how to view achievement unlocked times

Now, it seems after my most recent piece that instructed users on how to spot a gamesaver by looking at peculiarities in achievement unlocked times, JD Buck was contacted by a (now) self-confessed gamesaver "Shuckey" aka "D3vilz Adv0cat3" - who it seems wanted an opportunity to clear the air. What followed was a fascinating 3000+ word exposition by Shuckey (also a gamerdad) which was at both a detailed history of gamesaving (including methodology) and an explanation of he came to be deeply entrenched in (and ultimately responsible for much of) the gamesaving scene:

My name is Marc W. I am 33 years old, married for six years with a two-year-old son. I grew up in a small town just outside of Ann Arbor, Michigan. I went to school at Detroit Country Day High School (graduated 1 year behind Chris Webber if you're into basketball). I graduated with a Bachelors Degree in Architectural Engineering from Purdue in 1996.

This is where the story of gamesaving began ...

During all [my] years of playing and programming, I collected every video game system and at least 80% or more of each game catalog for each system. For every system I owned a Game Genie, Game Shark, Pro Action Replay, or other such device for every system including my Neo-geo Gold.

I did not buy these things to collect. I used them to be able to beat games and do things you could not normally do (which will also come into play later). I am what you call a compulsive person I do things 100% until I can no longer keep up at the same pace. I want all the cars unlocked in Gran Turismo. I want all the characters unlocked in Soul Calibur 2. I want 100% completion in Grand theft Auto 3. This is just my personality. Am I a cheater? According to the big companies like Nintendo, Sony, and Sega, yes I was, even then.

But I paid $50 dollars for a game and if the learning curve or difficulty were too high or too hard, or worse, the game was super cheap, people in general feel ripped off and did not get to fully enjoy their purchase. Same goes for 360 games. I paid $60 for the game which includes the achievements.

I got my 360 before launch ... [and] in March 2006, I started playing on Live. I played every game that came out and became compulsive about Gamerscore.

Then the Gamerscore scene got hot when an article about STtheKing, StripClubDJ, and TheGrayWolf hit. At that time, we were all Legit. Then it just got away from us. We let it consume our lives and bury the real gamers we were...

Now, I don't quite agree with his entitlement argument: many gamesavers argue they are "entitled" to the full achievements since they purchased the game - but as someone astutely pointed out on the Xbox forums, they are no more entitled than my son would be entitled to an MVP award simply because I paid for him to play Little League baseball.

Nevertheless, it's a very interesting read (especially the parts that follow) and hopefully JD will post a follow-up and any further confessionals from gamesavers that may present themselves to him for absolution. Check out the full text here: http://jdbuck1.blogspot.com/2008/04/reformed-gamesaver-tells-his-story.html

A reader pointed us to much more convincing proof of a broken street date than the last one from the moustachio'd 360 which turned out to be a Photoshop. Warning: Possible spoilers

Update: It seems this is yet another elaborately constructed hoax - with an apparent modification of the PC GTA San Andreas intro - I promise the 'next street date broken' article will be fully qualified =). But I remind you that some lucky bastard is out there, and he's already got his grubby powerblue mitts on GTA IV. ( http://www.360voice.com/tag/Powderblue Kes)

Update 2: So that video was taken down, but the new video below is absolute incontrovertible proof of the street date was broken. I guarantee* this one is not a fake! *Should not be considered an actual guarantee

Update 3: Intro and slice of (actual) gameplay footage here.





[Thanks again, Nathanscott101]

Fellow GamerDad, achievement whore, and self-proclaimed gamerscore cheater vigilante JD Buck tipped me off to a little tool he keeps in his gamesaver-hunter bag of tricks. This little gem allows you to view not only the date an achievement was unlocked but the time as well. As usual this will only work if the achievement was unlocked whilst the user was connected to Xbox Live. This tool is also handy for anyone who is obsessive about their achievements/gamercard.

He was taught this nifty little trick by Johnny Sinister, who is presently ranked #4 in the world for Xbox Live Arcade titles according to MyGamerCard.net, having legitimately achieved the full gamerscore for 90+ XBLA games. In turn, this was programmed by his friend and fellow XBLA master, SnapDragon who professes to be numero uno on the MGC XBLA leaderboards (both of them earn their achievements without gamesaving or account sharing). It seems SnapDragon is somewhat handy with the javascript, having created this tool with it. Here's how it's done:

1. First off, you'll need to be using Mozilla Firefox (which you really should be anyways, this site is optimized for it). It's a free web browser, much more robust than IE and is available here http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/firefox/
2. Next, you'll need to the Greasemonkey plug-in for Firefox, which can be done by clicking the "Add to Firefox" on this web page: https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/748
   
3. After you've installed Greasemonkey, click or copy this link into the address bar: http://www.geocities.com/snapdragon64/AchievementTimestamps.user.js
4. This should be it, but you may need to ensure the script is enabled and configured properly. Still in Firefox, click Tools > Greasemonkey (ensure it is "Enabled") > Manage User Scripts. Make sure that Achievement Timestamps is enabled, and that "http://live.xbox.tld/*/ViewAchievementDetails*" is one of the included pages.
5. Now any time you view achievement details on Xbox.com, the tool will automagically populate the time stamp next to the date.
   

Update: Reader SnowPhoenix9999 was seemingly able to modify this to work with Opera browsers. To obtain the add-on click here. (Untested, use at your own risk)

The utility of this tool in spotting a gamesaver or booster should be obvious. While most gamesavers will do their dirty deed offline, those that do it while connected to Live will often unlock the achievements one after another, hoping people might just assume they played the game all day. However when you see that they actually unlocked them all within 10 minutes of each other (or even all at the same time in certain cases), it's pretty easy to tell it was gamesaved. You can also pretty much infer boosting occured when you see a bunch of really tough multiplayer enabled achievements unlocked together over the course of an hour or two.

This trick also has applications for people who obsess over their gamercard, like me. Though I haven't updated my spreadsheet to include the times yet, I haven't ruled it out either. Some caveats: presently the script seems to do something weird with the dates, sometimes juxtaposing the month with the day and vice-versa, which might make things look strange and out of chronological order. Also, Xbox Live itself doesn't handle daylight savings time changes very well. So presently (if you observe North American DST) any achievements you earned during the months of November through March will be shifted an hour forward from when they were actually unlocked.

Also look for an upcoming in-depth article by JD Buck on How to Spot a Gamesaver, which will use this tool in addition to other methods. For now, you can see my previous articles on gamerscore cheating -

the sacred institution of gamerscore

the gamerscore police: meet ace attorney of xbox cheaterwatch

Colour me extremely jealous: GTA IV street date broken - Coming by way of X3F is a Digg link to the picture shown here which speaks for itself. All I know is, after work today I'll be scouring the local Wal-mart, Zellers, Sears - any non-game focused stores - to see if I can get as lucky as this guy. I just hope my 360 doesn't grow a moustache like his. [Via Xbox 360 Fanboy / Digg]
Update: Some readers have commented that this could be Photoshopped but 360voice.com is also reporting this person as playing GTA IV yesterday... 
Update 2: A reader pointed us to a much more convincing Youtube link showing the unboxing of GTA IV and the intro sequence... [Thanks, Nathanscott101]
Update 3: Intro and slice of gameplay footage here.

Ikaruga is this week's XBLA release - I'm going to admit - I don't know much about this title, but one or two of my fellow gamerdads says they've been looking forward to it. It appears to be a vertical-scrolling shooter of Japanese origin. It seems also the colour of your ship has an effect on damage you take and/or receive from enemies. Anyhow, I'm sure the trial should give you an idea of whether this game is your cup of tea (from the looks of it, it's similar to Aegis Wing) or you can check out the Xbox.com profile page.

Long-awaited Call of Duty 4 map pack released April 4 - After a somewhat weak attempt at an April Fool's joke, the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare "Variety Map Pack" released on schedule last week. The three new maps "Creek", "Chinatown" and "Killhouse" will cost you 800 Microsoft points and occupy 444 megabytes of your valuable hard drive space. In other news, I've still yet to purchase Call of Duty 4 - having completed the campaign on a rental - anyone wanna send me their copy? =) [Via Xbox 360 Fanboy]

The Force will be Unleashed on September 16 - I don't know about the rest of you, but I've been a huge Star Wars fan ever since my tender formative years. My sister actually recently commented to me how whenever she used to visit on weekends, I would force (c whut I did thar?) her to watch the original movies with me. Force Unleashed has had me excited for some time now, ever since seeing the trailer in which an Imperial Star Destroyer is brought down with the power of the dark side. In addition to the news of its impending release, fanboys rejoiced with the revelation that the first level features none other than the original Dark Lord of the Sith himself, Darth Vader as a playable character. [Via Xbox 360 Fanboy (1) (2)]



Geometry Wars Retro Evolved 2 details surface, still no actual geometry involved - I'm going to admit that when I first got my 360, I didn't end up playing Geometry Wars for a good month, because, quite frankly, I've never been very good at math. Imagine my surprise when I realized in fact there is no math involved. I trust the same will hold true for the sequel to this classic-style omni-directional shooter, the existence of which comes by way of the OFLC (the down-under equivalent of the ESRB). Of particular note is that it is listed as a "multi-platform" game. [Via Xbox 360 Fanboy]

The Force is not the only thing about to be Unleashed (Sonic will be as well) - This game has been rumoured for some time, but I've been doing my best to post "just the facts" here. An official press release has finally surfaced for Sonic Unleashed, which promises players "an opportunity to engage in ways never before done with the Sonic franchise, so in addition to running at high speeds, which will be highlighted in four new speed mechanics, combat fighting now becomes possible. New combat, movement, functional abilities and platforming will be introduced to offer increased depth and variety." I'm not going to lie, having tried the demo for Sonic's previous "next-gen" offering, I share X3F's apprehension for this new title. [Via Xbox 360 Fanboy]

Newsflash: Anti-social behaviour on Xbox Live reduces sales - As an Xbox Ambassador specializing in Family Gaming, I'm often contacted by fellow family-oriented Xbox Live users who've run into issues with other users online. From excessive swearing to racism to vulgarity to unsportsman-like conduct, playing online unfortunately brings the risk of running into unsavoury characters. While Microsoft does their best to respond to complaints filed by users, there's simply too many idiots out there for them to sort through. A recent GamaSutra article by a Microsoft employee states "the online behavior of our customers is dramatically reducing our sales" and goes on to examine this problem and whether it can actually be solved. Click here to read (Caution: mature language/NSFW) [Via Xbox 360 Fanboy]

Saints Row 2 gives GTA IV, holiday season, a wide 4-month berth - Saints Row added a lot to the action-driving genre, but in reverence to its forefather, it has scheduled itself for an August 26 release, conveniently both 4 months after GTA IV and 4 months before the holiday season. The question is, will the luster of Libery City have worn off by then? [Via Xbox 360 Fanboy]

UPDATE (April 23): The title update is now available, so you should be able to get the achievement easily without using this workaround.

I did not discover this method, it was posted by Frozone13 here. This method has been confirmed by users of Achieve360Points.com here. However, as always, use this method at your own risk. These instructions must be followed to the letter or you might not get your rank back.

1. Sign out of Xbox Live and disconnect your 360 from the Internet (remove Ethernet cord/turn off wireless) - do not reconnect until told to (THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT)
   
2. Reset your rank with the below instructions (source) -
• At the dashboard, sign out of all profiles
• Start Vegas 2
• Press start at the main menu
• The Character Creation screen will warn you that you will not be able to save as there is no active profile
• Press A and then B to cancel back to the main menu
• Press the guide button and sign into your profile. As soon as it has signed in, press the guide button to close the dashboard blade and quickly press start
• This will bring you to the character creation screen and provide the same warning about not being able to save.
  
• Your profile should now be reset. Select your gender, face options and hit accept
3. Unlock the Private First Class achievement
4. Return to the dashboard and (reconnect your 360 to the Internet) and sign into Xbox Live (make sure you are in the dashboard and not the game) so the achievement gets uploaded
   
5. Delete all Rainbow Six 1 & 2 memory (Not sure why you have to delete R6V1 memory...)
6. Delete your Gamerprofile
7. Recover your Gamerprofile
8. You should now have the Private First Class achievement and your current rank

Please let me know if this works for you.

Anyone who has visited the Xbox.com Forums may have noticed a little number next to everyone's name, known as "CUL" or Community User Level. A poster's CUL level is an at-a-glance indication of how often a user posts on the forums, and, in most cases, how much of a contribution they've made to the Xbox community.

The majority of posters will be in the range of 1 through 5. These levels can often be reached on post count alone. Beyond this, are the "super-CULs", 6 through 9 (though CUL 9 is somewhat of a rarity, and hasn't been spotted in the wild for some time). Many who have achieved these higher levels (including yours truly) will tell you that the hardest leg of the journey was the jump from CUL 5 to CUL 6, known as the CUL glass ceiling.

Over and above the superCULs are the letter CULs, Moderators, Xbox MVPs, members of the Xbox product team, Xbox.com Contributors, game Developers/publishers, members of the Press, and finally, official representatives of Xbox Support. Posters can also earn individual badges or icons. As you can see, I've been awarded the Xbox Ambassador icon, the FAQ writer icon (for my work on the Shadowrun FAQ and Achievement Guide) and the On-topic icon (for trying to keep posts on topic). Other icons can be viewed here.

CUL is a mysterious beast, and is based on many things. While post count does come into play, there is a lot more at work behind the scenes. It is believed that how people "rate" your posts is a factor. Furthermore, helpful posts may attract the attention of moderators or other letter CULs and be nominated for a "CUL boost". Derogatory, inflammatory, or off-topic posts may incur the wrath of the mods, resulting in a "CUL deduction". These can come in the form of entire levels, or incremental pushes/pulls (Just for the record, you may have noticed that my CUL is back to "lucky 7" - this was not due to any negative action on my part).

The good folks down under at XboxOZ360-gamer have prepared a handy guide with excellent tips on raising one's CUL while contributing in a positive manner to the Xbox community. They even included some of my advice regarding breaking CUL glass ceiling which I will conclude with -

xenocidic wrote: if you’ve been stuck at five for what seems like an eternity,… and you’ve been posting helpful stuff for as long as you can remember,… and you’ve done your best to cease all flaming, off-topic tomfoolery, and feeding of the trolls,…. and you still can’t hit that CUL 6?!

don’t get discouraged. just stay on target. there was a time when I thought I would never hit CUL 6, but eventually, the glass broke, and then the floodgates were unleashed.

I think the mods have been putting a more concerted effort into CUL adjustments the past several months, as we’ve seen a flurry of activity in terms of promoting. Just keep doing what you’re doing and remember: you are defined not by a number, but by your actions.

Since this site is heavily focused around me being a GamerDad, I thought it might be a good idea to give a brief overview of who the gamerdads are and how we evolved from a rag-tag group of gaming dads (and moms) posting in a thread to an organized group of folks, complete with a website and a dedicated Xbox.com forum.

The first version of the GamerDads (& Moms) thread started when MO MOSS made an off-the-cuff remark about "Xbox Dad" and wondered if maybe gamerparents might be able to get a forum icon akin to the GamerchiX (we're still holding out for one!).


This innocent comment snowballed into a 200+ page thread filled with all sorts of discussions about gaming, parenting, and the sacred union of the two. Unfortunately, kiki kat had to shut'er'down, because the xbox forums don't handle such large threads very well. Since MO was on a bit of a leave, ethanjude started v2.0 of the thread on September 19, 2007. Not long after that, my son was born and I surprised all my Xbox friends (especially beezy2584) by announcing this, as they didn't know I was expecting. After that, I became a regular in the thread and have come to treasure the support and advice of all my fellow gamerparents. Whether be it helping with tips on child rearing, to how to maintain a healthy relationship with your partner during stressful times to how to achieve a balance between gaming and parenting, the exchanges in the thread are indispensable.

In early January, our dedication was rewarded and the GamerParents received their very own Xbox.com forum, #849. This allowed us to break off certain topics that might oversaturate the main gamerparents thread. It also brought in a lot more gamerparents who didn't notice the single thread, but found it hard to miss the forum right at the top of the list. The forum is also dedicated to all things family gaming and has seen numerous discussions and debates regarding Xbox Live online behaviour and what is and is not appropriate as well as games that can be enjoyed in a family atmosphere.

It was also around this time that www.gamerdadslive.com was registered as the new home of the website davc4 had been developing where we set up events, talk about stuff that might not be related to Xbox and generally have a jolly old time - especially with the shoutbox. But don't let the name fool you, we welcome all gamerparents - not just dads. (We even have a special group called the GamerDads Wives =). We have our own well-organized Call of Duty 4 clan "DaDS" and have held tournaments for Halo 3 and Ultimate Mortal Kombat, among others. We also have a weekly Texas Hold'em XBLA tournament, that began on February 21, 2008 with yours truly as the inaugural champion.

While the last thread lasted nearly a year, v2.0 lasted a mere five months, growing to 204 pages and getting locked down on February 18, 2008. Seeing as how no one took my suggestion a week or two earlier that we take a proactive approach in making v3.0 and let MO MOSS take the reigns again, it was a race to see who would create v3.0 of the thread, and our resident a gamerscore whore, JD Buck took pole position. Already at 63 pages, v3.0 of the thread is on track to hit 200 pages by summer.

Post on, GamerDads & Moms, post on.

P.S. I wanted to give a special thanks to kiki kat, our very own GamerMom, Forum moderator and recent Xbox VIP award recipient who has been extremely supportive of the gamerparents, and played an instrumental role in securing us our own forum. We love ya kiki!