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]