Xbox 360 Controllers: Now Available in Two Tasty New Colors!

In terms of Xbox 360 controllers, so far we’ve had the classic white, the slick black, and even the two recently released Halo 3-themed pads. If none of those colors suit your interest, then you’ll be thrilled to know that Microsoft has two new Xbox 360 controller colors in the works: blue and pink.

Set for an October 10^th retail release and available for the standard wireless Xbox 360 controller price of $49.99, I have to say that I’m a bit disappointed in how these new pads turned out. The colored pads for the original Xbox were far superior in terms of design. Although those were only released in blue and green, they had a very stylish see-through design. These, on the other hand….well, take a look at the colorful pics and decide for yourself.

Hopefully we’ll get more special edition pads in the future…. Although I’m not too found of the two new ones coming out, I’m usually a sucker for these things (provided I can get a good deal on them).

One of the special colored controllers for the original Xbox.

One of the ultra-cool Halo 3-themed Xbox 360 controllers

Major Halo 3 Limited Edition Disc Issues Found

Microsoft’s latest blockbuster, Halo 3, isn't even officially released yet, but some lucky gamers have already managed to get their hands on a copy of the Limited Edition version. However, they have been finding a nasty surprise that will soon become widespread once the Halo 3 Limited Edition hits retail store this week: their brand new, $70, shiny discs are scratched up right out of the box.

What is the cause of this?

Despite charging an extra $10 for this limited edition, Microsoft failed to create an adequate spindle (the circular center in the middle of the case that holds the disc in place). Take a look at the cheap spindle Microsoft included to hold the Halo 3 disc in place:

Due to them wanting to save approximately $0.50 in, um, casing costs, Microsoft now has a major problem on their hands. According to many of the people that have received this version early (including 1up.com), their discs have fallen out of place in shipping while the box was still sealed and their discs ended up severely scratched.

Thankfully, this problem doesn’t effect the standard and Legendary editions of Halo 3 (as the discs to those come in standard DVD cases).All I can say is there’s going to be hordes of furious gamers who shelled out the extra cash for the Limited Edition version come launch day (and I’m now quite happy that I reserved the standard edition).

Source

School Grades Matter, At Least to One Gamestop Store

When a school-aged kid enters Gamestop to purchase a game, the thought of how well they’re doing in school and how good their grades are usually don’t come to mind. However, one store in Dallas, Texas, is trying to change kid’s thoughts on this subject by offering rewards – and setbacks – depending on how good or bad their grades are in school.

It’s simple: the Gamestop manager of this particular location, Brandon Scott, will refuse to let a student purchase a game if their parents can’t confirm that they’re making solid grades. If their grades are good, the kids can purchase them. If exceptionally great (straight A’s)…

"If you give me straight As with your teachers signature, endorsing it and your parent up here, I'll buy you a brand new game,"

Says Scott

This Gamestop is located in the poverty stricken south side of Dallas, where school grades are significantly lower than many other parts of the city.

Personally, I don’t think that this is a wise idea and it most likely won’t work out for long. Yes, it’s important to earn good grades in school and all, but if a kid is failing and school and wants to purchase a game, Gamestop is not their sole option. I’m sure there are numerous other places to shop.

Also, in the article Scott mentioned that the Gamestop corporation knows nothing of this. Once they do, they’re sure to shut this policy down. Plus, shouldn’t we be more concerned about the quality of the subjects the kids are learning in school rather than the grades? Many inner-city schools in the U.S. are horrible places to be, full of violence and other sorts of problems. Even if these children are getting straight A’s, are they really learning anything? That’s a whole other subject, anyway.

Source

Street Fighter and Capcom Art Books - What Every Die-Hard Fan Needs...

Although art books based on video games are much more popular over in Asia than in most parts of the world (often forcing hardcore fans to pay through the nose for imported copies), that doesn’t mean you have to miss out on two of the most insightful, beautiful ones out there. Yes, that’s right. Two of the best Street Fighter/Capcom art books – Eternal Challenge and Udon’s Art of Capcom – are available right in the United States to purchase.

If you’re a die-hard fan of Street Fighter (or just love the art style used throughout the games), then you can’t afford to miss Street Fighter: Eternal Challenge. Although it is currently out of print (and the cheapest copy currently selling for the obscene amount of $104.97 on Amazon.com), it is the definitive book on all things Street Fighter. Featuring plenty of stunning full-color illustrations, biographies on all of the characters, and tons of info on the series, this is a must have for any Street Fighter fan.

Available on the 15^th of this month, Udon’s Art of Capcom not only features a ton of art from the Street Fighter series but of many Capcom games in general. From Mega Man to Devil May Cry, if Udon made a comic for the series, it’ll be in here. This monstrous 304-page art book will be on my to-buy list once it hits in the middle of the month. Better purchase it before it goes out of print and sellers charge outrageous prices for it…

Review: Resident Evil 4 (PS2)

Platform: Playstation 2 (also on: GC, PC, Wii)
Publisher: Capcom
Developer: Capcom
Release: October 2005

Action packed and suspenseful, Resident Evil 4 is one title you will remember for a long, long time.

Ah, Resident Evil 4. With its staggering amount of Game of the Year nominations from various game media sources, high sales and even a very successful port to the Wii, you undoubtedly have heard a thing or two about Capcom’s latest entry in the Resident Evil series. But perhaps you haven’t given it a try yet; maybe you haven’t found the time to do so, or are just skeptical because you didn’t enjoy previous games in the series. Don’t wait any longer: play this excellent title now. While I found previous entries in the series to be woefully flawed and completely uninteresting, Resident Evil 4 remains one of the best games I have played all year.

I can’t ever say that I’ve really enjoyed any survival horror title. I’ve given the old-school Resident Evil games a chance (I even own the first title), and even tried a release in the Silent Hill series. However, the much-criticized tank controls and bad pacing killed those titles for me.

Resident Evil 4 fixes these problems with a whole new control scheme and well-placed save points. Not to mention, the characters, settings, and story as are much more interesting as a whole this time around.

You play as Leon and must go in a mysterious location in Europe to save the president’s kidnapped daughter. What you find, however, are things beyond your worst imagination. Spanish-speaking zombies, hideous creatures, and tons of unusual places await you.

Resident Evil 4 is very action-packed compared to the conventionally slow survival-horror game. Every time you think you’ve seen all this game has to offer, it always unveils something new and fresh, whether is be a new weapon, new enemy type, or a startling boss fight. The best part of all of this is that the game never seems exceptionally hard. Sure, much of it is very challenging, but it’s excellent pacing and natural-feeling progression means you won’t ever be stuck on a boss or a particular part of Resident Evil 4 for an exceptionally long amount of time.

Visually, the game gets the job done. I’ve certainly seen better looking games in my time, but the environments and enemy-types are very well done. The character models are the best aspect of the graphics by far. The sound effects compliment the release well.

Many games drag on too long, others end way too soon; Resident Evil 4, on the other hand, feels just right. I clocked in about 18 hours on my initial play-through. The best part is, once you finish the game, there are oodles of fun extras to play with. Many of them are new to the Playstation 2 edition (though they also appear in the Wii release, too). I won’t spoil any, but just be prepared to play with Resident Evil 4 for several more hours after completing it.

Resident Evil 4 is one of those titles that’ll captivate you the whole way through. This is easily one of the best titles released in the past few years, and even though I’m not traditionally a fan of the genre, I still couldn’t get enough of it.. Action packed and suspenseful, Resident Evil 4 is one title you will remember for a long, long time.

Rating: 8.8 (out of 10)