A Lazy Saturday Afternoon Is Chock Full of 360 Rumors and News

Ahh, the weekend is finally here. After a long, grueling week of work and other "responsibilities", I've finally found some time to get back to my good ol' gaming blog again. However, while this Saturday afternoon may be a lazy one, this post will not be, as it's chock full of the most noteworthy news and rumors for the Xbox 360 currently making waves 'round the internet.

First, I'd like to talk about Marvel vs Capcom 2. Originally released for the Dreamcast in 2000 and later ported to the PS2 and Xbox over two years later, all versions of this excellent 2D fighter have been long out print. Due to the quality of this title (it's easily among the greatest and most addictive fighters of all time) and obscurity of it (Capcom no longer owns the rights to use the Marvel license, thus they are not legally able to give it a reprint), Marvel vs Capcom 2 has been fetching over $60 on the Dreamcast and Xbox and more than $100 on the PS2 as of late. This makes Marvel vs Capcom 2 one of the most valuable and sought after console titles currently on the market.

Rumors have it that Capcom may be re-releasing this infinitely-playable 2D fighter on both Xbox Live and PSN for an estimated cost of $15-$20 (after the points conversion). Not only has the ESRB rated it for both of the HD consoles, an Xbox 360 Achivements website has released an apparent list of achievements for the game.

Two loopholes stand out here, however. Not only has Capcom never re-acquired the Marvel license, but the achievements website that posted this may very well be the work of a jokester tricking gamers into believing a hoax. Also, the ESRB has rated games in the past that have never been released to the market.

Gamers may very well keep speculating on Capcom's legendary fighter coming to the current gen, but it would be wise not to bet any money on it until a major source (or even Capcom themselves) confirm this.

In other news, the March 2009 NPD sales figures have been announced, and Resident Evil 5 has debuted at the top of charts. Selling almost a million units on the 360 alone, the latest entry in the long-running series beat out even Pokemon Platinum for the DS. Didn't see that coming! Microsoft has also re-designed the notoriously aesthetically displeasing Platinum Hits covers (pictured above), and the company is even rumored to be coming out with a new Xbox Live Upgrade (said to be called 'Vip Membership', a level above the current Gold membership). More on that once some concrete info is released.

Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots - Xbox 360 Bound?

One thing that has been greatly debated by video game fanboys across numerous gaming forums as of late is Metal Gear Solid 4. Will it remain a Playstation 3 exclusive or will it become another multiplatform title like the numerous other supposed Playstation 3 “exclusives” (Virtua Fighter 5, Assassin’s Creed, Devil May Cry 4, Ace Combat 5, etc.)? Only time will tell, but here’s some details that may prove that Solid Snake will be making an appearance on Microsoft’s shiny white box…

While Hideo Kojima himself said that Metal Gear Solid 3 will remain a Playstation 3 exclusive, it might be Konami that ultimately makes the decision on this matter. It’s no secret that the Playstation 3 sales have been highly disappointing up to this point, and a title with such high production values and development costs would not recoup a large amount of money with release on one lone console. Also, game news site Destructoid.com recently posted news that Metal Gear Solid 4 will indeed be making the jump to the Xbox 360. This supposedly “ground-breaking” news was followed by a cease and desist letter from Konami. Hmmm…. could the fact that Konami threatened this popular website with a lawsuit mean it’s, in fact, true? As already mentioned, only time will tell. It would make financial sense for the company to bring this blockbuster release to another platform though.

That is to say, I haven’t enjoyed a Metal Gear Solid game since the groundbreaking original classic on the Playstation. I doubt that Metal Gear Solid 4 will bring back the magic of that release back to the series, whether it’s available on more than one console or not.

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