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.

Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix Delivers Online Street Fighter Goodness in HD!

Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix (a rather unnecessary title, but oh well...) just hit Xbox Live Arcade on the 25th, and it's an essential download for any fan of 2D fighting. Not only does it contain gorgeous new high-definition visuals (still in glorious 2D form), it also features tweaked gameplay and addictive online play that will have you competing against strangers across Xbox Live for hours.

Some of the achievements are clever and tricky, such as one where you have to complete a seven-hit combo. Others include winning 100 ranked matches online and throwing your opponent ten times in one match.

The game costs a messily 1200 Microsoft Points, which amounts to $15. For the amount of replay value and fun HD Remix game provides it's well worth it - many recent full retail games haven't been this enjoyable.

To top it off, the beautiful remixed soundtrack adds to the experience and there's a standard edition of Street Fighter II thrown in for nostalgic value. Overall, if you're a 2D fighting game fan with Xbox Live then this should be an immediate purchase.

Super Street Fighter II: Turbo HD Remix is also available on the PSN Network (Playstation 3).

Free Xbox Live Arcade Game Finally Unveiled!

To compensate for weeks of glitchy and finicky Xbox Live servers (often to the point of unplayability), Microsoft announced last month that they would make up for this by offering Xbox Live gamers a free game off of Xbox Live Marketplace. No one knew whether that meant it would be a hand-picked game by the big M or a title of someone's choice, but it was revealed today that Undertow will be the free offering.

Undertow is an action shooter set underwater. Despite being somewhat of an obscure release, Undertow has garnered mainly positive reviews from most sources. Official Xbox Magazine enjoyed is enough to rate it a highly-impressive 9 out of 10. Not bad at all!


Although I was hoping it would be a free game of our choice (of at least 800 Microsoft points, in which I'd save for the upcoming Rez HD), I guess this is decent enough. Hey, as already stated, Undertow is supposed to be pretty damn good. You must claim your free game from the 23rd to the 27th (of this month).

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Mechassualt 3 - Make It Happen, Microsoft!

Besides the 800-lb. gorilla of online gaming that was Halo 2 on the original Xbox, Mechassualt 2 was some of the most fun I had online on Microsoft's first black box.

Even despite that "other" title consuming most people's online time on Xbox Live, Mechsassualt 2 still managed to have a healthy online user base. A more slow-paced, methodical title than the typical frag-fests that dominated Microsoft's online network, Mechassualt is a series that needs to be revived on the 360.

Really, Microsoft, what's the big holdup? Both of the titles in the series managed to sell well-enough to earn Platinum Hits status, and both were home to a good-sized online fan base, which I'm sure some are still enjoying today. Yeah, yeah, Halo is your hottest property by far... but that doesn't mean you should just ignore your other franchises. After the enormous disappointment that was Halo 3 (a mediocre FPS that somehow managed to garner praise reviews, despite being inferior to past titles in the series) , I'm sure many of us Xbox Live addicts (and Mechassualt fans) are ready for it.

eBay Scam Alert - 12 Months of Xbox Live?

When you need to find a rare item, or are perhaps looking for a good bargain, eBay usually comes to mind for the millions of people that use the world’s most popular auction site daily.

However, many people are turned off from this site for numerous reasons. One of them is because of the good amount of scammers that prey on the easily-fooled.

A new scam to watch out for on eBay is for cheap Xbox Live cards. The people that sell these often list them for half the price the cards normally retail. Once you purchase the card the seller e-mails you the code and you’re on your way to 13 months of Xbox Live play.

Or so many think. These are nothing but free one month trials that expire quickly. However, most people are fooled by this, so they end up giving the seller positive feedback (because, at the time, they’re not aware that their not receiving what they paid for – a full year of Xbox Live joy). After a month, however, their Xbox Live accounts are gone and they’re left with nothing.

One of the more humorous sellers doing this shady practice is hledford87. Check out her auction here. What would an attractive woman be doing on the internet, selling Xbox Live cards all day anyway? It would probably be frightening seeing the real person pulling off this scam…

“If it’s too good to be true, then it probably is”. Just remember this quote you see Xbox Live subscriptions – or pretty much any other outrageously-good deal – on eBay.