Halo 3 Information

Halo 3 confirms 4 player co op over xbox live. Go to the previous link to see what else they have found.

Scrolling through the list of on-screen text for party menus, one sentence revealed the following:

The game cannot start because all players are set to observer. Too many players for splitscreen. Only 2 players may play splitscreen coop on the same Xbox 360 console. The party size is too large to start the game. Up to 4 players may play coop on Xbox Live or System Link. Loading information from Xbox Live…

Sweet. I love co op. Nothing else does 4 player now, halo does it first again.

I Can't Believe I missed this.

The best fast food mascot, and my hero, The Burger King, graced Microsoft with his presence at the Halo 3 beta launch party. You can read all about it here.

I put my claws away and found myself a new spot to shoot from. I recognized a lot of people but it wasn't until after I'd uploaded a bunch of pictures that I realized exactly who they were. For example, it didn't help that Ryan Cabrera had newly flowing brown locks. I knew the face but the hair completely threw me off. Others who walked the asphalt carpet were Dane Cook and stunning girlfriend Raquel Houghton, John Salley (who, thankfully, avoided being asked if he liked playing with balls by an unnamed reporter), Jon Heder, John Hensley, Stephan Bender, Channing Tatum, Jesse Metcalfe, Shawn Maguire, Victoria Pratt, Matt Leinart, Evan Ross, Geoffrey Rush!? and The King from Burger King. It was scary how good looking all these people were - well, except the King...He was a little creepy.

Yes, a spot the king deserves, with Napoleon Dynamite and some NFL QB.

Finally, Frungy will play AOEIII

An expansion pack for the popular RTS, Age of Empires III, is coming this fall. It features asian dynasties. You can read the entire press release here.

In addition to the introduction of playable Asian civilizations, the expansion pack will provide new content and several new gameplay elements that include new ways of winning and trading, random map styles that feature remixes of classic “Age of Empires” game styles, and 15 new Asian “Wonders.” The introduction of these features will coincide with the basic core gameplay of “Age of Empires III” that gamers have come to know and love. “Age of Empires III: The Asian Dynasties” will also ship as a Games for Windows title with easier installation, improved reliability and support for key Windows Vista features, including the Games Explorer and Parental Controls.

Will the Asian "Wonders" include Godzilla? We can only hope.

Microsoft wants to know what you think about XBLA

gamescoreblog, the blog of the Microsoft gaming division, wants to know what you want to see on XBLA.

Do you have a favorite game that you just can’t wait to see on Xbox LIVE Arcade? Is there some feature that you wish more Xbox LIVE Arcade games offered? (i.e. a specific game-play mode?) Are there non-game features that you’d like XBLA (the destination) to implement? Lastly, are there events or promotions that you wish were a regular occurrence on XBLA? We want to hear your ideas! Please share your thoughts in the comments of this entry.

What I have found most fun are 4+ player co op or turn based competitive games (worms, aegis wing,catan). Just having fun with your buddies and talking crap. Its so fun. What do you guys think?

Roger, Wilco

This article gets at the next wave of console gaming -- user created content. There are a couple of areas where user created content should be king.

First, and most obviously, all music games should support user mods. Karaoke, Guitar Hero and rhythm games are missing the boat by not making it easy for game players to add their own tunes to the games. Clearly, there are some copyright issues that demand a certain amount of gate-keeping. I'm sure it's difficult enough to get the rights to a Led Zepplin song without having to assure the copyright holders that you'll let some kid upload Houses of the Holy with his own chord mapping.

Frets on Fire already supports user-generated content and provides basic tools for creating new songs. Frets on Fire is fun, but does not compare to Guitar Hero. If Frets on Fire had the installed base of Guitar Hero, however, you would see local bands using the game to promote their music. Even national bands with an appreciation for alternate forms of distribution -- like Wilco for example -- would hop on board.

The guys and gals at home busting their asses on their 4 track recorders would be all over the opportunity to be a featured download with their latest tune. They would probably pay a small fee just to have access to tools that make creating content a little easier.

User created content should also be expanded for party games. Whether mini-games in a Mario Party title, Ray-man, or Super Monkey Ball or micro-games in Wario Ware, publishers should be investing in home studios that make it possible for players to build and play their own games. Imagine how the playability of Mario Party 8 could be expanded if you could mix in a few user created games onto the board. Maybe even a special space that would launch a user created game.

Players crave variety. User created content allows endless variety. Players have different ideas about what makes a good game. User created content lets those who are most passionate about a game idea bring that idea to life. The best part for publishers is that people are willing to design music charts, mini-games, or new levels for free -- so long as they get a bit of recognition for their skills and effort.