Fri, 27 Aug 2010 09:12:26 -0500 http://www.globaldisorder.net/ PostNuke Powered Site en-us http://www.globaldisorder.net/images/http://www.globaldisorder.net/GD.ico http://www.globaldisorder.net/ eric.kyle84@gmail.com, borg72@comcast.net http://www.globaldisorder.net/Article784.phtml This might not be as sexy as its recent physical redesign, but the Xbox 360 is about to take what might be a major leap forward for many gamers. The console's voice chat codec is going to be tweaked in an upcoming system update to allow a higher bit rate, and consequently better audio, through. Originally put together to run on 64k internet connections with the original Xbox, the codec's finally catching up with our broadband times and should see itself renewed some time this fall, potentially alongside the retail launch of Kinect. Fri, 27 Aug 2010 09:12:26 -0500 http://www.globaldisorder.net/Article783.phtml From Bioware: "Hi Everyone We are pleased to announce this morning that the next Mass Effect 2 DLC episode The Lair of the Shadowbroker will be available on the PC and Xbox 360 on Tuesday September 7 and will cost 800 BioWare/Microsoft points. Not only is this an excellent adventure through Illium and the shadowbroker's secret lair, this new DLC will add the Shadow Broker intel center, new research, and five new achievements – and give fans from Mass Effect 1the chance to continue a relationship with Liara." Mon, 23 Aug 2010 16:02:24 -0500 http://www.globaldisorder.net/Article782.phtml Plumbed from the depths of Bungie's latest weekly update by ThatVideogameBlog comes confirmation that Halo: Reach will support campaign co-op matchmaking. In the simplest and, may we say, least Bungie way to do it, public acknowledgment of the expected functionality was given in response to a Bungie.net user asking, "Can I haz Campaign Matchmaking?" The answer, in one word: "Yes." And with that, Bungie has confirmed that all three major Reach game modes -- regular ol' multiplayer, Firefight and co-op -- will support the developer's excellent matchmaking experience. Though this news is overwhelmingly good for Halo fans, we're pretty worried about what it'll do to our work days. Mon, 23 Aug 2010 14:26:30 -0500 http://www.globaldisorder.net/Article781.phtml Tor Books announces the definitive edition of the first ever HALO novel on-sale! A newly edited edition of Eric Nylund’s first Halo novel, including 27 pages of new material! Tor Books, an imprint of Tom Doherty Associates, LLC—the largest publisher of science fiction in the world is pleased to announce the first of the newly revised editions of the original three novels in the New York Times bestselling Halo® series. These definitive editions include all-new original content expanding upon the universe created in the hugely successful Halo videogame franchise for the Xbox and Xbox 360. The first novel, HALO: THE FALL OF REACH by Eric Nylund, went on-sale today, and is now available for the first time in trade paperback. Tue, 03 Aug 2010 16:45:45 -0500 http://www.globaldisorder.net/Article780.phtml WOW! Early data is in and it looks like StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty has become the fastest-selling game of 2010 to date and one of the fastest-selling PC games of all time. VGChartz estimates that around 1.8 million units of the game were sold on day 1 across the Americas and Europe including both physical retail sales and Battle.net download sales. This figure does not include players in Korea where it is virtually impossible to accurately estimate how many people will have purchased the game due to the way in which it is sold - mainly via time cards and also with Blizzard announcing that World of Warcraft users with an active account in Korea would be able to play the game free of charge. The number of players in Korea playing the game on day 1 could be as high at 3-4 million but only Blizzard will know for sure. Wed, 28 Jul 2010 13:40:17 -0500 http://www.globaldisorder.net/Article779.phtml He may have finished the fight, but Chief’s not done. Far from it. 343 Industries boss Frankie O’Connor told a panel at Comic-Con last night that it would be a bit of a tit if it didn’t finish off Master Chief’s story following the conclusion of Halo 3. “We’d have to be the world’s biggest assholes not to follow through,” said O’Connor. “We certainly haven’t seen the last of Master Chief.” At the end of Halo 3, Master Chief and Cortana are stuck on one half of a ship which has split in two, before Chief gets sent into cryosleep. In the Legendary ending for Halo 3, a mysterious planet is seen in the horizon. O’Connor confirmed at the event that it was indeed a planet, not a spaceship. Last week, it was spotted that 343 had kicked off work on a new project, which was built specifically for the Halo IP following original developer Bungie’s wishes to move away from the series. Mon, 26 Jul 2010 08:47:54 -0500 http://www.globaldisorder.net/Article778.phtml Tor Books announces new Halo novels with #1 New York Times bestselling author Karen Traviss New York, NY – July 19, 2010 - Tor Books, an imprint of Tom Doherty Associates, LLC—the largest publisher of science fiction in the world is excited to announce that Karen Traviss, who has penned number one bestselling novels in the Star Wars universe, as well as bestselling novels for the Gears of War franchise, will be writing the successor novel to Halo: Ghosts of Onyx in the first part of a multi-book deal to explore the Halo Universe in the wake of the final events of Halo 3. Halo novels published by Tor have sold over a million combined copies to date, and in 2010 Tor will also publish the first in a new Halo trilogy by science fiction icon Greg Bear. The highly-anticipated Xbox 360 video game “Halo: Reach” is scheduled to release September 14. Wed, 21 Jul 2010 08:04:23 -0500 http://www.globaldisorder.net/Article777.phtml Finally, a chance to link the Plants vs. Zombies theme song again! Oh, and we've got some news too, but first -- let's just load up the theme song again real quick. Okay! Now that we've got that pumping in the next tab, we can get down to the news: PopCap is bringing its tower defense game, Plants vs. Zombies, to Xbox Live Arcade in "early September" for 1200 Microsoft Points ($15). (The earliest it could launch in September would be Wednesday, September 1.) Aside from improved graphics (full 1080p!), the Xbox 360 port will also boast 21 different minigames, two new modes (Co-op and Vs.) and a "house" feature where players can create a custom space that tracks progress and has leaderboards for sizing up which of your friends has the greenest thumb of all. Tue, 20 Jul 2010 07:22:25 -0500 http://www.globaldisorder.net/Article776.phtml For those of you who have to keep your Spartan dressed in the latest styles, GameStop is offering exclusive armor and helmet configurations with pre-orders of Halo: Reach. Those who reserve the game will receive tokens for a Spartan Recon Helmet with Visor/Blast Shield and a UA Multi-Threat Mjolnir Mark V(B) Armor, which features a unique chestplate design and a grenade belt. Can't you hear it? "Hey, (your name here)! Looking good in that UAMTMMVBA!" You and your Multi-Threat, Blast Shield-sporting friends can mock the Spartans who dare to show up wearing default armor. Of course, you also receive a $20 coupon, just like those offered by Walmart and Amazon. Thu, 08 Jul 2010 06:59:18 -0500 http://www.globaldisorder.net/Article775.phtml Microsoft has confirmed it will ship a $199 version of its new Xbox 360 console this fall, a representative told IGN. The company unveiled its latest Xbox 360 console redesign at E3 last week, but only announced a $299 retail sku, which includes built-in WiFi and a 250 GB hard drive. Microsoft did not offer additional details about the $199 sku. The hardware maker is currently looking to remove the old Xbox 360 models from retailers, offering a $50 price cut on both the Arcade and Elite bundles in North America. A purported internal marketing Q&A document obtained by Kotaku states Microsoft will also ship bundles that include Kinect, its upcoming motion camera due out this fall. Microsoft would not comment on those reported details, however. Mon, 21 Jun 2010 15:08:30 -0500 http://www.globaldisorder.net/Article774.phtml According to an Associated Press report, Bungie has revealed that Halo: Reach will hit store shelves worldwide on September 14 (with the exception of Japan, where it will launch the following day). That's going to be a rough, rough way to start your school year. The report also reveals that over 2.7 million players logged more than 16 million hours and 1.1 billion kills in the Reach beta during its 18 days of availability. Some may see that as a precursor to Reach's certain retail success -- we see it as a testament to Halo players' startling murder efficiency. [Via VG247] Mon, 24 May 2010 08:29:21 -0500 http://www.globaldisorder.net/Article773.phtml The final twenty-four hours of the Halo: Reach Beta are now underway. We hope you've been having a blast. The data you've helped us collect will ensure that Halo: Reach's multiplayer experience is the best it can be when it launches in the fall. For now, go ahead and keep on keepin' on. We won't officially pull the plug until tomorrow morning at 10:00am PST and we plan on prowling the Playlists ourselves this evening in search of unsuspecting suckers. Keep an eye out for us, but if we don't get a chance to catch up, we just wanted to say thanks for playing. You're awesome. A big part of the Beta's success is owed to you. Thanks, Seventh Column! We should note that after the Beta officially ends, our test team is planning on jumping into the live environment to simulate a host of horrible conditions in order to better prepare themselves for the retail launch. They'll be unceremoniously pulling plugs, pouring coffee into server banks, and pressing buttons that are clearly marked, "Do Not Press." If you're still playing the Beta after 10:00am tomorrow, you should expect to witness some strange and suspect stuff going down. Stuff like: * Unpredictable gameplay behavior! * Long and unsuccessful Matchmaking times! * Unceremonious disconnects from the Beta! Wed, 19 May 2010 14:41:30 -0500 http://www.globaldisorder.net/Article772.phtml “We’ve just made some adjustments to the Halo: Reach Beta and introduced a new flavor of Slayer inside the Grab Bag playlist. Along with a host of under-the-hood technical type stuff that you don’t need to be too concerned about, here’s the list of alterations you’ll definitely wanna know about: - Grab Bag’s “SvE Slayer” pits Spartans vs. Elites - Spartan DMR Loadout removed from Invasion Phase 1 - CTF Flag return proximity slightly increased - Headhunter skull pickup radius increased” - Same team Stockpile flag removal and re-scoring resolved Thu, 13 May 2010 08:20:28 -0500 http://www.globaldisorder.net/Article771.phtml This morning, Ubisoft officially announced Ezio's return to the Assassin's Creed franchise, Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood. Though the game was outed and cursorily detailed in some placeholder box art last week, the official press release shared some specifics: the single-player campaign ("set in the living, breathing, unpredictable city of Rome") is expected to last 15 hours, and sees Ezio recruiting and training "promising young Assassins" for deployment across the historical capital. Rather than using money earned to bolster a villa, you'll fix up Rome itself, which will change Ezio's social standing, unlock missions and curry favor with various factions. The release promises collaboration with Da Vinci, Machiavelli, and Caterina Sforza, and describes new "secret weapons." Ubi is throwing in poison darts, parachutes, hidden blades and guns, not to mention an "advanced flying machine" -- which is presumably useful in more than a single mission this time. Multiplayer -- developed by Ubisoft Annecy, who created the online component of Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory -- is said to feature "multiple authentic character classes" (presumably the characters seen in the gallery below) each of whom will use "signature weapons and killing moves." We'll look for more details and a more specific release date than "Holiday 2010" at E3, perhaps on a giant advertisement emblazoned on the side of the convention center. Tue, 11 May 2010 14:09:49 -0500 http://www.globaldisorder.net/Article770.phtml Here's a conversation starter amongst the video game-loving crowd: What's the top franchise of all time? The answer, according to the folks at Guinness World Records, is Halo. Guinness got more than 13,000 votes (in an online poll Jan.-Aug. 2009) for its list in the Guinness World Records 2010 Gamer's Edition, out now. Halo, the book says, stars "an iconic character, excellent level design, perfect controls and unparalleled multiplayer options, the series sets the bar at near-unattainable heights." In spots No. 2 and No. 3: Call of Duty and The Legend of Zelda. Call of Duty is "boasts beautifully balanced gameplay with jaw-dropping set pieces and extensive multiplayer options." Zelda delivers, for "players of all skill levels addictive and immersive gameplay, while also featuring one of gaming's most recognizable heroes - Link." The rest of the list can be found after the break Fri, 07 May 2010 07:43:51 -0500 http://www.globaldisorder.net/Article769.phtml Source: bungie.net Breaking down the damage done. Whoa. We knew that the Halo: Reach Beta launch would be kind of a big deal, but you came out of the gate and absolutely crushed our expectations. Also crushed on day one: our servers. Thanks for being patient as we worked out some of the kinks that inevitably come with a global launch effort, and thanks for jumping in and playing the Beta with us. We've already collected reams of data and your participation continues to help us make the game even better for the full release this fall. Since you kicked so much ass, we've got a nice little stats breakdown to help put it in the proper perspective. Here are the numbers from the first twenty four hours. 1,170,112 Total Players! 14,205,611 Player Games 157,972,986 Kills 936,864,266 Seconds Spent Playing Out stats guru, RocketMoose, tells us that the average player kicked in fourteen games during the inaugural run! That amounts to about 29.67 years of total time. Overall, we saw more players on the first day then we did over the entirety of the Halo 3 Beta. Thanks for the investment. We'll make sure it pays dividends. And of course, the Beta is still in full swing. To check out what's on tap in the days ahead, touch base in our Beta Guide and stay tuned to Bungie.net for more information. Thanks for playing! Thu, 06 May 2010 06:50:43 -0500 http://www.globaldisorder.net/Article768.phtml Some quick tips to shorten your wait. So, yup some stuff is on fire here at the office and if the forums are any indication, we were totally unprepared, don't care about our real fans, and should totally give everyone their zero dollars back with a side of free Xbox LIVE. While none of that's the case, our test team just broke away from an epic struggle with some molten server metal and 600,000 players to deliver us some quick tips to help you get games going a little bit faster. - Don't restart your search, even if load times are long. The initial load for map and game type will take a really long time, which is super lame, but once you've made the connection, the files will be cached to your hard drive and the next time you load to same map/game type, it should be nice and fast. - Don't reboot or reload the beta. It won't help and it will actually clear your cache, making your wait times much longer. - Don't leave your party. Since everybody in the party has to load the same files, your wait is tied to other player's download process as well. Stick with the same crew and things should iron out. Rest assured that we're working on the issues and as soon as things start to smooth out, we'll let you know. Thanks for your patience. Mon, 03 May 2010 20:15:25 -0500 http://www.globaldisorder.net/Article767.phtml Microsoft has confirmed the beta for Halo: Reach will run for a total of 17 days, starting on May 3 through May 19. Bungie will be turning on different modes at different times throughout the month. Here is the breakdown for when modes and playlists will be added: //May 3 - Arena mode (4v4 ranked Team Slayer games) as well as "Free-for-All" and "Grab Bag" playlists, which include a mix of classic and brand new game types. //May 7 - Spartan vs. Elite "Invasion" playlist. //May 14 - "Generator Defense" game type. Available to anyone who logs in and plays at least one full game of any type in the beta will receive a Halo: Reach Avatar hoodie via the Halo Waypoint portal on Xbox LIVE. Players must access Halo Waypoint and browse their "Halo" Career statistics after completing a match. Online multiplayer for the "Halo: Reach" beta, "Halo 3: ODST" and "Halo 3" will be free for all Xbox LIVE members during the "Halo Multiplayer Unlock Weekend," which runs from May 14 at 9 a.m. PDT through May 17 at 9 a.m. PDT. Thu, 29 Apr 2010 07:52:59 -0500 http://www.globaldisorder.net/Article766.phtml This news certainly wasn't expected: Activision and Bungie have announced a worldwide, ten-year publishing deal that will bring Bungie's games to... well, we don't know yet. From the wording of the release, however, it's clear that the developer's days creating Xbox 360 exclusives are over. In case you're worried about Bungie based on recent events, it looks like the studio will remain in control of its upcoming titles. "Activision will have exclusive, worldwide rights to publish and distribute all future Bungie games based on the new intellectual property on multiple platforms and devices," the release explains. "Bungie remains an independent company and will continue to own their intellectual property. Additional terms of the agreement were not disclosed." Bungie split from Microsoft in 2007, with Halo Reach being the last game the developer created in that franchise before 343 Industries takes over development of the Halo property. According to the NPD Group, the Halo series has generated over $1.5 billion in revenue. Bungie states that the deal has been in the works for nine months. Thu, 29 Apr 2010 07:43:48 -0500 http://www.globaldisorder.net/Article765.phtml Not that this matters to most of us... 'Gamers wishing to partake in next week's highly-anticipated Halo: Reach beta will have only one option for jumping into the action: using the invite secured through purchasing a copy of last year's Halo 3: ODST. Clearly knowledgeable of the situation, several high street and online retailers have today begun promoting incredibly low prices for last year's Halo 3: ODST throughout their stores, mail-outs and other commercial activities.' Mon, 26 Apr 2010 09:38:36 -0500 http://www.globaldisorder.net/Article764.phtml Source: www.nobleactual.com OK, I got back from vacation last week and have been non-stop in meetings and working till midnight+. While the whole team has been crunching for months now, with the huge push for the Beta, this is the time when we start closing down and begin the polish phase. It’s a time of intense focus with a smaller subset of our huge team. We’re days away from content complete, which means we’ll be hammering on this game for the next couple of months to make sure it’s the best damn thing any of you have ever put in your xbox. Personally, this is one of my favorite phases of a project. It’s definately the toughest part, but the rewards of seeing so much hard work come together, from every discipline, is amazing. -Marcus Wed, 21 Apr 2010 07:09:16 -0500 http://www.globaldisorder.net/Article763.phtml Microsoft's Aaron Greenberg is thrilled with February's NPD numbers, and for good reason. The Xbox 360 took the top spot in home console sales last month, despite not being a Wii. According to the NPD, it's the first time this has happened since the Halo 3 launch in 2007. BioShock 2 seems to have had something to do with the boost, with the Xbox 360 version topping the software charts (and the PS3 version absent from the top ten). Other notable software milestones: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 is now the third best-selling game of all time, and Just Dance seems to have made a better pact with Satan than even Dante's Inferno did. See the software top ten after the break. -DS: 613K Up 191K (45%) -360: 422K Up 89K (27%) -Wii: 398K Down 68K (-15%) -PS3: 360K Up 83K (30%) -PSP: 133K Up 33K (33%) -PS2: 102K Up 60K (143%) Thu, 11 Mar 2010 19:45:48 -0600 http://www.globaldisorder.net/Article762.phtml Gamers spend more time playing the Xbox 360 online than any other console, with an average 7.3 hours spent per week, a new NPD report claims. The PC and PS3 follow with 6.6 hours and 5.8 hours respectively. However the PC remains the most owned online format, with 85 per cent of players venturing online preferring the format. The news is part of the NPD Group’s findings that the average number of hours spent each week on online games has increased 10 per cent since 2009. It grew from 7.3 hours per week in 2009 to eight hours per week this year. Research also found that 20 per cent of games bought by online gamers were downloads – up one per cent from last year. Over half of all gamers aged two and above said they play games online, down at 54 per cent from last year’s 56 per cent. NPD Group industry analyst Anita Frazier said: “The installed base of video game systems continues to grow, the platforms available to play games continue to expand and the options for content acquisition have never been greater, especially online. “And yet, effective monetisation of many forms of online gaming continues to be a topic of much debate and discussion within the industry.” Data was collected in January from 18,872 players who own at least one online gaming device. Wed, 03 Mar 2010 09:28:44 -0600 http://www.globaldisorder.net/Article761.phtml EA’s announced, as part of Project Ten Dollar, two new maps for Battlefield: Bad Company 2, which will launch alongside the shooter next week. The first map is known as Laguna Alta, which is tied to Conquest, while the second is a map for Rush called Nelson Bay. Overall, that now makes ten maps in total to launch with the game on Tuesday in the US. But that’s not all: soon after launch, if you redeem a VIP code – similar to the Cerberus Network in Mass Effect 2 – you get the free map pack and a second map pack free after launch. The maps are known as Arica Harbour and Laguna Presa, which are both Conquest and Rush maps, respectively. “Battlefield: Bad Company 2 will redefine online modern warfare on March 2. We are deeply committed to the FPS community and Battlefield fans worldwide,” said senior producer of the game, Patrick Bach. “These first two map packs are just the beginning. We’re planning ongoing support for the community by always keeping the experience fresh and ensuring the best possible gameplay experience.” For anyone who decides to get the pre-owned, you can get a VIP code for the DLC and future content for $15. Thu, 25 Feb 2010 14:34:43 -0600 http://www.globaldisorder.net/Article760.phtml The second of two promised Assassin's Creed 2 DLC add-ons is set to release on February 18 on Xbox Live and PSN, a recent Ubisoft press release reads. On top of a release date, Ubisoft has offered two new screens and some details on Bonfire of the Vanities (AKA Sequence 13), which will be comprised of ten memories following Ezio's attempt to aid Machiavelli in freeing Florence from the influence of one Savonarola. It's up to Ezio to target key citizens under Savonarola's control and attempt to win them over through diplomatic discourse, including meetings over tea and the occasional quilt party. Oh, wait -- sorry, we had that wrong. He kills them. All. The chapters of the lost memory sequence take Ezio to several of Florence's well-known locales, such as the Palazzo Medici, Santa Maria dei Frari and -- wait, the Arsenal Shipyard? What, did you run out of awesome Italian names, Ubisoft? Tue, 16 Feb 2010 13:33:15 -0600