The new Mass Effect DLC, Pinnacle Station has now been released onto the XBOX Live Marketplace for 400 Microsoft Points. At only 400 Microsoft Points it’s easily one of the cheapest game add ons we’ve seen in a while but is that because the quality of the content is low or is Bioware just giving [...]

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The Sumo Omni is essentially a bean bag chair, only it’s much more [...]

Let’s start off by saying, Rock Band has been on the right track with their DLC. They are aiming for 1000 songs by the end of this year. It’s really great that they have stuck to their concept are still bringing out more songs. The fact that the DLC was cross compatible with both Rock Bands was even better! I couldn’t help but think this was one of the coolest things in the world. Harmonix has their pockets filled with my money because of these smart decisions. I’ve bought about 60 songs for Rock Band 2, and will continue to buy more.

Rock Band 2's Music Store

At the time that I had Rock Band 2, I only had Guitar Hero 3. Pretty old school, I know, but all of these spin off games that Guitar Hero had weren’t really intriguing me (granted, I did buy Guitar Hero: Metallica). Then Guitar Hero: World Tour came out, and I really wanted to buy that without the instruments. Because of my position at the time, I couldn’t afford the instruments and I couldn’t find just the game itself. In the end, I couldn’t buy the game.

Now that Guitar Hero 5 came out, I’m past the whole World Tour thing. No reason to buy World Tour when the next installment comes out, right? I don’t think so, Tim. When I heard about that one feature that wouldn’t be added to Guitar Hero 5, my whole view point on the game changed. Downloadable Content from Guitar Hero 5 would NOT work with Guitar Hero: World Tour! What’s going on here? Is it because of the new Avatar Integration? That feature is pretty cool, but isn’t the game about the music? I want as much music as possible in my Rhythm games, not character models of my avatar playing the guitar. I have the Avatar Marketplace for that.

Avatar Integration in Guitar Hero 5

To me, this is one BIG step backwards for Activison’s Guitar Hero series. Frankly, I won’t be purchasing Guitar Hero 5, but instead will be waiting for more DLC for Rock Band 2. Nothing better than playing more MUSIC in my MUSIC games.

So, as all of us in involved with Xbox Live and the Xbox community know, Microsoft has released an Avatar Marketplace, to spiffy up your avatars and make them look cooler then ever. In the Avatar Marketplace, you can equip things like a Gears of War 2 COG suit or Locust suit, some Halo armor and a bunch of cool accessories, shirts, pants, and items. These special items allow your avatar to perform poses with the item of your choice, so say goodbye to the generic hand wave motion. Now, these clothes look a whole lot more “cooler” than the original avatar clothes, as these have dynamic images and designs on them, to make them stand out more. But, there is a catch. You have to pay for them.

The Avatar Marketplace

Now, I’m really on the fence about this. On one hand, I know I will probably buy some of these items and show them off to all of my friends. The items like the Lightsaber or the guitar look really cool with your avatar, as your avatar gets to play with them. Just think of a COG member equipped with a Lightsaber, waving it around like a true Jedi master, or a Halo spartan playing a guitar. Pretty cool, huh?

On the other hand, it’s digital clothing, non-tangible and ultimately won’t matter in the long run. The prices for the clothing are a pretty hefty amount of Microsoft points, and when you are talking about buying the points with Microsoft’s “Add points to account” feature, you are paying for more than what you actually need. The marketplace items range from 80-400 MS Points right now. A good 400 points that I can buy Rock Band songs with and have a lot more fun with, for a longer amount of time. I still ask myself why Microsoft charges for the clothing. The pricing of the avatar clothing started off free, so why not have it remain free? It’s not like Xbox Live was free at first, then they decided it was better to charge for it. Xbox Live has always been a fee type deal and they stuck with it. So why not stick to the concept of “free”?

It just seems like another scheme for Microsoft to make more money. I’m already paying $50 a year for online gaming, while the other consoles offer free online gaming. But I’m also paying for DLC that I want, so why should I pay for another feature of a feature added to the list? The Avatar Marketplace seems cool and all, but I guess it’s really up to the player themselves to figure out how they want to approach this. As for myself, Microsoft has left me in a neutral state of liking and not liking the Avatar Marketplace. Nothing was done to hurt me, but then again, nothing was done to benefit me either.

Rapala: We Fish takes a “pick up and play”, comical approach to fishing. Featuring five different game modes, including co-op tournaments, 4 player split-screen and multiplayer modes, players can choose from five hilarious characters or play as their favorite Mii™. Players travel to eight locations around the world and compete in 24 tournament events. Battle over 50 wacky fish species, including enormous Legendary Lunkers, with the Rapala rod and reel peripheral for side-splitting fun!

The Unlock Xbox contest, which is driven by a collaboration between the Doritos brand and Microsoft, originated in 2007 and lead to the creation of the record-breaking “Doritos Dash of Destruction,” the first consumer-created Xbox LIVE Arcade game, which went on to become the fastest Xbox LIVE Arcade game to reach one million downloads.

Starting today, people in North America are invited to submit game concepts that embody the big, bold and intense spirit of the Doritos brand, for the chance to have their idea developed into an Xbox LIVE Arcade game for the Xbox 360. Fans can review the submission terms and enter their ideas via video submission through October 4, 2009 at www.unlockxbox.com.

“We are always looking for new ways to connect with fans and give them unique opportunities to express their creativity in a way only Doritos and our partners can deliver,” said Ann Mukherjee, group vice president, marketing, Frito-Lay. “Many of the people who love Doritos also love gaming, and this innovative program gives our fans a chance to live their dreams.”

Ten quarter-finalists, which will be chosen by the Doritos brand and Xbox 360 and announced by Xbox’s Major Nelson, will embark on the journey of a lifetime as they compete to transform their game concept into a reality. From in-person pitch meetings at Microsoft Game Studios with the “Godfathers of Gaming” including Kudo Tsunoda, to an online voting round, gamers will get to experience the incredible process of bringing an Xbox LIVE Arcade game to life. Ultimately, two will be developed into Xbox LIVE Arcade games available for download in fall 2010, with one fan-selected grand prize winner scoring a $50,000 gaming consultant project for Doritos.

“By bringing their brand to the Xbox LIVE audience, Doritos has the opportunity to reach a subscriber base of more than 20 million.” said Mark Kroese, general manager of Microsoft’s Entertainment & Devices Advertising Business Group. “The first ‘Dinosaur Dash of Destruction Game’ was a record breaker in terms of first week downloads. We’re excited to see what this round of creativity brings.”

Giving video game fans and Doritos chip-lovers everywhere even more reason to get in the game, between November 29, 2009 and December 31, 2009, visitors to www.unlockxbox.com will have a chance to instantly win great prizes as they log on to cast their vote among the finalists. Promotion details and rules will be available on www.unlockxbox.com during the promotion period.

Further supporting its commitment to gaming fans, the Doritos brand also is announcing a partnership to bring pro football’s combine concept to the competitive video game world. The Doritos MLG Skills Combine will be a nationwide, multi-day competition where amateur players are put through their paces by MLG League officials and pros, with an eye towards evaluating their potential for participation in the MLG Pro Circuit.

Rockstar Games, announced Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars will be making its way to the iPhone and iPod touch this fall.

“Chinatown Wars is a perfect match for the iPhone and iPod touch,” said Sam Houser, Founder of Rockstar Games. “We are very excited to bring this incredibly ambitious version of Liberty City, with this level of detail and immersive gameplay on Apple’s new gaming platforms.”

Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars is currently available for the Nintendo DS and is also coming this fall for the PSP. The game follows the story of Huang Lee, a young Triad who travels to Liberty City after the mysterious death of his father. Players will navigate their way through the streets as they uncover the truth behind an epic tale of crime and corruption within the Triad crime syndicate, delivering the unprecedented amount of depth that has become a true trademark of the Grand Theft Auto franchise.

SCEA announced today a new and exclusive PlayStation 3 offering for the God of War franchise, God of War Collection. Scheduled for release this holiday season, God of War Collection will feature reworked versions of both God of War and God of War II on a single Blu-ray at full 1280 x 720 resolution. Both critically acclaimed games, which were originally developed for the PlayStation 2 computer entertainment system, have been remastered with anti-aliased graphics running at 60 frames per second for a smooth gameplay experience on the PS3 system. Additionally, the Blu-ray Disc compilation will bring PSN trophy support to the franchise for the first time (included for both games). God of War Collection offers substantial value to PS3 consumers, the compilation of both best-selling games costing just $39.99 MSRP.

SCEA announced today a new and exclusive PlayStation 3 offering for the God of War franchise, God of War Collection. Scheduled for release this holiday season, God of War Collection will feature reworked versions of both God of War and God of War II on a single Blu-ray at full 1280 x 720 resolution. Both critically acclaimed games, which were originally developed for the PlayStation 2 computer entertainment system, have been remastered with anti-aliased graphics running at 60 frames per second for a smooth gameplay experience on the PS3 system. Additionally, the Blu-ray Disc compilation will bring PSN trophy support to the franchise for the first time (included for both games). God of War Collection offers substantial value to PS3 consumers, the compilation of both best-selling games costing just $39.99 MSRP.

Rockstar Games, announced that Beaterator will be coming to the iPhone and iPod touch this fall. Developed by Rockstar Leeds, the studio behind Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars, Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories, and Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories, Beaterator is a portable music-making application that allows people of all musical backgrounds and ability to create world-class beats and songs.

“The simple, pick-up-and-play nature of Beaterator lends itself so well to the Apple platforms,” said Sam Houser, Founder of Rockstar Games. “We are happy to deliver an application that allows for such unprecedented sharing and ease-of-use.”

Previously announced for the PSP, Beaterator features thousands of loops and sounds made by both Timbaland and Rockstar, and puts the power to make professional-level music at your fingertips in a format that’s portable, accessible and fun.

You can check out the trailer for Beaterator at our media site here.