LUXOR 2 Coming to XBLA This Wednesday

LUXOR 2 will be available for download on Xbox LIVE Arcade for Xbox 360 beginning Wednesday, Apr. 4, at 9:00 a.m. GMT (2:00 a.m. PST). It will be available worldwide for 800 Microsoft Points and is rated E for Everyone.

In the second installment of the No. 1 casual game of 2005, “LUXOR 2” from MumboJumbo, players travel through 88 exquisitely detailed and explosive levels shooting and destroying the magical balls that threaten the pyramids at the end of their paths. Players can earn up to 15 exciting power-ups, play through four distinct levels of difficulty, challenge themselves to a total of 13 bonus rounds and work their way up through the new 100-level player ranking system. Also, unique to the Xbox LIVE Arcade version is a new arcade-style mode of play called the Pharaoh’s Challenge. …

Game Features

* 88 explosive levels with 13 new bonus rounds
* 4 levels of difficulty, including the mind-bending Challenge of Horus
* 4 modes of play: Adventure, Practice, Survival and Pharaoh’s Challenge
* 15 power-ups including the new Lightning Storm and Pharaoh’s Dagger
* Player ranking system with 100 levels from Farm Hand to Pharaoh of the Two Lands
* Pharaoh’s Challenge: A fast-paced arcade-style version of the game, where the user employs the Pharaoh’s Dagger exclusively to eliminate the approaching spheres
* Earn up to 12 Achievements and 200 Gamerscore points

Source: http://gamerscoreblog.com/team/archive/2007/04/02/543546.aspx

New 1upyours & EGM Live Podcasts

I know this is old but I didn’t post about them when they came out.

1UP Yours – Podcast – 03/30/2007
With Garnett and Shane on a goodwill tour in the Far East, John and Luke turn to GFW’s Shawn Elliott and Gamevideos’ Mark MacDonald for commentary on the week that was. And what a week: reactions to Microsoft’s new “3l33+” SKU (as well as Luke’s “controversial” price analysis), Mario and Sonic realize the dreams of millions of fanfic scribes, Shawn griefs some war veterans, and why is Luke not impressed with the GTA IV trailer? Listening: It’s good for you.
Download the Podcast:
Audio (41.6MB) – Length: 1:44:33

EGM LIVE* – Podcast – 04/02/2007
Join the EGM editors as we talk Forza 2 with the game’s Community Manager (and former EGM/1UP editor) Che Chou. Che tells us all about the latest developments on Forza 2, possible downloadable content, how he thinks his game compares to the competition, what it’s like working at Microsoft, the history of the “Che Flop,” and lots more. We also tackle reader mail about crappy Wii ports, game industry lingo, and sending videogames back in time. Plus, a Che-related trivia question for this week’s contest.
Download the Podcast:
Audio (27.86 MB) – Length: 1:12:42

Awesome podcasts! If you haven’t checked them out download them now and give them a try

Xbox 360 Warranty and Service Enhancements

Looks like Microsoft has updated their Xbox 360 Warranty. Here are the details:

Xbox 360 Warranty and Service Enhancements

1. New Warranty Enhancements, Including Cost-Free Shipping and Return of Original Console
We recently announced that we changed the Xbox 360™ warranty in the United States and Canada from 90 days to one year from the date of purchase. Now we’re adding additional service enhancements, taking Xbox 360 customer service one step further.

Free Shipping:
In the event your console needs to be returned to us for repair your shipping costs are free. We will immediately send you a postage paid container in which to send us your console, and we will pay for shipping charges to return your console to you.

We are committed to delivering an improved Xbox customer service experience for our Xbox 360 console customers, one that is faster, more efficient and includes shipping free of any charge. From our customer service representatives to our executive team, the entire Xbox team has made delivering on this commitment a top priority.

New Post-Service Warranty:
If we repair your Xbox 360 within the original warranty period, you will receive either the balance of your original warranty, or 90 days, whichever is longer. In addition, we will now pay for the shipping both ways.

If we repair your Xbox 360 after the warranty period has expired, while you will be responsible for the repair costs, your repaired console will be returned to you with a new, one year repair warranty.

Return of Original Console
In either an in warranty or out of warranty situation, most customers will now receive their original console back from Microsoft.

2. Faster Service
We are implementing an expedited repair process; upon receipt of the console, Microsoft will repair it and ship it to you within five business days.

3. Enhanced Operations
We’re increasing the number of Xbox customer care representatives, enhancing our training processes and further building out our on-site technical support, all so our customers will begin to experience a noticeable improvement in the quality of the service they receive when they contact us.

Xbox will be hiring a customer care champion who will be responsible for ensuring the end-to-end experience for all Xbox customers is first-class, evaluating and implementing new practices and policies to further enhance the Xbox customer experience. We are also adding more staff at the supervisory level, to ensure we serve you better.

Source: http://www.xbox.com/en-US/support/systemsetup/xbox360/resources/warrantyupdate.htm

3 New Games added to the Virtual Console

I know this is late but I didn’t get to post about it yesterday. Three new games were added to the Wii Virtual Console yesterday. They are:

* Star Fox 64 – N64 – 1 – 4 players – 1,000 Wii Points
* Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles – NES – 1 player – 600 Wii Points
* Dragon’s Curse – TurboGrafx16 – 1 player – 600 Wii Points

Source: Wii Fanboy

E For All Pricing Announced!

IDG has announced pricing for the upcoming Entertainment for All Expo (E For All) this October. Here are the pricing details:

Advance Registration

Thursday/Friday = $45
Saturday/Sunday = $65
4 – Day Pass = $90

On-Site Registration

Thursday/Friday = $50
Saturday/Sunday = $75
4 – Day Pass = $110

Source: E For All Fact Sheet

PSP Core Pack Now $169.99

Via GamesIndustry.biz:

A spokesperson for Sony Computer Entertainment Europe has confirmed to GamesIndustry.biz that the price of the PSP has been cut in the US.

Until this week, the Core PSP pack retailed for USD 199.99 (EUR 150 / GBP 100). However, it will now carry a price tag of USD 169.99 (EUR 130 / GBP 85).

The Core pack includes a PSP, battery and adaptor, and retails for GBP 150 in the UK.

When asked if Sony has any plans to cut the price in Europe the spokesperson replied, “We have no announcements to make about the PSP in the European market at this time.”

The PSP competes in the handheld market with the Nintendo DS Lite, which has a lower price point of USD 129.99 / GBP 99.99. Last month Nintendo announced that more than 3 million DS units have now been sold in the UK, securing Nintendo a 68 per cent share of the market.

Source: http://www.gamesindustry.biz/content_page.php?aid=23969

This is good news for people that were waiting for a PSP price drop So with the new low price are you going to buy a PSP?