Xbox 360

December 8, 2008 – Harmonix and MTV Games announced today that Rock Band is set to give fans a taste of country music for the first time with the addition of the “Going Country” 5-pack to the Rock Band Music Store catalog of downloadable content. The impressive lineup of renowned country artists includes Grammy Award winner Brad Paisley with “Mud on the Tires,” the honky- tonk country classic duo Brooks & Dunn with “Hillbilly Deluxe,” and all-American trio Dixie Chicks with “Sin Wagon.”

Rock Band country lovers can also look forward to Dierks Bentley’s #1 single “Free & Easy (Down the Road I Go)” and Miranda Lambert’s standout single “Gunpowder & Lead.” Each track will be available starting December 16, 2008, for the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and December 18, 2008, for PLAYSTATION 3 computer entertainment system. Each individual track will be available for $1.99 (160 Microsoft Points) and $8.49 (680 Microsoft Points) for the 5-pack. Read more

December 3, 2008 – Legendary multi-platinum recording artists The Eagles, Nirvana and The Smashing Pumpkins, all featured in the on-disc set list of Activision Publishing, Inc.’s Guitar Hero World Tour, are returning in December with exclusive downloadable content for the game. Additionally, fans will be in for a treat just in time for Christmas with three free Reggae Rock tracks from Pepper, Slightly Stoopid and Expendables.

The Smashing Pumpkins, one of rock's defining and most acclaimed bands who have sold over 30 million albums, return to Guitar Hero World Tour, tomorrow December 4th, with a three-song track pack featuring the recently released single “G.L.O.W.,” “1979” and “Everlasting Gaze.”

Featuring the stylistic melodies of Kurt Cobain, Krist Novoselic and Dave Grohl, the pioneers of alternative rock, Nirvana, make their Guitar Hero downloadable content debut with the Nirvana Track Pack. Featuring the final single released by the band, “You Know You’re Right,” along with “Negative Creep,” off the band’s debut album Bleach, and the smash hit “Sliver,” the Nirvana Track Pack will be available for Guitar Hero World Tour on December 11th.

After delivering the timeless rock ballad “Hotel California” to the on-disc set list of Guitar Hero World Tour, The Eagles will thrill the Guitar Hero audience once again on December 18th with three chart topping hits. From the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees’ seventh studio album and first in 28 years, Long Road Out of Eden, “Frail Grasp on the Big Picture” is joined by two classic tracks that climbed to the top of the Billboard’s Hot 100, “One of These Nights” and “Life in the Fast Lane.” Read more

November 17, 2008 -- Electronic Arts Inc. announced that NCAA Basketball 09 ships to retailers today in North America, delivering a college basketball experience that captures the emotion, intensity and atmosphere of a real college basketball game. Featuring former UCLA star Kevin Love of the Minnesota Timberwolves on its cover, NCAA Basketball 09 showcases a new, strategic college basketball gameplay experience that challenges gamers to replicate their school’s style of play and set the game tempo to win.

Experience the electricity of game night with the band playing fight songs, the student section leading the cheers and ESPN college basketball broadcasters Dick Vitale, Brad Nessler and Erin Andrews providing the commentary. Whether your school plays up tempo looking to push the ball in transition, runs a half-court offense that utilizes the clock and limits possessions or features a balanced attack that combines transition offense with set plays, NCAA Basketball 09 rewards the strategic gamer and emphasizes team specific styles of play. Read more

October 30, 2008 -- EA and Nissan shift into high-gear this holiday! The Need for Speed series continues the tradition of featuring the most desirable cars as Black Box, a studio of Electronic Arts Inc. and Nissan today revealed the highly-anticipated all-new 2009 Nissan 370Z. This marks the first time an auto manufacturer has partnered with a videogame company for the world premiere reveal of a car. The Nissan Z will be available exclusively in this holiday’s hottest action driving title, Need for Speed Undercover, available in North America on November 18 and in Europe on November 21.

“For the past 15 years, Need for Speed has helped define contemporary automotive culture by bridging the gap between gamers and the world’s hottest cars. As such, we are very excited to partner with one of the automotive powerhouses today to exclusively reveal the all-new Nissan Z,” said Keith Munro, Vice President of Marketing at Electronic Arts. “Need for Speed is about style, fast-paced action and power; this is definitely a car made for Need for Speed fans. Come November, they’ll be able to test drive the all-new 370Z in the game before the car is released on the market.” Read more

Videogame boxes have been a yawn for 60+% of the population in the Americas for the past year. For the rest? They are the “A” list of lust. For MS, Sony and Nintendo the Xbox, PS3 and Wii are about percentage points. And bragging rights…serious bragging rights! But Sony drew the line in the sand. They said…”the console war doesn’t start till we say so…”

Like Nicholas Cage in Gone saying he was going to steal 50 cars in one night. Great chest thumpin’ but who cares? For the PS3 and Wii (and last year’s introduction of Xbox 360) it really was…gone in 60 seconds. People camped out in front of stores for days waiting for their chance to get one of the first units. Some didn’t get their box so they punched out, pistol whipped or used other persuasion to make their “purchase.” A lot of the PS3 winners threw theirs up on eBay for a couple of grand. People…it’s a game! You may have money. You may have “taste.” But come Saturday night you’re sitting there with your lowly console staring at a screen. Read more

Electronic Arts’ newest edition of this sports franchise allows for hours of game play with new improvements on the in-game action. While it may not provide the next-gen sporting game that video game enthusiasts thirst for, it will at least serve as an appetizer.

The greatest advancement in this year’s version of the game is clearly its graphics. On an HD screen, they simply dazzle, making the game look like the real thing more than ever. Shadows, lighting, and textures all closely match their real world equivalents, hinting that maybe this whole next-gen experiment is progressing in the right direction. Read more

Plantronics has teamed up with Microsoft to stop Halo 2 users in their tracks with a great deal. The GameCom Halo 2 headsets are typically $49.95, but for a limited time Plantronics is offering them for $14.95 online with a portion going towards the Katrina disaster fund. The in-the-ear headset features a noise-canceling microphone and is compatible with both Xbox and Xbox 360. Read more

Over the past few months, I went through the same experience as many avid video game players: I hunted long and hard to find an Xbox 360, laid down the extravagant asking price for the product, and then powered up my system, expecting to see something amazing. Initially, my expectations were unmet. The graphics were barely an improvement over the original system and I was left questioning what warranted the price boost. My curiosity was left unanswered until I played Ubisoft’s Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter, the newest installment of Tom Clancy’s video game series. Read more