News Roundup: 09-08-2006

With summer over, in retail terms, it is now the holiday season. Therefore, news concerning all things Xbox® is starting to ramp up. Between new announcements and some questions from the community, there's plenty to cover, so let's get to it.

Mass Effect in 2007
For those hoping to experience Bioware's latest RPG genius this year on Xbox 360™, I'm afraid you'll have to wait just a little bit longer. Mass Effect™ is now officially slated to launch in the first quarter of 2007, and while that news may be disappointing, Bioware's track record (Star Wars®: Knights of the Old Republic™, anyone?) speaks for itself. I can only assume that the delay will ensure that we'll get the kind of quality game we have come to expect from Bioware.

Alas, Mass Effect, we will have to wait 'til 2007.

Assassin's Creed on Xbox 360!
When touring the Ubisoft booth for Xbox.com at E3 last May, I was being led to a guided demo for Assassin's Creed when I asked, "Isn't this for PS3 exclusively?" The Ubisoft rep winked at me and said, "Officially, yes."

That's all I needed to hear, and while I wish I could have made mention of it before, you never know what can happen, and raising those kinds of hopes when they might be dashed later would have been just plain mean.

Luckily, the news is now official and this stunning third-person action title is set to take Xbox 360 by storm. Fill the silent slippers of a mysterious assassin in the time of the Crusades. Promising unprecedented freedom in environmental movement (grab any object on a wall and use it to climb), a beautifully animated reactionary combat system, and unparalleled crowd AI, this blockbuster from the team behind the smash hit Prince of Persia titles is certainly a welcome addition to the Xbox 360 library.

Madden Fix Coming
Even before Madden NFL 07 launched for Xbox 360, Electronic Arts confirmed that they were aware of an issue where players did not suffer fatigue. I've heard several complaints on this issue since Madden's launch, so I felt the news bore repeating here. EA is aware of the issue, and while they haven't confirmed a date for the patch's release, it is most definitely on the way.

Without fatigue, you never need to swap out the MVP.

In addition to the patch for Madden NFL 07, we can also be sure that the first wave of roster updates and even some new downloadable marketplace content (like classic jerseys) is just around the corner as well.

'hounds Update
SEGA's Chromehounds™ has recently received an update for Xbox Live® that fixes several issues, including problems with lag, login issues, and several in-game bugs. You can find full details regarding the patch here on the official Chromehounds site.

Arcade Unplugged
While 60 percent of Xbox 360 owners are up and running on Xbox Live, that still leaves a hefty 40 percent without access to the Xbox Live Arcade titles available on Xbox Live Marketplace. However, with the release of Xbox Live Arcade Unplugged Volume 1, you'll be able to purchase the following six games on a single disc. Arcade Unplugged is in stores now for only $39.99!

• Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved
• Wik: Fable of Souls
• Outpost Kaloki X
• Bejeweled® 2
• Hardwood Backgammon
• Texas Hold 'Em

We're just starting into the home stretch, which runs from now until the end of November, where most of the major holiday titles will be released, not to mention several highly anticipated peripherals like the Xbox 360 HD DVD Player and the Xbox Live Vision camera. It's going to a wild time for Xbox 360 owners, so get ready, and be sure to check back here for more news updates and analysis as the holiday season unfolds.

Article by Ryan Treit