After denying that it was hacked at all last week, Microsoft's Larry "Major Nelson" Hryb has issued a statement blaming the recent reports of Xbox Live hacking on a "social engineering" incident against its customer support.
According to our reasonably intelligent technical manager (we've got to pay him for something) this most primitive of engineering basically involves tricking customer service staff into giving out passwords.
"There's no other way to say it; this situation shouldn't have
There's been talk of a sequel to Microsoft and Mistwalker's flagship Japanese RPG Blue Dragon for a while now, but series creator and RPG legend Hironobu Sakaguchi tells us his full vision for the series.
"Blue Dragon has sold through more than 200,000 units in Japan and again it will continue to build momentum as we get into things like BD2 and BD3," Sakaguchi told us. "And that's what we're hoping; to really build on the franchise. Maybe it'll take ten years (laughs)."
To date Blue Dragon
It's a new week, which means a new internet update trickling from the Bungie fortress, and this week it focuses on Halo 3's new and improved battle encounters.
"Halo 3 encounters are more fun, more challenging, more varied and more enjoyable than those in Halo or Halo 2," the update reads. "The interplay and strategies created among the various Covenant foes is just thrilling."
"One weird thing that I just can't get used to (in a good way, I mean) is the fact that you have to plan for
Now is a very good time to be a fan of real time strategy. With top tier titles hitting the market faster than our hard drives can keep up with them, we've entered a golden age for the RTS genre. But no matter how deep Supreme Commander, or how authentic Company of Heroes, one franchise has the potential to overshadow all newcomers in name alone... Command & Conquer.
Earlier this week, while attending the launch party for Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars on PC, we managed to corner three of
This Wednesday the newest addition to the ever-growing Xbox Live Arcade collection will be available to download. Jetpac Refuelled is a remake of the classic 80s arcade game Jetpac, but to make it extra-explosive, Rare has added some special ingredients to fuel the fire.
As a galactic rocket test pilot you'll have a difficult job ahead of you. Don't worry about the astrophysics involved - those little details have been taken care of by Rare. You will be more focused on blasting a path through
The PlayStation 3 doesn't have a games portfolio for audiences such as families and kids, says Stephen McGill, Microsoft's head of gaming and Entertainment and Devises Division UK.
"If you look at the PS3 line-up it's quite heavy in shooters and drivers," McGill said in a recent interview. "I'm pleased to say that our portfolio is quite appealing to the masses."
"We've got a great portfolio of games for kids, families, moms and girls," he continues. "As you come into Christmas I think you'll
We're being given a teasing glimpse of developer Codemasters' horror-fest Clive Barker's Jericho in a new trailer running for just over a minute. Get your pants scared off by taking a peep via our video player below.
In development for PC, PS3 and Xbox 360, Jericho's a squad-based FPS that relates the story of Jericho Team, a seven-man strike force established to protect the government from paranormal threat.
Clive Barker is steering the game all the way from conception. "I'd love people to
Dubbed Marvel: Ultimate Alliance Heroes and Villains, the expansion is divided into a Hero Pack and a Villain Pack, each costing 500 Microsoft points ($6.25). Alternatively, you can purchase the Combined Hero and Villain Pack for 800 Microsoft points
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Castlevania: Symphony of the Night has finally hit Xbox Live, giving new gamers a chance to see why this one game redefined the series (and created a formula it still employs today). 800 points for one of the best 2D games ever made? Yes, please. Now, if only Konami would make more 2D Castlevanias for full-sized consoles...
Ace Combat soars to Xbox 360:
We're not gonna lie - having exclusive screens, info and interviews for Ace Combat 6 made our whole damn week. Check
The first bit of mischief from the Xbox 360 house went down at the Midnight PS3 launch in Paris, where a big Xbox 360-branded boat sailed passed queuing gamers with the message "Xbox 360 heart you." We don't know what it means either, but we're sure the cold French gamers got the message.
An hour later (thanks to the wonders of time zones) more naughty pranksters descended on the official London launch event at Virgin Megastore Oxford Street. As you can imagine the chilly London weather isn't
