The Xbox 360 S 250GB Console Bundle ... Reviewed!

Just about a month ago, Microsoft made a big splash in the water by releasing the new, redesigned, 'slim' version of the Xbox 360. The new console, dubbed the Xbox 360 S, is sold with WiFi compatibility built in and includes a 250GB hard drive. The Xbox 360 S also takes on a new appearance, sporting a sleeker form factor that includes a slight redesign of the physical appearance system itself, while maintaining the same basic shape of the original Xbox 360.

The New Xbox 360 S

Many current 360 owners will ask themselves, "Is it time for an upgrade?"... "Is it worth it to upgrade?"... "Yes, no, maybe so...".

First off, considering how the new Xbox 360 S sizes up against the original Xbox 360, there is really not much of a true physical difference. While it's definitely no Playstation 2 turned slim transformation, the new Xbox 360 S manages to cut about an inch and a half of height, a sliver of width, and actually increase a third of an inch in depth. Microsoft also decided to cut down the weight from 7.7 pounds on the original to 6.3 pounds on the new redesigned Xbox 360 S. The actual physical resemblance between the two systems is very clear, although the newer 360 S takes on a slimming and more futuristic look.

The Xbox 360 S sports all of the same cable connections as on the original system, while also adding an optical audio jack, a dedicated kinect port, and a redesigned hard drive bay. With memory cards entering the final waning days of their lives on the 360, Microsoft decided to ditch the mem-card ports in place of two extra USB sockets. Interactive buttons on the front of the system, such as the DVD tray eject button have been made capacitive (touch sensitive). Overall, the system does make slight improvements physically speaking, although there is nothing that really goes as far as to stand out.

The most useful addition to the 360 S is the built in 802.11n WiFi connection, which allows for downloading and online gaming on par with a direct Ethernet connection. The hardware, although slightly updated, does not make any noticable improvements on processing speed (loading or installing games). Fortunately, the 360 S redeems itself by acting as a more efficient incarnation of it's older brother. Tests have shown that the redesigned system uses a third less power when playing and installing games or watching DVDs, and close to nothing when sitting idle at the dashboard. The 360 S is also stealthy quiet compared to even the newer Xbox 360 Elite systems, it hardly makes a whisper when playing games that have been installed onto the hard drive. Unfortunately, it still manages to act as a makeshift space heater when left on for long periods of intense gaming.

So is the new Xbox 360 S truly worth getting? For first time Xbox 360 buyers, the answer would be a definite yes. With many new games coming out this fall that are sure to make a splash, as well as the built in Kinect compatibility, it is hard to overlook such a powerful system. For current 360 owners looking to upgrade, the question is a bit more debatable. Most Xbox 360 owners will be satisfied with their 120GB hard drives for now, and a system redesign alone doesn't hold much weight in the eyes of most casual gamers. Sure it may be quieter and use less power, but those perks alone are most likely not enough for the current 360 owner to make the splash, unless you are own a Xbox 360 arcade or 20GB Pro and are looking to make the step up, or just have deep pockets.

Pick me! Pick me!

Fortunately, for those current owners who are interested, there is are ways to get the 360 S for less. A 'old' 20GB system complete with cables and a game or two (something you don't really play anymore) can be sold for $150 on eBay. You can even try asking if any of your friends are interested in the system, possibly through a social networking site, or even post it on craigslist (to avoid eBay's fees). Couple that nice return with an online retailer who is running a free shipping promotion and you pick up the Xbox 360 S for $299 flat. Not too shabby I'd say, but I'll be sticking with my trusty 120GB system for now, but I can't say I don't see a possible upgrade in the near future.

- BakEd

Medal of Honor Beta for Xbox 360 is live!

Well folks, it looks like EA was finally able to get the Medal of Honor beta online for Xbox 360 users this past Friday. Gamers who had already pre-ordered the game through GameStop will have received a hard copy of the code upon checkout or through an email (for those who pre-ordered online).

When starting up the beta for the first time, you will notice two available game types, Team-Assault and Mission. The Team-Assault game mode is essentially a team death match with a few interesting differences. The winning team is decided by reaching an overall score total, which in this case is 1200 points. The scoring system gives a base of 10 points for each kill, plus an additional 5 for a head shot, melee, and or redemption or savior kill (of a teammate). These bonuses add up quickly, making it possible for a team to win the match while having less overall kills than their opponents. Many Battlefield Bad Company veterans will recognize the Mission game type as having great similarities to the Rush game mode on BFBC and BFBC2. Attackers try to destroy a certain objective in the map, if they are successful in doing so, a new objective will appear and players advance to a new point further along in the map. There are a total of five objectives to destroy in the Mission game type on the beta. Defenders must stop the attacking team from destroying the objective by withering away the opponents ticket count, which when reaches zero, equates to a victory.

The game play is essentially a hybrid between the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare series and Battlefield: Bad Company 2. The game is produced by DICE and EA, using the frostbite engine, leaning closer to the Battlefield series in terms of game design and weapon feel, while maintaining a fast pace and rewarding "point streak" rewards give it a resemblance to Call of Duty. Bullet damage seems to resemble BFBC2 more closely than in the Call of Duty series. Head shots on the MOH are deadly, let me repeat that deadly, because chances are if you don't head shot the other player in a firefight, you will likely be seeing the respawn screen. Although the hit detection system is still a bit flawed, and it is frustrating to deal with the 'delayed deaths', the beta still does a good job of finding a niche in the balance between the two FPS games. The frostbite engine combined with DICE's game developers have led to the creation of 'Call of Duty sized maps" with BFBC2 style texture and environment design. The beta maps are relatively well designed, providing a good balance for both teams.

Users can choose between three pre-determined soldier classes, Rifleman, Special Ops, and Recon. Players start out with a limited ability to customize their equipment, but as they progress by earning points with the respective class, unlocks such as combat scopes, silencers, muzzle brakes, extended magazines, and open-tip ammunition become available. Players rank up their own skill level separately from kit classes. The player ranking system is based on a 'skill level' which changes depending on the dynamic performance of the player in ranked games. Posting a 40-5 kill death ratio in a lobby filled with lower leveled opponents (in comparison to your own) will only net you a 10 point bonus on your overall skill level. Yet placing mid table in a lobby filled with players way above you in terms of skill level can net you a large bonus.

For anyone who has yet to try out the beta, I highly recommend giving it a shot. It may not be the most ground-breaking FPS to hit the 360 scene, but it sure is a nice change of pace from the usual MW2 or Bad Company. For those who would like to catch a game with me before the beta runs it's course, my gamertag is listed in the right hand column of the page.

Until next time,
- BakEd

Amazon is running a good deal for those who order through their website, saving you some money by providing free shipping.

Fifa 10 Double Champs Achievement Guide

So I've been playing EA's Fifa 10 for a while and I decided to go for achievements. I'm currently managing Arsenal, in my 2nd season. I play all of my games manually, usually winning most of not all. For those who like to simulate the fixtures, in an essence giving you a true manager mode experience, it may be a bit more difficult to unlock the 'Double Champs' achievement, especially when managing in a top level league such as the English Premier League.

For those of you achievement moguls who don't feel like sweating out two long seasons, I'd suggest this as an easy way to unlock the achievement for winning the league title twice in a row. Go to 'Team Management' in the main menu and select 'Transfers'. Select a team from a first tier league that has low ranked teams overall (such as the MLS) and transfer players into a team in that division (this will be your manager mode team). Spend about five minutes transferring over top players from notable teams to fill your roster with at least 7 top players in every position, and two goal keepers.

For example you can use:

GK:
Iker Casillas (Real Madrid)
Julio Cesar (Inter Milan)

DEF:
Dani Alves (Barcelona)
Carles Puyol (Barcelona)
Maicon (Inter)
John Terry (Chelsea)
Nemanja Vidic (Manchester United)
Philip Lahm (Bayern Munich)
Sergio Ramos (Real madrid)

MID:
Kaka (Real Madrid)
Michael Essien (Chelsea)
Frank Lampard (Chelsea)
Steven Gerrard (Liverpool)
Xavi Hernandez (Barcelona)
Esteban Cambiasso (Inter Milan)
Diego (Juventus)
Andrea Pirlo (AC Milan)

FWD:
Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid)
Fernando Torres (Liverpool)
Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Barcelona)
Lionel Messi (Barcelona)
Robin van Persie (Arsenal)
Didier Drogba (Chelsea)
Wayne Rooney (Manchester United)

You may have to transfer out players that are currently on the team along the way to make sure the roster is not completely filled up. Next, once you have your team stacked with top players such as the ones mentioned above, transfer out all the other players that were on the team.

Now save your rosters and go to 'New Manager Mode' and select the team you transferred all your players to. Turn off auto save to make the process go by quicker, and just simulate every game. You should be winning almost every game. Once you have the money you can upgrade your teams fitness level as teams in these leagues usually have a poor fitness staff, leading to the tiring of your players. After playing through the league for two seasons you should easily unlock the 'Double Champs' achievement, not to mention likely 'The Treble' and 'Established' achievements aswell.

'Double Champs' 10G | Win consecutive League titles in any top tier League in Manager Mode

Looking forward to 2010

So to a close comes a great year for gaming in 2009. The Xbox 360 has had some huge releases and brought about some really interesting stuff over the last twelve months. Modern Warfare 2 was a ton of fun, and I have been playing it at a near daily rate. I've also had a lot of fun playing Forza Motorsport 3, building my garage and tuning my cars. Lastly, FIFA 10 failed to disappoint, it's more often than not continually kept me sitting at my desk and playing 360 rather than actually watching live games on TV.

I will be getting my hands on Assassins Creed II and Borderlands very soon aswell. I can tell you I am eager to begin my ACII campaign and try out the multiplayer features on Borderlands. But for now it is a farewell, bringing a close to 2009. With 2010 will likely come the much anticipated release, or further development of Project NATAL for Xbox 360. x360n.com will have all the latest when any new information is available. Farewell for now...

Modern Warfare 2 Limited Edition Xbox 360 (250GB)

There was a lot of buzz in the air regarding today's announcement from Microsoft regarding a new 250GB Limited Edition, Modern Warfare 2 Style Xbox 360 console. This new bundle is set to hit the shelves the same day as the game itself (November 10th) and will include two wireless controllers. The Xbox 360 console will have a Modern Warfare 2 themed design and will include all the accessories that come with a normal Elite. Plus the nice 250GB hard drive, which is surely a hint about what is the future of the Xbox 360 platform(DVR, Media Center, Downloaded Games).

The bundle will retail at $399 USD in the United States. One notable article to mention is that the 250GB hard drive will be limited to the MW2 bundle at this time, and will not be sold separately. This leaves the 120GB hard drive retailing at $149 USD, a steep price to swallow. Look for Microsoft to restructure hard drive prices in the near future. We are predicting that the 20GB will be completely phased out, the 120GB will notch down to $69 USD, and the 250GB should slide in at around the $99-$129 USD range.

Not much else to report on this week... Did I mention that rumors are already surfacing within hours of this MW2 Limited Edition Console announcement that Sony has already prepped an equivalent 250GB PS3 Slim bundle that will likely drop during the Holiday season.

New Modern Warfare 2 Multiplayer Gameplay Trailer

Infinity Ward has released a sneak peak at their new multiplayer game mode for Modern Warfare 2. As shown in the trailer below, a new 'capture the flag' mode has been added to the game.

Among new features seen in the video were people running around in Riot Shields, an Air strike Perk at 4 kills, and a Predator missile Perk at 5 kills. The gameplay looks slightly refined and the graphics look better than on the previous Call of Duty 4 installment. Host migration has also been added, allowing for a new host to be chosen almost instantly if the current one leaves, allowing for fluid gameplay without the need to return to the lobby. Players can also throw knives to down opponents who are not within hand's reach.

Interesting stuff, be sure to check it out below. The retail version of Modern Warfare 2 will hit shelves on November 10th.

Microsoft cut the price of the Xbox 360 Elite Console to $299 USD

That's right, the new $299 USD console will be effective by tomorrow morning at most major retailers. This obviously seems to be a pleasant response from Microsoft to Sony's addition of a newer 120GB Console that will retail at the same price. Microsoft also announced that the Arcade Xbox 360 Bundle would have its retail price sliced on the shelves to $199 USD. They have also confirmed that both current and new $299 USD Elite Console's will be compatible with Project NATAL and controller free gaming.

Seems like a good move from Microsoft to attract any remaining gamers that have yet to dip their feet into the world of Xbox 360. Hey, and if you are reading this and you don't own one, go ahead and shell out the three-hundred bucks for the new quieter and more efficient Elite, I promise you won't regret it... (psst, don't bother with the Arcade Edition, Elite ftw).

EA Sports Fifa 10 demo release date confirmed

Electronic Arts as confirmed that the new Fifa 10 demo will be coming to the Xbox Live Marketplace on September 10th. The demo will likely include four teams and allow users to play a game with two minute halves. A bit short for my liking, but hey, I will very excited at the prospect of getting my feet wet with this promising installment for the 2009-10 season.

A full preview will be posted after the Demo has hit the Marketplace.

Check out the new preview trailer below:

Gamestop Adventure

Well, not much going on today. The update has fully set in around the Xbox world, and the in-game content seems to be selling. I took a quick look at my friend's list today before playing my beloved Fifa 09. About half of my friends online had avatar marketplace items outfitted on their avatar.

Not much else to report on, except for, oh, a little adventure to Gamestop. I walked into the store and a strange influence came about me. I decided to splurge and put down $30 on Fifa 10, $40 on Forza 3 Limited Edition, and $30 on Modern Warfare 2. Burned a nice little bill in the process but at least I won't be scrambling for cash when the games come out. I've decided when I have the cash to spare, I'll put it down on any money I've pre-ordered. It's nice to walk in on the date of release and pick the game up 'without paying'... well it beats coughing up $65 on one go. I'll cushion the blow with small incremental additions...

That's all for now. I'll be on Twitter a whole bunch, so subscribe if you'd like, here!

Xbox 360 August Update is Live!

The wait is over, the new August Xbox Live Update has arrived! There had been a lot of excitement brewing in regards to the features the new update would boast.

If you have been living under a rock, read the preview of the update here.

I logged into my account this morning and was immediately prompted to download the update. It only took about thirty seconds and I was on my way. A thing I noticed which was not mentioned in previews during the days leading up to the update was a little message that displays below the download bar to indicate the estimated time remaining. Yes, I know those can be annoying, especially when downloading files on the computer or moving files from your hard drive to a external storage device (or vice-versa). "Mommy, it says two minutes left." You go and grab a quick snack from the fridge... "Mommy it says three hours left." Three hours pass... "Mommy, it still says thirty minutes left"... then those thirty minutes precede to drag out for over an hour. Alright, that was an exaggeration, but well at least in my experience while downloading stuff off the marketplace today, the estimated time remaining indicator was pretty accurate.

I swapped my Avatar's clothes for the all black tux, which incidentally, was free, and has been on the Avatar since it debuted. But of the new things available, a COG Soldier, Star Wars Storm Trooper, or USMC full body outfit would cost you 400 Microsoft Points a piece ($5 USD). Quite expensive, but I admit they did look cool. I couldn't resist shelling out 160 Microsoft Points ($2 USD) for the new soccer ball prop that was available. Among the other things available were new clothing and shoes from Quiksilver, Adidas, and 'in game brands' such as Halo and Bioshock.

The new game rating feature is also active in the marketplace, and no surprise that Halo 2 is among one of the more popular titles. Although in my opinion, the GoD (Games on Demand) prices are a bit too steep for games that can be found at GameStop or on eBay for a third of the price. I have yet to try out the Netflix feature, but it looks very interesting. I dished out a few party invites and everything seemed very streamlined and easy to use. I also noticed a nice big '2' next to my gamertag, which means I've been using Xbox Live Gold for two full years, and soon to be three this fall.

Well folks, that's all for today. If you haven't signed in to XBL today, your missing out on some cool new stuff. I suggest you hurry over to your Xbox 360 and download the new Update. I definitely wasn't disappointed.