Xbox Live Arcade’s Texas Hold ‘em Gets Updated

Posted by Chris Pereira Categories: Casual, Xbox 360, Xbox Live, Xbox Live Arcade, Xbox Live Marketplace

The free update for Texas Hold ‘em, which rolled out yesterday, included a variety of features – including some really great ones. Bug fixes and updates such as Xbox Live Vision Camera support are the headliners here. And the good part for dedicated fans is that bankrolls won’t be reset with the update.

Poker is the perfect fit for the Vision Camera, and finally we’ll have just that. This’ll likely breathe new life into the game, and luckily it’s the type of game that isn’t just a fad – plenty of people still populate Hold ‘em online as it is. While I wish this had come out sooner (like, not 11 months after it was first released), it’s better late than never, especially when you’re referring to uses for the Vision Camera, which are few and far between.

• Improved usability such as the addition of Custom Match Lists, which allows gamers to view and select which available Custom Match game they would like to join.
• Improved rich presence in the game, allowing players to not only see what their friends are up to, but also if they just won that big pot!
• Improved matchmaking and user results.
• Scoring and screens are more readable than before.
• Multi-language support including English, French, German, Italian and Spanish.
• New premium downloadable content allows players to customize the in-game environment, and access new gamerpics and themes.

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Chatlog: The Halo 3 Beta: Two Weeks Later

Posted by Chris Pereira Categories: Bungie, Features, First Person Shooters, Xbox 360, Xbox Live

The Halo 3 Beta has been available to the public for nearly two weeks, and with well over a hundred games between the two of them, editors Chris Pereira and Kyle Ulrich have a discussion about the experience thus far - what they like, what they don’t, what needs to be changed, and more.

Kyle: First off, the graphics. While the beta looks good, it’s absolutely clear that what is there is merely a foundation for what the finished product will become. A lot of people have been quick to criticize the game for looking too similar to Halo 2, without taking into consideration that the majority of the assets that we’re seeing in this beta - the levels, weapons, and character models - have been finished for months, as early as last October. Particle effects are nonexistent - grenades and muzzle fire lack flourish. From my perspective, we’re going to be looking at almost an entirely different game come September. I’d imagine that there are layers and layers of polish that have yet to be implemented. Believe.

Chris: You’re right. Bungie is the type of developer that waits until the last moment to slap on that extra layer of gloss that makes everything oh-so-pretty. And unlike many games, gimmicky bloom effects aren’t what make Halo look good. And after all, this beta isn’t a tech demo; don’t expect it to wow you with its graphics.

Kyle: The gameplay is an entirely different story, though. Even in this early, unfinished stage, the balance is remarkable. Nothing feels particularly unusable and the power weapons are exactly what they should be: hard to use, one-hit skill kills. Everything from the recoil of the sniper rifle to the shortening of the Shotgun’s ammo chamber make major strides at leveling the playing field. The even smattering of spray and prays and one-shots coalesce and riff off each other beautifully. For my money, an unfinished product has never played so marvelously. Also, the tweaking of the objective game types shakes things up well. Territories is simply awesome.

Click to continue reading Chatlog: The Halo 3 Beta: Two Weeks Later

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PlayStation Home Revealed

Posted by Christopher Sasaki Categories: Culture, Internet, PlayStation 3

Last night, Sony officially unveiled the PlayStation Home service, and it basically confirms a lot of what was said before. 1up has coverage of the new service, and from a high level, it is Sony’s attempt to tap into online game matchmaking, the success of Nintendo’s Mii avatars, and online content generation, all in one service. A high level description really doesn’t do the service justice for what a user can accomplish with the free online service, but 1up gives some great details about how PlayStation Home will operate along with a number of screenshots. More details are being revealed by Sony’s Phil Harrison at the keynote of the GDC.

Continued below…

Click to continue reading PlayStation Home Revealed

Read More | 1up

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