There’s one big thing missing from Microsoft’s Xbox 360, and that’s any real representation of the MMO genre. Cryptic, developer of the upcoming Champions Online, believes that it’s not because developers don’t want to represent the genre on the 360, it is because Microsoft is holding back on coming with a way of how such a game would work through Live.

“Microsoft’s a big company, and they have to work out all the various issues related to MMOs,” explains Emmert. “It just takes time for the big beast known as Microsoft to get moving. I really have no explanation other than that, because it’s as baffling to developers as it is to everyone else.” (Source)

Cryptic already have a 360 version of Champions Online “ready to go”, but with Microsoft dragging their heels on the subject it doesn’t look like any 360 gamer will be controlling their very own superhero anytime soon. That means we probably won’t see it this year, but will we ever see it at all?

“Right now we’re just talking with Microsoft. Right now the ball is firmly in their court. We’re ready to go, but until we get the go ahead from Microsoft, right now we’re sort of waiting.”

This isn’t the first time this has happened. In fact the team behind Final Fantasy XIV told VG247 that their game was partly a timed PS3 exclusive because they were still in ongoing discussions about just how the game would work over Live. Of course, Final Fantasy XI is already out for the 360, so it does work in some way.

Personally I’m not sure MMO’s are such a good idea on the console, at least not for the time being. The 360 is good for online games, but on a far smaller scale, and I’m not sure the communities that form around such games as Call of Duty 4 would translate to an MMO. I’ve always thought MMO’s were a far better fit for a mouse and keyboard, but I would have said the same thing about FPS’s a few years back. Another thing is you would have to pay two subscriptions; one for the MMO and one for Live, so maybe the PS3 would be a better bet.

Meanwhile Sony have no such reservations about the MMO, with The Agency currently under development. Maybe we will see Champions Online on the 360 eventually, but it certainly won’t be in time for the PC versions release next week.

Tuesday saw the release of a new Xbox 360 dashboard update, although some people (including myself) already had the new update due to a beta preview that you could join a few weeks before the official release. The update included a number of improvements and new features; which included the ability to buy and download games, Netflix parties (US only), user ratings and more streamlined navigation (for the full list of updates see here). However, one of the biggest new features and also one of the most controversial was the new Avatar Marketplace.

The Avatar Marketplace allows you to buy new clothes and props for your Xbox Live avatars. Up until now every new piece of clothing released for the avatars has been free, although it has always been a bit limited in terms of what you can dress your virtual persona in. Now there are themed clothes; such as Star Wars or Gears of War clothing, and even props that your avatar interacts with; such as guitars and pom-poms. Over the next few months we should see a vast increase in content for your avatar, but is it really worth paying for?

The main argument, as you’d expect, is why spend money on content for a virtual avatar? What you have to remember is that this trend isn’t knew, Playstation Home and Second Life have done it, as have hundreds of websites that allow kids to dress up their virtual creations. What links all these products? They sell, and they sell for so little that people have no qualms about buying a few items every now. It’s also a good source of profit, so no-one can really blame Microsoft for moving into this area when it’s already proven that it works.

The only criticism I have is that some of the items are priced a little high. 400 points for a lightsaber is a bit over the top (you can buy some Xbox Live Arcade games for that), but it’s understandable that branded content is going to cost a little more – just like in real life. I don’t have a problem with content being priced, since it was inevitable that Microsoft wasn’t going to be releasing free content forever. So, before you complain that content is no longer free you have to remember that people and companies often want to make money off their creations. It’s crazy right? This damn capitalism! In all seriousness though, wouldn’t you? I know we pay for a gold subscription already, but we don’t get the majority downloadable content for free so why would this be any different? Microsoft isn’t getting all the profit; it also goes to the content creators.

People have the right to choose what they spend their money on. Some like spending £1.36 (160 Microsoft Points, the price of the guitar I bought) on snacks, while others like dressing up a virtual doll. We don’t have to right to criticise what people choose to spend their money on just because you might not like what they’re spending it on. If you don’t like the new Avatar Marketplace then don’t buy anything on it, it’s really that simple. Maybe I wouldn’t buy some MS Points just to buy clothes, but it’s a good way to get rid of those 300 points I had left from buying Fallout 3: Broken Steel and Castle Crashers.

We have to learn to accept that micro transactions are only going to get more prevalent, and they will continue to sell by the bucket load. Some people may not like it, but I think it’s a good way to get rid of the spare change in my pocket. Maybe I’m also admitting that I like to dress up dolls, but we all have our secrets, right?

Is all this talk about a Halo film still going on? Apparently so, as the rumour mill now says that the one and only Steven Spielberg – taking over from Peter Jackson - has got himself involved. If true we could be seeing Master Chief shooting Covenant troops on the big screen after all.

IESB, a film news site, has a source that says Spielberg is currently in active negotiations to oversee the production of a Halo film. Spielberg is apparently “blown away” by a screenplay written by Stuart Beattie, which is largely based on the novel Halo: The Fall of Reach by Eric Nylund. The novel is Master Chief’s origin story, and if a film were to be based off it then it would most likely do a Judge Dredd and have Master Chief take off his helmet.

If the rumours are true then Spielberg is only in talks to produce the film and not direct it, so that obviously leaves the way open for your director predictions. Whoever that may be you have to bet that with Spielberg on the team the film should turn out at least moderately good. Spielberg is also a video games fan, having helped develop the Boom Blox games, so hopefully you’d have to hope that he would do the Halo franchise justice and not have it turn out to be another horrible film based on a video game.

Microsoft was quick to respond to the rumours, releasing the following statement to Kotaku;

“We’re glad there’s still a lot of enthusiasm in the entertainment industry surrounding the idea of a Halo movie. That said, the Halo feature film remains on hold as we focus on projects like Halo 3: ODST and Halo: Reach.” - Kotaku

At least they’re not saying the film is cancelled outright, which leaves some hope for Halo fans expecting to see a film within the next two years or so.

While you may not be getting any Halo film love anytime soon maybe you can at least be somewhat happy that a Dead Space film is in the works. Of course, there’s always the future World of Warcraft film – directed by the Spider-Man films Sam Raimi – to look forward to.

IESB Exclusive: Master Chief and HALO May Be Coming to the Big Screen Sooner than Expected with a New Big Name Producer - IESB

Back at E3 2009 Microsoft announced that Facebook and Twitter would be integrated into the Xbox 360 dashboard. Speaking with Eurogamer Microsoft’s James Halton revealed that both services are due sometime this autumn, but didn’t give an exact release date. However, apparently they will arrive “before Christmas”.

Now, you may wonder why they’re not part of the dashboard update coming later next month (currently being trialled by a selection of Xbox Live users). The reason is that both will be separate applications so will launch separately, much like when a game is released on Xbox Live Arcade. In that way they want be that intrusive if you don’t want to use the services.

Personally I’m tired of people saying “What’s the point? We can do this on our PC”. You can also play games on your PC, but that doesn’t mean you always want to. It’s just another way of updating your Facebook/Twitter when you’re not at your PC and I’m all for that. I’m not sure my friends on both sites will want to know what game I’m currently playing, but it’s still a cool feature nonetheless. Although, do separate applications mean we won’t be able to update our Facebook/Twitter from inside the game? Even if it’s updated automatically? It doesn’t sound nearly half as good if that’s the case.

There’s no word on the Last.fm or Sky integration yet, but hopefully they won’t take too long to arrive.

In other news the DSi now has Facebook intergration (also announced at E3), but it’s Japan only for the moment.

When a Crackdown 2 trailer (here) appeared at Microsoft’s E309 press conference plenty of people - including myself - got immediately excited. Unfortunately it was little more than a teaser trailer, with absolutely no information at all. Thankfully Microsoft has seen fit to correct this, filling us in a little on what the sequel has to offer.

Microsoft says that the sequel to 2007’s underappreciated open-world riot will support four-player co-op and sixteen-player competitive multiplayer. Apparently this will take “multiplayer gaming to unprecedented levels”, but whatever the press blurb says it should add even more fun to the world of Crackdown 2; providing the game is actually good of course.

I had a lot of fun with Crackdown’s two-player co-op; so four-player co-op should theoretically be fun, right? I do have some concerns with how the game will handle four-players causing mayhem in a big rendered city, as the first game suffered from occasional lag problems even with two. Fingers crossed the developers will be able to make it work without too many problems (I know GTA IV had more than four players in a big city, but if you threw a lot of exploding cars, gunfire and players into a single area the game played like a slideshow).

Crackdown 2 should be with us sometime next year.

(Image source: VG47)

Just a quick heads up to say that I will be tweeting the upcoming Microsoft E309 Press Conference over on my Twitter account here.

I will also be writing up a full report on the press conference, but if you want my live analysis then my Twitter account is the place to go. The detailed analysis will appear here later today, and I’ll be doing the same with Nintendo’s and Sony’s press conferences tomorrow.

The press conference kicks off at 6.30pm UK time, so if you wish to watch it there’s a bunch of live feed links here.

Ensemble Studios may be getting shut down at the end of this month, but they’re determined to go out with a bang. Their last project, the Xbox 360 RTS Halo Wars, has just gone gold (meaning it’s complete and ready for sale); leaving plenty of time for manufacturing ahead of its 27 February release.

While you’re waiting for the factories to pump out those shiny Halo Wars DVD’s Microsoft has released details of the game’s demo. The demo will arrive on 5th February, and it sounds like it’s going to be worth waiting for. Not only will the demo guide you through beginner and advance tutorials, but you’ll also be able to play the first to campaign missions from the full game. Is that enough for you? Well, there’s more.

You can also play on one of the skirmish maps, “Chasms”, which is one of 14 included in the full game. Unfortunately there’s no mention of online multiplayer in the demo, so you’ll be playing against AI; but that’s better than nothing, right?

To celebrate going gold Microsoft has released some new screenshots of the game along with the first Halo Wars video documentaries. You can see these over at Destructoid.

Christmas is just around the corner and you’re constantly worrying about what to buy your gamer-minded partner/daughter/son/friend. Well, fear not my friends, for I have come up with a series of Christmas guides that point you towards some of the best games available today.

We kick things off with a personal favourite of mine, the Xbox 360, which surely has something for everyone.

Call of Duty: World at War

An epic single-player mode combined with one of the best console multiplayer experiences out there means that you can’t really go wrong with buying this as a bift. As we shall see from the following game you’ll be giving the gift of months of extra gameplay, but unfortunately you’ll probably be seeing a lot less of whoever you buy this for. Plus, did I mention that this game had zombies? I don’t think you should be considering to buy this as a gift, there should be no question about it!

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 

If you actually know someone who likes shooters, owns an Xbox 360 and doesn’t own this game then ask them what cave they’ve been hiding in. If you do manage to find someone then this game is a much cheaper version of the game above. In fact, this is the game that spawned the excellent multiplayer that the game above uses, and you’ll easily still be able to find thousands of players enjoying this game. This is really a must-buy, and anyone who plays World at War before Modern Warfare is missing out on a great deal of fun, and maybe missing out on a game that actually surpasses it’s follow-up.

Far Cry 2

While it’s not the best FPS game on the market right now it’s still a good substitute for those that already own the above games. The single-player mode is a lengthy experience, packing enough in there for well over 20 hours of zooming around Africa before setting everything on fire. There’s also a pretty decent multiplayer mode, and while it’s not up to the standard of the above two games the in-built (and incredibly detailed) map editor means that there’s enough originality to keep people for a long time to come.

Left 4 Dead

I’ve always said that you can’t really go wrong with zombies, and Left 4 Dead isn’t about to buck the trend. Taking on the hordes of randomly generated zombies (and a bunch of other ’special’ zombies) with three other friends is where this game shines, and you can’t really beat the sheer hilarious terror when players see a tank barrelling towards them and scatter.

Gears of War 2

This is yet another ‘must own’, and if you know someone who owned the first Gears of War then you owe it to them to buy them the sequel. The sequel is packed with twice as much action, which means twice as much gory chainsaw kills. The multiplayer mode also returns, along with the addictive ‘Horde’ mode where players have to defend against increasing waves of enemies.

Grand Theft Auto IV

Here’s yet another ‘must own’ (the 360 tends to have a lot of these) and, damn, is this game epic or what? I’m a storyline guy, so I loved the concentration on Niko’s struggle to make something of himself in Liberty City (the games fictionalised recreation of New York City). Others were disappointed at Rockstar for removing things like jet packs and planes, but there’s still a pretty fun multiplayer mode in there for those that aren’t big on story. Regardless of your tastes the city is the real star here, and gamers just have to experience it if only to simply see just how far gaming environments have come.

Saints Row 2

As I said above, Grand Theft Auto IV is more about the story and a living breathing incredibly detailed city. Saints Row 2, while still having a somewhat interesting story, retains all the whacky and hilarious fun that can come with sandbox environments. From streaking around the city streets to firing raw sewage and pedestrians this game pretty much has everything. It also arguably has a more enjoyable multiplayer mode than GTA, and does trump GTA by allowing you to play through the main game with a friend. This isn’t an alternative, it should be bought with GTA IV so players can experience both sides of the fence.

Fable 2

Possibly the best fantasy role-playing game the 360 has right now, Fable II will never allow a gamer to utter the words ‘there’s nothing to do!’. Whether it’s raising a family and then setting them on fire, or adventuring around the world of Albion with a dog that you’ll fall in love with there’s plenty for gamers to do here. Everything the player does has a consequence, and to top it all off you can fret about your sins with a friend.

Fallout 3

Although this is the 3rd game in the post-apocolyptic RPG series Fallout 3 will probably be most gamers first introduction to the world. The first time you step out of the vault and see the sprawling wasteland ahead of you may actually scare you with the realisation that, for once, you have a choice of where to go and what to do.  Thirty hours on and you still won’t have seen everything this game has to offer, and some of it won’t actually tie into the main game. So, yes, you have a choice of whether or not you want to see this content, which makes it all the more exciting.

Infinite Undiscovery

Square-Enix (makers of the hugely successful Final Fantasy series) are no strangers to long RPG’s, and Infinite Undiscovery is no exception. This is for those gamers that enjoy hefty RPG’s crammed full of story all wrapped up in that unique Japanese style. The story takes a while to get going, but once it does it’s pretty entertaining, and there’s some great fast paced action sequences in there too. Perfect for those that love their JRPG’s.

Burnout Paradise

Burnout Paradise presents excellent value for money. Not only to you get a superb racer with absolutely stunning crashes, but you also get constant content updates from Criterion. Toy cars? Check! Floating cars? Check! Motorbikes? Check! Seamless multiplayer modes? Check! This is one racer that you have absolutely no excuses for not owning - unless you don’t like racers of course!

Dead Space

What better way to spend Christmas then watching your significant others jumping out of their skin every five seconds? I’m not going to lie, Dead Space is an absolutely terrifying game but this is why it’s so enjoyable. Combine this with some absolutely horrendous enemies, a decent storyline and enough puzzles to keep your brain ticking while you constantly watch your back and you’re on to a winner. Terrifying? Yes! Worth the price or new pants? Easily!

If you have any other suggestions then feel free to post them in the comments. I couldn’t put every good game for the Xbox 360 on the list, so I chose to post the games I thought were the best. Feel free to rip into my decisions!

Up next - Playstation 3 game buying guide.

As I mentioned yesterday Microsoft said that those who didn’t have the hardware required to store the 128MB the NXE takes up would be offered “storage solutions”. Today Microsoft have revealed just what these “storage solutions” are.

Microsoft have launched an Xbox Storage Upgrade site for those that may encounter some problems. When you go to the site you’ll be able to input your consoles serial number and ID to see if you are eligible to take part in the program. For your troubles (and if you’re eligible) you’ll be offered either a completely free 512MB memory unit or a 20GB HDD for £12.99 (which is a steal considering they normally cost about £65). While a free memory unit is incredibly kind of Microsoft I’d go with the latter as you’ll be able to make full use of the NXE’s features with the HDD.

The offer only applies to those who own Core or Arcade systems as those who own a Premium or Elite are expected to already have a HDD (considering it comes with the console). If you’ve filled up your HDD then you can do nothing more than free up some space or buy a new HDD.

Xbox Storage Upgrade - Microsoft.

I forgot to mention this earlier but Xbox 360 owners will be pleased to know that the New Xbox Experience (NXE) will be arriving around the world on November 19th. The dashboard update will be completely free but will also be mandatory for any Xbox 360 connected to the Internet (if you don’t have Xbox Live you’re missing out on a whole lot of fun).

You’ve probably heard about most of the upgrades now - which include a totally new look, avatars, new community based games (Which is called Primetime and features games such as 1 vs 100, where you can win real prizes) and features, the ability to install games on a consoles hard drive and much more (although video sharing won’t be included straight away, despite earlier claims) - but those of you who own a Core Xbox 360 (now discontinued)  or don’t own a hard drive are probably wondering how you’ll be able to install the new dashboard. The install will weigh in at only 128MB but if you don’t own a hard drive or a 256MB memory card then you’re pretty much screwed. Even if you do own a memory card it’s a large chunk out of your available memory. While I highly recommend buying a hard drive obviously some people won’t be able to afford them, so Microsoft have to come up with a way to combat this problem. So far they had this to say;

“While we expect the majority of consumers to download the New Xbox Experience without a problem, a small percentage of Xbox 360 owners do not have enough memory to accommodate the update. To help ensure all Xbox Live members are able to download the New Xbox Experience and enjoy its new features, Microsoft will be offering storage solutions to the Xbox LIVE community. We are not sharing details of this offering yet. Be sure to check Xbox.com for more details in the coming weeks.” - Gamespot

It will be interesting to see what Microsoft means by “storage solutions”. Will Microsoft possibly send all those affected a free memory card? If so then how will they determine who has the storage and who doesn’t? Couldn’t you just claim a free one whoever you are? It’s hard to see Microsoft doing this anyway, but it won’t give Microsoft many brownie points if people have to fork out more money just because Microsoft didn’t offer in-built storage in the first place.

What about myself? Well I have a 20GB hard drive, which itself may not even be that useful in the future but it’s good enough for now.