Red Octane, GTR & SFX360 Sponsors GH III Tournament April 5th Fundraiser Event
Red Octane, The Inner Circle and LLS Presents The Ultimate LLS Guitar Hero Tournament, Saturday April 5th 2008 at The Inner Circle located at 2232 N. University Dr Coral Springs, FL (At University and Royal Palms Blvd. Behind Kinko’s)

This event will be hosted by members of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s “Team in Training” . Red Octane is sponsoring the event as well as The South Florida Xbox 360 Meetup Group and Gamertag Radio.

If this event was going on here in Texas I'd be all over this in a heart beat. Since I'm not able to make it out to Florida, I did the next best thing and donated a small amount. So if you can spare a little bit, then please click the following links to learn how you can help out more.

The Ultimate LLS Guitar Hero Tournament

Direct Donations only

Why would someone even think about cheating to get a larger gamerscore? It's not like it pays you something and gives you more for having a higher score. How about the fact that you didn't even really play the game and earn what your claiming to have done in the first place. Do you really need to have such a high score and is it worth the risk to cheat for it? I think Microsoft has finally had enough of this kind of play now.

Fact is I guess some people are just that way and like to cheat. For what ever reason, they think its alright to have thousands and thousands of points with out even playing and earning them. They are fine with going around and saying. I've got 1000 points in this game, but deep down they never played it and cheated to get this so called glory.

I thought boosting was bad, I had no idea someone would go so far for some points. Now people might change their habits and start playing for real and earn them for real. I play for the fun of it myself and its cool to have the achievements to show I completed something. Its cool to have the score and compare with others, but I'm not going to boost and cheat to get my score higher. Thank you Microsoft for looking into this and stepping in and slapping the wrists of those. Be warned, it doesn't pay to cheat and your only cheating yourself out of the accomplishments of earning these the right way.

About Gamerscore corrections
A gamerscore correction occurs on a player’s LIVE account when they gain achievements through avoiding game play and the use of external tools.  LIVE is committed to keeping the service free of this type of behavior as it violates the LIVE Terms of Use.  When abnormal achievement or gamerscore activity is found, LIVE modifies the gamerscore of players who meet specific and automated criteria.

A LIVE player who obtained their gamerscore in this abnormal way will

• Find their gamerscore reset to zero, and
• Be unable to regain all previously earned achievements, and
• Be labeled as a “cheater” for the community to view.

While players who have been identified by these criteria will start from a zero gamerscore, they will still be able to gain achievements for future games.  In other words, we give them another chance to earn future achievements by earning them as other “fair” players do.  The original gamerscore correction will remain permanent without any way to appeal.

Its the latest and coolest variant on Halo 3, we're talking about the cyber sporting game of Grifball and its played on the Foundry Map, which becomes free tomorrow as part of the Heroic Map Pack.

This is what you get when you take the games of Hockey & Rugby and combined them with Halo 3's Gravity Hammers & Swords, along with a single bomb and two goals. Teams of 4 vs 4 race to the middle and smash the others and battle for the bomb and then race off to the other teams goal to score a point. Each score is celebrated with a nice explosion sending your teams scorer flying to the next round.

If your looking for a change in the world of Halo 3, then check out Grifball and start playing now. Leagues are forming on Grifball.Com and I'm sure you'll find plenty of pick up games if your not able to join a team for the 2008 Spring League. Finally a sports game I think I'll really love to play.

Learn More About Grifball
WHEN: Monday March 24^th 2008 through Sunday April 27^th, 2008
Game Variant: GBSL08 Rules
Map Variant: GBSL08 Court

RULES

To participate you need :

• An Xbox360 with a copy of Halo 3
• Xbox Live Gold account
• Halo 3 Heroic Map pack (Download for 800 Microsoft points on Marketplace)

RULES OF GRIFBALL

Grifball is a simple game. Two teams of four players square off in an arena in which each team has a goal. The object is to take the ball in the middle of court and put it in the other team's goal.

1. Scoring a goal earns one point and ends the round.
2. Each match consists of at least five rounds. The team with the most goals at the end of the game wins.
3. Each player is equipped with only a gravity hammer and an energy sword. There are no grenades. All weapons have unlimited ammo.
4. The base Halo 3 gametype is Assault (neutral bomb). Damage is set to 200% with player health set to 10%. One direct hit will kill a player.
5. Dead players respawn in three seconds at their own goal.
6. The ball carrier has a 3x Overshield, 150% speed and turns orange for some reason. Any player may become the ball carrier by picking up the ball.
7. Friendly players can hurt each other. Learn to use your radar.
8. Spawn camping is both legal and a totally awesome strategy.
9. In the highly unlikely event that a player finds themselves outside of the arena (beyond the wall), they must find a teleporter. It will drop the player into the middle of the arena. It is the player's duty to return to play within 15 seconds (judged by time on Save Film) or they forfeit the entire match. If they leave the ball beyond the wall, it will reset within 30 seconds. Play is not suspended while the ball or ball carrier is out of bounds.

Standoff, Rat's Nets, and Foundry, otherwise known as the Halo 3 Heroic Map pack will become free for those who want them on March 25th, 2008. It's always cool to get something free from time to time and I had decided to hold off until now for these, having spent a lot of my time playing CoD4 when they launched back in December 2007.

This past weekend I spent a lot of my time in Halo 3 and playing Team SWAT and the game was a lot of fun to get back into for a change. Now I'll have to continue on and start learning the new maps. Bungie has a long standing precedent of releasing new maps for a period of time and then giving them free later. The next set of maps called Legendary is set to release on April 15th, 2008 for the standard 800pts.

 
The symmetrical valley of Standoff, with its entrenched bases and fields of boulders is ideal for mid-sized objective and Slayer game types.

The vast, labyrinthine passages of the Rat's Nest bring something completely new to the multiplayer experience: an indoor vehicle paradise. Strongly influenced by the Campaign mode, this map is ideal for big team battles.

Foundry is the ultimate Forge map. Players can edit every single object in this voluminous industrial warehouse, placing stairways, walls, bridges, and tunnels to create an entirely new play space and build almost any kind of map imaginable.

Standoff in SWAT
It appears the last day of double experience points had issues for Halo 3 Team SWAT. Bungie released a statement that they were sorry for the problem and would be making things up to the fans of Halo 3. If you missed out on the Team SWAT action, stay tune for details and perhaps we'll get a chance to try some of these with the new maps or Grifball double point action that required the Heroic Map pack earlier in the month. To learn more about Grifball vist www.grifball.com.

Before a shot was ever fired in the game, shock waves have now been heard around the world for the upcoming Battlefield Bad Company. The beta is set to launch in just two days now and players have already started to download and peek around the game a bit. What they have found is a bit of a shocker for games it seems now.

The shocking news is some of the guns are set as unlockables, but some of them only after you purchase the added guns via Xbox Live Marketplace. This has upset quite a few people, who feel this might be nothing more than a nickel & dime attitude from EA and gives certain gamers an unfair advantage. The thinking is that someone willing to pay will get a better weapon and take out an enemy that doesn't buy these weapons.

After downloading the beta and poking around a bit, it does appear that extra guns are available for purchase. Looking through each weapon and the stats for them, it's hard to tell if these new weapons are that different the current available selection. So I'm not really sure if someone will get a huge advantage really from buying these additional guns.

The only real problem I have with this comes during the actual game play. What if I come across this weapon during game play and I have not purchased it? Do I get to use the weapon for the duration of the game, does it pop up and say I need to purchase before I can fire this weapon, does it disappear before my eyes suddenly or just become a default weapon I have only?

I'm sure we'll hear lots on this subject between now and the games actual launch. So while some of us prepare to wage war in the beta another war will take place on the web and in the various forums on why EA, this doesn't seem to be fair to charge us for guns?

Its a call to arms that rings out once again and now orders are being issued to hit the Battlefield for Bad Company. The first wave of attacks begins on March 25th and will last through April 25th for the new Beta, hitting Xbox Live. Yours truly now has he's orders and will follow them to the fullest, that's right, I'm in for the Battlefield Bad Company beta on Xbox Live.

I'm happy to once again take part in another Beta for the Xbox 360 and Xbox Live. Its coming at a very busy time of the year as well. We have Wars on multiple fronts with the New CoD4 maps hitting on April 3rd for 800pts and then you have the free release of the Heroic Map pack for Halo 3 and the new release of the Legendary Map Pack for Halo 3 for 800pts. Throw in this Beta and it will be interesting to see how much play time all of these games will get.

So I'll be doing my best to be apart of the Wars on all fronts, but I'll focus most of my time with the men of Bad Company, as I'm testing things out to their fullest. Just like I did with the CoD4 beta, I played that game fairly solid to help test it out. So keep track over the next few days here as I report back from the Battlefield with all of the details and on the action from the game. It's going to be a busy month up ahead now and sure to be a lot of fun too.

Bungie serves up twice the fun this weekend with Double Experience points for those playing in Matchmaking Team SWAT this weekend. Talk about a real blast in the Halo realm of Halo 3. I'm talking No Shields and only your skill at evade and attack to keep you alive.

That's right, in Team SWAT its you and your weapon of choice, depending on the match setup that gets you through the game. In most cases we are talking about a Battle Rifle or in some games its nothing more than the Magnum's pictured above. Yes you can dual wield these bad boys and take out the enemy. Best of all, help your team to victory and you'll get two for the price of one in experience points.

As long as you have Halo 3, then your set to play... you don't have to have the DLC of Heroic to take part in this contest. So dust off that copy of Halo 3 and set your copy of CoD4 down for a few days. Join the ranks of Halo 3 SWAT and have fun. I think you'll be amazed at how much fun Halo 3 can be with out the Shields. You'll learn just how hard it is to stay alive as well as how easy it can be to take out a target with the same level of game play as you.

Later in April, you should be able to download the Heroic Map pack for free and Bungie will release the Legendary Map Pack on April 15th. I'm guessing Heroic should be free at that time.

Well we are only a few weeks away from new DLC for Halo 3. Details of the Legendary Map pack are coming out from Bungie and this new set of Maps looks great. From the Jungle areas in Ghost Town, your sure to heat things up with this map and then you can chill out in the cold areas on Avalanche afterwards.

Artist Vic DeLeon describes Ghost Town as a fragmented ruins of a small 24^th century water purification complex that geographically lies just North and West of the jungle foothills hydroelectric facility from the Sierra 117 mission. The well-protected facility built into a shallow ravine was once home to the Global Water Campaign, where the still somewhat-pure Kilimanjaro meltwater was transported via pipelines from the river and directed to this small outpost where it became further purified, and then transported via GWC trans-African pipelines along the Tsavo Highway for distribution throughout the entire continent.

Avalanche is the second map in the pack and has a lot of the familiar elements from Halo: Combat Evolved classic Sidewinder, with the same familiar U-shape, multiple ways from base-to-base, and with plenty of vehicles on hand and it looks like they all have a nice frosted feel to them too.

The Legendary Map pack is due out on April 15^th for 800 marketplace points and the Heroic Map Pack should be released for Free at that time if not before then. Between now and then, we'll have to wait and see what Map number 3 might look like at least I hope they'll have 3 in the pack.

Time is running out and your target is standing right before you. You slowly work your way in closer and select your weapon of choice. Now is the time, strike hard and fast and bring down your target. Then something goes wrong... you've missed your target some how, act fast and try another strike fast. But its too late now, your target was acquired, but not by you... bidding is now over, you loose!

That's how its been over the past few days on Ebay for Assassins Creed, with well over 400 plus copies to be bought and sold. It appears the game is holding its value fairly well to say the least and my efforts at snagging this for around $20 has fallen short time and time again. It was time to plan again and figure out another way to get this game, at least I would have to raise my buy price it seems.

The game retails still around $60.00 and I wanted to get this cheap and play through the game, beat it and then release it back into the wild so to speak. I'm not sure if this will be a game that I want to play over and over after I complete it. So looking for it used and then selling became a goal.

Problem is time after time I'd loose in the last seconds and/or the price would climb way higher then I wanted to buy. So I had to raise my buy price it seemed and I was dreaming trying to get this around $20.00. My only hope is later that I can sell it and recoup some of my costs. That would be great to get what I paid for it back after I'm done with.

Fact is I think the game is great from the little bit I've played, I just don't think it has enough random parts to change things and it has no multiplayer action. So it will be perfect to to play once and then sell to someone that has not experienced the game yet. I finally hit my mark last night and the game will be on its way. We'll see how long it takes me to beat it and then what kind of price I'll fetch in resale.

So if your looking for a few games that have been out awhile, give ebay a try and you'll be surprised at some of the deals that you can find. Plus if your looking to sell a game, I'd recommend that you sell on ebay, your going to get a whole lot more for you game then selling back to someone like gamestop. Gamestop has a business to run and they want to make money, that is clearly why they only offer you a few dollars and you can get closer to half or more on ebay for your games. I'm hoping selling will be easier then the purchase part.

Xbox Live DLC is going to be very busy this Spring for sure with the upcoming release of four new maps in a Map Pack for CoD4. Normally you see a three map pack for games, but it was revealed earlier in the year that we could possibly see four in this first set of DLC from Infinity Ward and four it shall be.

The collection of maps will be made up of Broadcast, Creek, Chinatown, and Kill House when they finally release. With Broadcast you have a spin off from the TV stations in the campaign and if you haven't played that level of the game yet, then you really missed some cool action. Broadcast is expected to have two levels of game play, a big open room area as seen below and a number of rooms for closed quarters combat action. I've also heard mention some rooftop action as well and not sure if that is part of the 2nd level or if we have a third level perhaps in play. We all know how people like to find ways into other areas, just look at the third floor asking you to come up and play.

The Creek looks similar to parts of Overgrown to me and is suppose to be a big open map with a collection of houses on one side and a large ravine winding around them. Snipers should have a lot of fun on Creek, but be careful and make sure to check your six from time to time. This map has a riverbed with a waterfall and an area with a cave pathway and offers plenty of places to kill or be killed.

Chinatown brings us to number three and is set in Downtown Chinatown and under a full moon at night. This is a re-make of the popular Carentan, a highly demanded map from a previous Infinity Ward Call of Duty game, with a visual over haul. I've seen video footage from Chinatown and this looks to be a lot of fun for sure.

That leaves us with Kill House for the final map and the little bit I've heard on this is a spin off from the training mission at the beginning of the game, perhaps we now get to put that exercise into live action. What I can say is all new Intel will be coming out this Monday and I expect more game footage and screen captures on all 4 of these maps. So keep your eyes and ears open here and and around the net, as "four more for CoD4" kicks off. Now if they can only release this while I'm off on Spring Break, that would be really cool!

So who likes to save a buck or two? What about half price or better on a title? If you don't mind waiting and can avoid spoiler information about games, then you can actually pick up some good deals on used games. I've picked up my copies of Halo 2, GRAW 2, Madden NFL 07, and now MotoGP 07 all at reduced prices.

My most recent purchase is none other than MotoGP 07 and only at a 3rd of the actual retail price. The game hasn't even been out a full year now. I think this is a great deal if you ask me and if your willing to wait and hunt a bit, you can find deals just like this out there. It’s a steal if you ask me and well worth the wait to snag this for a 3rd of the retail price.

I had my reasons for purchasing each of these games used and at the top of the list for most of these is to save money. Halo 2 has been out for long time and I'm a fan, so finding it used was an easy choice for a Halo fan.

GRAW 2 on the other hand was only out a short time and I was able to shave around $10 of the full retail cost. This game was one of those you need to buy for sure and I had friends playing this title. So I looked and managed to find it just under the retail price.

On to Madden NFL 07... Well I'm not a huge sports fan and don't know football games really, so Madden NFL 08 was just about to hit the street and I just can't see spending a full $60 for something I'm not sure I'll like or will be good at, so its easy to pick this one up at $10 and be done with it.

The only thing to worry about is the quality of the used game and figuring out your buy in price. If you can handle all of that and are cool waiting awhile, you'll find some pretty good deals waiting for you out there.

Team Death Match... the time is ticking and the game starts and all your team mates scatter in six different directions. Want to place a bet on who will win this match? Well if your going up against the guys pictured above, I'm putting my money on that team to win.

The truth is there is no I in team and its happens over and over. That's not to say that a good team can't split up and work as a unit, but my point is they are still a unit and know what each other is going to do in most cases. They have played the maps over and over and know what is the best way to win for the team.

Some of the best matches that I've played in are due to me sticking near one of my team mates and working together against the enemy. I heard someone mention they don't like TDM games and that his team mates got him killed. I'm willing to bet he might have lost the round, but the fact they more and likely all didn't stick together and work together is what got him/them killed.

You can find pick up matches and have a good game, but I think its your friends, your regular team mates and after practicing and playing over and over together, is when you'll get good and succeed as a team. Do you have to be in a Clan, not really, but if you play normal and work together often, your a team and in a lot of respect your a clan too.

So next time you head out for some Team Death Match, check who is with you, talk it up some and try and stick together. Take a look at these guys, standing out in the open, spreading their area of fire power out and ready to cover each other. One last thing, have fun when you play too, its what we all are out there trying to do too.

2008 has a large number of new titles for us once again and I'm talking from Arcade to Retail releases too. Last year marked my first time to enter the modern day world of Console gaming and I'm coming up to the end of my first year in console gaming now.

So what does 2008 have lined up that really has my eye and says, you want to buy this game for sure? Last years title was Halo 3, it was a given that this was the game I wanted to play, it was the reason I decided to go with the Xbox 360, along with the online gaming community I researched. Does 2008 have a title like that for me? Sure it does and I'll go over a few that I'd like to own for sure and reveal this yeas to selection as well.

I can actually think of a few Arcade titles that are coming out that I feel I'm going to buy for sure. Buku Sudoku is set for a Q2 2008 release and I like playing, as well as my wife, the game of Sudoku. I actually like playing some small board type of games from time to time and this sounds like a blast and it has a co-op feature and I'd like to see how that goes with the family.

Another arcade title that has caught my eye is Brain Challenge, this is an educational/triva set of puzzles to help exercise your brain. Once again, I like to take a break from some of the other games from time to time, plus I'm interested in educational games like these for my kids. This looks like it could be a challenge and fun too.

Moving on to retail games and the field of new titles coming out is huge. I said Huge! I can't own them all but a few titles stand out as a blast and I'm going to list a few of them now and wrap up with what I think is my number one selection to buy and own for 2008.

Front Line Fuel of War has come out already and I missed the SP demo on this, but I'm still playing the MP demo and love this game. This is one I'd really like to own and get this year. It has all the features I like from what I seen or read so far. The story line sounds great and I find myself playing the demo a couple hours at a time in one sitting.

I'm a huge fan of team based games and Rainbows Six Vegas was a blast the one night I tried that out with a friend of mine. I was close to picking it up used, but some of my buddies sold their copy and I heard that a sequel was in store. Rainbow Six Vegas 2 looks really cool and it sounds like my buddies are getting ready to buy and I know this is a title I'd like to own.

Halo Wars is a must buy. I'm a huge Halo fan and this will be the first Real Time Strategy game I purchase for my collection. Its a given being a fan of all the books and the games. The game footage demos I've seen are great and they've really nailed the Halo World I think.

Now the big title the one that acts like my Halo 3 from last year. Fable 2 is set to release around November I think and will be the first RPG title I'd like to own. This game is dragging me into it the more I research and learn about it. I like all the titles I've mentioned up to now, but this game seems to rise to the top and appeals to me over them all. Perhaps I owe a lot to my D&D/AD&D days or I miss playing Diablo 2 on the PC. I know there is WoW, but I really want to avoid that like crazy, not to mention save some money. Fable 2 looks like my answer to a lot of these games from the past.

Well there you have it, like I said a lot of games are coming out, tons of them and I can't get them all and some just don't appeal to me. I've filled out my dance card so to speak for 2008 and I'll see if I can make them all happy this year. Yes it looks like another good year for gaming and content for sure... is your Dance card filled out yet?

Life under the sea just got bigger for Undertow, 2007 XBLA Game of the Year as awarded by Official Xbox Magazine. For 400 Microsoft Points on Xbox LIVE® Marketplace, the Path of the Elect is an expansion pack full of five new levels of single player and co-op campaign and unveils a new playable race known as the Elect.

"We've received a ton of great gamer feedback on Undertow, which has helped us to create more of the exciting types of content that fans of the game will really enjoy," said Donald Mustard, creative director at the game's developer, Chair Entertainment Group. "Whether they're looking to continue the saga we're building in the single player campaign or seeking more opportunities for competitive multiplayer battles, the expansion offers something new for everyone."

The first downloadable content for Undertow was released on March 5 and if you've picked up for free already, then I'm sure you'll love this expansion pack and will look forward to continuing the fun for such a small price.

Battlefield Heroes™ is set to be released for the PC as a free download in the Summer of 2008, a brand new Play 4 Free game from the people that brought you the multi-million selling Battlefield 1942™ and Battlefield 2™. Now I finally know which Battlefield title I'd like to make as my first choice for gaming.

EA and Dice have been hard at work in this fun cartoon-style shooter that caters to players of all skill levels. I'm actually looking forward to this fun little PC title and checking out more PC games again this year. My goal is to have a brand new PC in the next few weeks and look at some games that have been sitting on a shelf till now. Besides you can't go wrong with a free game, right?

From the video clips and the fun little trailer that EA and Dice have released, I'm looking forward to this title for the PC and seeing what all they have in store. Take a look at www.battlefiled-heroes.com to learn more and I'll see you online this Summer now.

The fact is with so many games coming out and unless you have a treasure chest to pull from and no social life, I don't see how you can buy every title that hits the market.

Thankfully Xbox Live has the marketplace and you can at least download a demo and try out some of the titles before you buy them. Seeing it and trying it will at least give you an idea if you'd really like the game or not. At least that's what I did with Lost Planet, I liked the look and the demo was cool, but in the end I decided to pass on it.

So now your faced with the choices after trying a game or if you've only read some reviews and seen some video clips, as to either buy, rent, or pass on this game. Clearly some of the big titles are a must buy and will keep me playing them over and over. It’s the rest of the games that I need to decide if I want to really play and that means I need to rent or if it really does nothing for me just pass on it.

This leaves a large selection of titles that I'd still like to see more of and try perhaps. Some of these are games I don't feel like owning or feel they don't have much of a replay value and clearly become a rental only. Now these are my feelings and are based on the particular game at the time and how I see it or what value the game offers.

A huge factor in the purchase of a game for me involves it having Single Player, Multiplayer, and Co-Op portions to the game. If a game has all of these it more and likely will gain a buy status for sure, it will at least rank higher on my list of games to own. One of the things I really like in gaming is playing with or against my friends and if they plan on getting the title, then I'll consider that as well in making a purchase.

So I've rented my first game for the Xbox 360 now and it was Assassins Creed. I loved what I saw from this game before its release and I have to say I'm enjoying it, but it’s a single player only and was a clear rental at that stage. I love the story line and the game play is a lot of fun. I'm not thinking it has a lot of replay value after I beat the game though and that’s another reason to look at it as a rental only. Someone else might feel differently and enjoy playing it over and over just the same.

So far I've been pleased and I'll need to look at renting a few more titles that I passed on for various reasons and see how fast I can get through them. I'm looking into GameFly as a possible rental option as well, right now I'm not sure if I want to keep spending $16 plus at Blockbuster's GameRush for a couple of games. I think I might be able to do better with GameFly and I use to like Netflix and I'm familiar with those options.

Looking ahead at 2008 and the games set to come out and I thought 2007 was a huge year, these games are coming fast and furious and like I said, I can't buy them all and I don't plan to rent them all either, but at least I have some options to look at now.

Ernest Gary Gygax (July 27, 1938 – March 4, 2008) passed away at the age of 69 on March 4th, 2008 at his home in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. He was an American writer and game designer, best known for co-creating the pioneering role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) with Dave Arneson, and co-founding the company Tactical Studies Rules (TSR) with Don Kaye in 1974.

Gygax was considered the father of the role-playing game and its his creativity and contributions that would later give birth to various books, movies, and even video games. I can remember growing up and learning how to play the D&D and AD&D games and still have a fairly nice collection of the original books and game module sets.

One of the things I loved about the game was how it was never the same and how you could create your on adventures, maps, dungeons, and groups to go out on a quest. Time passed and friends grew up and we or I simply stopped playing.

After reading about his passing, it was nice to learn that he still loved and played the game he created and would host games from time to time, up until as recent as January. In this day and age, a lot of people are too young and don't read much or use their imaginations. I'm glad that I grew up and experienced first hand the world of Role Playing Games.