Gamers offered opportunity to win two tickets to see Metallica (and other cool prizes).

I am starting to think Microsoft is secretly looking to make us all couch potatoes with all these new announcements that are literally turning the 360 into the ultimate platform for home entertainment. Last week, the company revealed an exclusive partnership with Netflix that I am definitely planning to jump on when the program rolls out this fall.

It probably shouldn’t come as a big surprise that Microsoft had another ace up its sleeve as GameFly officially announced a new fully integrated Xbox Live campaign that will give Gold members an exclusive taste of the popular on-demand rental gaming service.

To put it simply, existing members who participate in the GameFly program can enjoy a one-month subscription for the incredibly low price of $5.95. As an added bonus, they’ll get hooked up with 400 Microsoft Points to spend on new demos, gamer themes, or new Xbox Live Arcade releases. (If you’re having difficulty trying to figure out how to use those points, send them off my way.)

The campaign also includes a special sweepstakes in which one lucky winner will walk away with the grand prize of two tickets to an upcoming Metallica contest where he’ll meet the band and receive a signed Xbox 360 console. Additional prizes include 1- and 6-month subscriptions to Xbox Live and a copy of Mercenaries 2: World in Flames. Oh, and there are apparently gamer pics and themes you can get too – but those things I usually overlook.

I wish GameFly were taking this a bit further than a limited-time campaign (the fun ends on September 13th) because Blockbuster would be having nightmares over this missed opportunity. Who knows, perhaps that company has something in the works too. At this rate, nothing Microsoft comes up with really surprise me anymore.

Post-E3 reflections, Sega breaks our hearts, and more.

E3 2008 has been the subject of many discussions in the gaming world this week.  Last week, I spoke of my disappointment with E3 from an outsider’s perspective; as you can see in the comments below that piece, TNL editors who were in attendance had a markedly different take on the matter.

But what about outside the TNL universe?  I did some rather thorough research (which means I spent over an hour Googling “E3 2008 sucked” and “E3 2008 awesome”), and the results are varied.  Here are some highlights: (more…)

Exclusive package for PS2 = Excellent.

Yes, the rumors were true…  our friends at Mortal Kombat Online tried tipping us off, but I was too obsessed with Street Fighter 4 highlights to share in the gossip. Well the secret is out: Midway is actually planning another MK console release – which you should have picked up on right away from the headline.

Mortal Kombat Kollection features three of the latest releases (MK: Deception, MK: Armageddon, and MK: Shaolin Monks) bundled into the surpisingly low price of $29.99. I am sure diehard collectors won’t hesitate to be picking this up when it makes its debut in stores this November. The rest of us who tend to be economically more sensible will more than likely choose to hold off until MK vs. DC rolls out this holiday season. Unless of course you’re among those who jump on the bandwagon kind of late. Eh, you might want to work on that.

An in-depth E3 demo highlights new gameplay elements.

There was a lot of great coverage both here and elsewhere for E3 this year. Besides any and all Street Fighter news I could find, I was also very interested in news of Resident Evil 5. One such in-depth stage show demo highlighted a few levels and co-op play. Needless to say, RE5 is shaping up to be an impressive game and it’s most interesting to see how far the series has come since its B-movie roots.

Chris Kramer, senior director of communications and community at Capcom, walks us through early stages in the game and shows off partner options, enemy AI, and one huge boss character. Of course not everything was revealed and I’m curious to see if there will be weapon upgrades, auto healing (as we’ve seen in more recent action games), vehicle use, and possible hidden, playable characters. It seems as if weapons/ammo are even more plentiful this time around and melee attacks are ramped up as well.

Kramer mentioned a spring 2009 release, but for now, check out this stellar video of the Resident Evil 5 demo.

“See you next year…” (We can only hope).

I used to look forward to reading that statement proudly held from the ceilings of the LACC. Of course, the large-scale event that many of us came to cherish and love is no more. Now the event has been fashioned as a drastically toned-down event where the media is treated to a fraction of the games due to the limited amount of companies who attend. As this year’s E3 has come to an end, a buzz about its future is already brewing.

Many attendees expressed mixed feelings toward ESA’s “scaled down” version of E3 relocated to the Los Angeles Convention Center. It was also impossible to overlook how drab and empty the LACC looked. I was very disappointed to find there wasn’t even so much as one piece of marketing material peppered throughout the halls to add some flair. C’mon… was it too much trouble to toss up a couple of signs?

The good ol‘ days…

With good reason, some are speculating E3 could be finally on its last legs. Reportedly, an ESA representative hinted that there would be “at least one more showing next year,” however no specific details were outlined. IGN did some digging and learned from LACC personnel that the ESA hasn’t booked space at this time, which suggests they’re planning to adjust the scheduling or, perhaps, it’s being relocated somewhere else. Here’s something of interest, though: it seems that a smaller convention event is being planned for early July. A rebirth of E 4 All, perhaps? Only time will tell.

Personally, I’d love an excuse to chill in Santa Monica, but spending hours in that hangar bay is going to leave me somewhat disappointed.
Source: IGN

This blog article should be recognized as the sole opinion of the editor and does not necessarily reflect TNL’s official position on the subject.