Retail indicates UK 360 Christmas price cut

After the recent success of the US Xbox 360 following a price cut, UK retail chain Woolworths look poised to fill Santa's sacks with Xbox 360s as a UK price cut looms.

The prices are as followers (old prices in brackets):

• Arcade Unit - £129.99 (£159.99)
• Premium Unit - £169.99 (£199.99)
• Elite Unit - £229.99 (£259.99)

We have Engadget to thank for pics of the new console prices, from a new Woolworths catalog. While it remains to be seen if this is Microsoft's doing or if 'Woolies' are feeling jolly, the recent US price cut saw sales shoot up between 100% to 600% - so this could be the Xbox's European arm following suit.

Are Valve from the future? LHC Geneva=Black Mesa

OMGZ - LOOK! GIANT LAMBDA SYMBOL OVER GENEVA - PR00F!

We're not dead yet, but there's still some time to go. That's because the first particles colliding in the LHC will happen on the 21st October 2008. So while stage one has gone fine, stage two will be the real test.

Some, like, totally uber scientists like - Dr. Romanovisk Kaj0rk1337 have said that the LHC will bring about a portal/fissure to another dimension where a group of aliens will come through and wage war with us. Sound familiar? Aha. Of course it does! You played this very scenario a decade ago! I know. Ron Ambiguous knows. Do Valve know? It's none other than Half-Life.

Yes, the game where crowbar wielding, MIT graduate Gordon Freeman fights aliens that have come to Earth from the planet Xen via a "resonance cascade" that Mr. Freeman caused - which is tech talk for a time-space catastrophe or something. I don't care. As long as it's about aliens.

So what, you say? Well, there's more. The similarities grow. As we can clearly see from image to the right, Mr. Freeman is indeed alive and well. In fact, he is doing so well that he has found his way onto the team at the LHC. While I'm sure we're all happy to see Gordon back in work with CERN after his turbulent time under the services of G-Man, it's quite horrifying to think of him working on something like this. LOOK AT THAT SMILE! He seems to have forgotten what happened back at Black Mesa. Poor bastard.

Oh, and it doesn't end there! Check out this video. It's of an interview with a Combine soldier:



And it's very similar to this video:



Coincidence? I'm a crackpot, so...NO! The Combine ARE the scientologists, the LHC WILL bring aliens through from the planet Xen - despite the fact that it already happened in Half-Life (but that's a rift in the space time continuum for ya!) - Gordon Freeman IS on the scene at the LHC should anything happen (and there are crowbars for all, or so I've heard) and Valve...?

THEY ARE FROM THE FUTUREZ.

You think that Left 4 Dead is a kewl name for a game? Think about it...think about it long and hard and you'll know. You'll know.

I'm carrying my load, alright? And...as much as I'm carrying, I still feel that I gotta do more. There's still a thing of..."Let's Go!"

Thanks for reading; I've been a crackpot.

Resonance Cascade #00110100100011111...010010101OMGBBQ1000110011011!0101!Oo!1 due to launch on 21st October. Tell family and friends!

Midway: Xbox 360 "lagging behind" in Europe

In a somewhat bold (but true) statement, Midway's VP of International, Martin Spiess, has said that he finds the 360's performance in parts of the European territory as "concerning" and also pointed out that the console is "lagging behind" its competitors.

Spiess was answering a question from GamesIndustry.biz about Europe's progression as a market and Midway's perspective on said market. He also seems to see Microsoft as weaker than their competitors. "Sony has become very strong, Nintendo has become very strong, but the Microsoft market in certain territories is very concerning."

My view? Whether you agree or not on the console's apparent weakness, the Xbox 360's performance in Europe has been lacking. You only need to search neogaf to find the statistics.

Alpha Protocol Preview

Tackling the follow up to Bioware’s Knights of the Old Republic was always going to be a challenge. And to many, that challenge seemed too much for Obsidian Entertainment. Some may say that of Neverwinter Nights 2 too. But I will bet that there are also a fair few people who don’t understand who Obsidian are, or should I say - were. They were founded after Black Isle Studios went down. Black Isle Studios themselves were behind such games as, oh…I dunno, Fallout and Fallout 2? Add Icewind Dale, Icewind Dale II to that, plus credit on the entirety of the Baldur’s Gate series and you see why Obsidian have the potential to create gaming greatness.

So it’s harsh to judge the company on how they’ve tackled other franchises. As Christopher Parker, co-owner of Obsidian, put it: “A license is a blessing and a curse.” So, rather, we should judge Obsidian on a new franchise. Alpha Protocol, is just that.

Published by Sega and powered by the might of the Unreal 3.0 engine, Alpha Protocol is an action-RPG with a twist. Players control rookie CIA agent Michael Thorton (yay, a spy!) who is being chased by his Government for a crime he didn’t commit (boo, a cliché).

It definitely sounds promising, but the plot is not really grabbing me. I mean, I love Splinter Cell. And currently, *spoiler alert!* that’s where the story is going. But Sam Fisher is a well known character, and his downfall will naturally intrigue people.

Also, there appears to be some sort of ‘cartoon’ element to the nature of the game. In some of the concept work, there’s a girl blowing a bubble from her gum while giving the old Lara Croft pose, and some sort of emo girl wielding dual six-shooters, while sporting a hoodie and fuchsia coloured hair. And some older bloke who…looks pretty normal, actually.

But what DOES intrigue me, is the dialogue system. In an attempt to go one-up on Mass Effect’s conversation system, Alpha Protocol allows you to make three choices on how to approach a chat with a foxy female…or anyone else for that matter. But mainly, the foxy females; being a spy and all. The first of which is ‘Aggressive’ (Jack Bauer), the second being ‘Suave’ (James Bond) and lastly the by-the-book ‘Professional’ (Jason Bourne). Take into consideration that you’re not going to be able to take back what you say to characters, and you get a game that could really draw you into its World. Or frustrate you to no extent as you tell Mrs. Moneypenny: “F*ck off, I‘ve got work to do!” by mistake, as she offers you a quickie - what with all the apparent sex scenes that will feature in the game.

But this ‘Reactivity’ system (as it is called) goes further. You only have a limited amount of time to respond to dialogue, making it a tense affair. And if you add the fact that you cannot take back what you SAY to the fact that you cannot take back what you DO, and you have an idea of how Obsidian are treating the game. People will side with you or against you based on how you tackle situations. It’s your spy, it’s your choice.

With all the usual skill levels, what style of fighting your character takes up on and customisation as seen in RPGs, and the promise of traversing some lovely locations around the World (including Arabia…wait a minute, terrorists again? *sigh*), it’s quite clear that Alpha Protocol is bucking the trend. I have high hopes for this game, and you should too. Because it’s a new franchise and a new approach to the action-RPG genre, in old hands.

Disillusionment out of ten:

It's Archibald's Adventures!

Archie: ...odd chap in the bubble to the bottom right.

Could this be the gaming event of the year? Most of you cry 'No!', I cry 'Yes!' For 'Archibald's Adventures' is now out on PC and Mac for your enjoyment.

I'm actually genuinely excited by this game as it's an old fashioned action-puzzler and sort of reminds me of Commander Keen except with more modern puzzles. i.e. less jumping, more using bubbles. Made by 'Rake In Grass', it's 114 levels long (that's how you do it!) with lots of 'weird and funny lifeforms running loose in the levels!'

...and don't forget that there is 'great playability with a mouse or a keyboard'.

...seriously, I'm not taking the p*ss. I find it quite charming. For more on Archibald's Adventure, visit here.

Will Wright heads for London's West End

"The PHAAA-ntom of the Opera is there inside your MIND!"

Passive proceduralist and lover of phallic monsters Will Wright will be making an appearance at HMV's flagship store in London's West End on Wednesday 3rd September to promote the release of 'Spore' in the UK.

Fans will be able to ask Will questions like, "Do you REALLY believe in panspermia?" and "What the hell was that stupid panspermia movie with Gary Sinise on Mars all about??"...or something like that, at HMV's 150 Oxford Street store.

The press release doesn't make it clear, but I'd presume he will be signing copies of the game and all that stuff that the kids love. Also, if you bring back your signed copy of the game after September 5th - the day Spore is released in the UK - then you'll get a free Spore t-shirt.

But you'll have to be fast about it all...only 200 wristbands are available from the morning of the event until the 12.30pm start.

...oh, and someone please ask him what the hell 'Sim Ant' was all about. K thanks.

Microsoft's Popfly Game Creator reaches Beta

While the alpha reached the ten or so silverlight users out there, Microsoft will be previewing the beta to their intriguing casual game creator at the Penny Arcade Expo (PAX) this weekend.

New features include high score tracking, 'accomplishment' badges...and Facebook integration so you can share the fun with family and friends who will either be delighted to play your game or mortified to see that you took the time to create one...

According to Microsoft, there have been a wide variety of games. 'While these projects span multiple genres, range in complexity, and vary in difficulty, they are all extraordinary games created by ordinary people', reads the press release. Did you hear that? They're calling you ordinary!