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The release of the latest Call of Duty 3 map pack has been tarnished today by a rather large bug; according to various reports, once you've purchased and downloaded the update you can't actually play it. We wonder how that one slipped past Microsoft?

Publisher Activision has since responded to the bug reports, claiming that it is already working on a solution:

"We understand that there are problems with the Valor map pack once it is downloaded - we are working closely with Microsoft on this right now, and we will have the issue resolved as soon as we possibly can. Please hold tight, and I will follow up with an update as soon as we're closer to a solution."

Have you managed to get the pack working? Let us know in the comments section below. ...

Microsoft's file size limit on Xbox Live Arcade titles has been increased from 50MB to 250MB, internet reports claim.

This is all according to a report on 1UP.com, which says that Microsoft could increase the previously-strict file size limit again to 450MB, allowing for larger and more complex XBLA titles such as Konami's upcoming Castlevania: Symphony of the Night - the first title to exceed the previous 50MB cap at 96MB.

Of course the new file size limit also means that heftier Arcade titles might not be able to fit on the 64MB-large Xbox 360 memory units, forcing Core owners to pick up a hard drive to play titles such as Castlevania.

A Microsoft spokesperson said on the report: "Aside from the exception we granted for 'Castlevania: Symphony of the Night,' we have not announced any plans to alter the file size standard for Xbox Live Arcade games. However, adjusting the size limit is certainly an option in the future, and as always, we are listening to feedback both from gamers and developers on what will provide the best user experience."

"Whatever choice we make, we will hold a position that provides for the best possible Xbox Live Arcade gameplay experience."

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3 new packages of Lumines Live! content will be available for download on Xbox Live Arcade beginning Wednesday, 24th January at 09.00 GMT. Two of the add-on packs will be available at special promotional prices, and one of them will be free to Xbox Box Live Gold Members for a limited time!

Here’s what will be available to download for Lumines Live!:


Heavenly Star Skin
Cost: For a limited time only, free for Xbox Live Gold members from 24th January – 21st February, 2007.
(Price after 21st February 2007: 150 MS Points)
Performed by a new group called Genki Rockets and produced by Q Entertainment’s own Tetsuya Mizuguchi, the song's catchy and uplifting tune combined with equally striking video has caught the attention of many gamers and was recently nominated Best Song at the 2006 Spike TV Video Game Awards. Gamers can enjoy the music video in stunning HD and 5.1 surround sound as they play their way through the falling blocks.


VS CPU Pack
Cost: For a limited time only, 100 MS Points ($1.25/85p) starting 24th January – 21st February 2007. (Price after 21st February 2007: 300 MS Points)
Show off your skills by challenging the CPU. This new game pack also includes a stylish skin and character designs that match the theme of each of the stages. A special bonus skin is waiting for you at the very end of the challenge.


Puzzle/Mission Pack
Cost: For a limited time only, 100 MS ($1.25/85p) Points starting 24th January – 21st February 2007. (Price after 21st February 2007: 300 MS Points)
“Lumines Live!” is not just about dropping blocks. In Puzzle Mode, you must try to create a certain shape by using the blocks. In Mission Mode, you will be given a mission to clear all blocks within a specified amount of moves. With an additional 90 puzzles to solve and 40 missions to clear, you won’t want to miss this Pack. (The first 10 puzzles and missions are included in the Standard Edition; by purchasing the Pack, the total number is 100 puzzles and 50 missions) ...

Issue 2 of 360Zine features an exclusive Cliff Bleszinski interview on Gears of War, previews of Halo 3 and Fable 2, and reviews of Lost Planet, Star Trek Legacy and more.

360Zine, the magazine written by professional games journalists and made available for free download, is now to be published monthly as of this issue. Issue 2 is available for immediate download and includes essential reading for 360 gamers.

360Zine is a Gamerzine, published in PDF format.

360Zine can be downloaded now from: http://www.gamerzines.com/ ...

For a while it seemed like the PSP would never get a library of first-person shooters. Coded Arms delivered a decent romp in virtual space, and Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex had some good ideas, but neither games made good use of the PSP. After these two shipped, Sony's little system got Medal of Honor Heroes, a game that finally showed what a really good FPS would be like on the handheld.

Soon afterward, Ubisoft and Activision announced their own FPS titles, Brothers in Arms D-Day and Call of Duty: Roads to Victory. The former shipped a little bit ago, though it sadly fails to elevate the FPS genre on the PSP. At this point gamers don't even care to have a revolutionary shooter on the PSP - they just want one that works well. And that's the problem with D-Day. Even with an adequate representation of elements seen in the PC versions, D-Day simply needs more to succeed as a portable FPS. It has clunky controls and muddy visuals, and the AI could use some sharpening.

D-Day takes place during the Normandy invasion and chronicles the harrowing account of two soldiers, Sergeants Baker and Hartsock. Sergeant Baker starred in the first PC game, titled Brothers in Arms: Road to Hill 30 while Sergeant Hartsock appeared in the sequel, Brothers in Arms: Earned in Blood. D-Day doesn't just borrow characters from the first two games; it takes entire missions and scenarios. Players will essentially get a "best of" collection with D-Day, as opposed to a new game. Not a bad thing in itself, but anyone expecting some fresh content may want to look elsewhere. Also, there are the aforementioned problems to worry about, as well.

First, the squad-based action of the original games simply doesn't translate well to the PSP - or at least not in D-Day. This has less to do with thinking through a tactical situation and everything to do with how players control themselves and their squad. Since there's only one analog stick on the system, it's difficult to keep an eye on surroundings while engaging enemies in heated gunfights. The game does include the situational awareness view, which offers a birds-eye view of the action, but this only helps coordinate tactics. Surviving can get pretty difficult when actually running around the battlefield while struggling with squad commands and a funky control scheme. D-Day offers two different schemes, but neither works all that well.

As such, all but the most experience players will die constantly. But thanks to a handy-dandy checkpoint system, that's never really an issue. Brothers in Arms is a challenging series to master, both on PC and PSP. Fortunately, the save system lets a player beat sections of a stage without too heavy a penalty when death does occur. But the secret to not dying is understanding that D-Day is not Medal of Honor Heroes - running into the heat of battle will only result in premature death. That's where D-Day's cover mechanic comes into play. It actually makes for interesting firefights because the game makes it almost impossible for a player to take the Rambo route - it's necessary to think ahead.

In short, players need to use their squad to suppress enemies. This opens the door to various flanking maneuvers the player can then carry out while the enemy is confused and huddled under cover. It's easy to see when an enemy is suppressed thanks to a red circle floating above their heads - a nice touch given many of the game's environments get rather dark.

The only problem with this 'suppress and flank' dynamic is that it tends to get a little old after a while. Players can get through many of the game's encounters by doing the same thing in exactly the same way. Maybe this would be fine if the game in general progressed smoothly, but it doesn't. Where players could execute finely tuned strategies and engage in dynamic firefights in the PC original, the PSP version offers an experience far less refined. It still works on a fundamental level, but it's simply not as fun as it used to be. Players will struggle with the controls and camera every bit as much as with the Nazis they're trying to kill.

The game also has a few AI problems, too. Most of the enemies in D-Day seem content to get shot in the face and not do too much about it. It's strange to say a game with poor AI can actually be difficult, but that's the case here. But that's beside the point. It would have been nice to see enemies react appropriately to adverse situations like they did in the PC games, but that really doesn't happen all that often. And finally, the game's visuals are very mixed bag. The game can look downright pretty at times, and at others, muddy and unimpressive. There's a good amount of detail on the soldiers and in some of the environments, but overall, D-Day could have used a little more flair.

Closing Comments
Brothers in Arms D-Day could have been a ...

According to the Entertainment Software Rating Board, developer Ubisoft is set to bring its open-world car game, Driver: Parallel Lines, to Wii. The game recently popped up on the ESRB's official website, an unofficial, but reliable confirmation that it's coming.

Driver: Parallel Lines, is sure to be an enhanced port of the already-released PlayStation 2 and Xbox games of the same name, which received "decent" 7.2 ratings by our IGN sister sites. In the title, gamers speed through city streets and go it on foot to accomplish a series of missions. The game's quasi-sandbox presentation is much more reminiscent of the Grand Theft Auto franchise than it has been in previous Driver outings. Obviously, the Wii build of the game will undoubtedly feature new, remote-specific controls.

We contacted Ubisoft for comment, but a representative for the company had none. We expect to learn much more about the Wii version of the title in the coming weeks, though, so stay tuned.

via:IGN ...

Last March, EA released what it had hoped would be its answer to the open world genre dominated by Grand Theft Auto. It featured some interesting new ideas like the ability to take over fronts and build up your empire, along with of course a very strong storyline taken straight from the films. It wasn't perfect, but EA wasn't finished. With the Xbox 360 release half a year later, the next-gen version of The Godfather saw the addition of new content, online rankings, new abilities and more, making it something of an expanded edition of the original release.

The game is now headed to the PlayStation 3 and Wii by the names of The Godfather: The Don's Edition and The Godfather: Blackhand Edition, respectively. The two games will be identical content-wise aside from the PlayStation 3 version's online leaderboard rankings, the same that we saw on the 360. Other than the differing control mechanisms, the two versions will feature the same new additions over the 360 version, making these the biggest Godfather releases yet.

The Blackhand Edition for the Wii will make full use of the Wiimote and Nunchuck for many of the game's actions. If someone is on their knees, you just pull the controllers in an upwards manner to lift them off the ground. Moving the controllers from side to side will yank them around, and pushing them forward and then releasing the grab buttons will shove them away. Fighting is handled similarly to what we've seen in Wii Sports Boxing - if you want to throw a hook, you actually throw one and your onscreen persona will land a vicious punch.

Execution moves are done via performing gestures. If you have a bat in your hand, you can sneak up behind someone and pull both controllers towards you and your character will strangle the guy with the blunt weapon. Pushing the controllers forward while wielding a shotgun will toss the guy to the ground and then blow his head off. Similarly, if you move your hands from your sides to meet together out in front of you, you'll strangle someone with your bare hands.

Driving and general movement will default to being controlled via the Nunchuck's analog stick, with camera movement assigned to the D-pad on the Wiimote. In this setup, aiming will still be done via a lock-on system with the Wiimote used to dial in pressure point shots to the knees, arms or what have you. Alternatively, you can switch to a free-aiming mode where all of your aiming and steering will be done with the Wiimote.

EA looks to have not only added some new features to The Godfather for these releases, but tweaked some old mechanics as well for easier play. For example, while you're still able to cycle through weapons one-by-one, a quick-select wheel has been implemented that works something like what you'd find in Ratchet & Clank.or Trauma Center. As well, the skill tree has been expanded a great deal to encompass Enforcer and Operator branches. Essentially, these give you more control over various upgrades to your character while also providing more specific bonuses, like the ability to heal faster or call in a hit squad faster.

Speaking of the hit squad, that's one of the cooler new elements that we saw on display. While you're still able to hire someone to stick with you on a mission, you're now able to call in the Corleone hit squad, a group of four men that come to your assistance and lay waste to anyone around you. They'll stick with you for a while, allowing you to take a small army into a mission to take down a rival family.

Similarly, the cops can now also fight for you. You can bribe them in the same way that you could before, where they'll look the other way while you take over an establishment, but you can now pay the entire police force to take to the streets and help you take out a rival family. Combined with the hit squad, you're able to take exponentially more help with you on a mission than before.

A series of new environments will also make their way into the game. Rooftop areas will now be rather common, with plenty of shootouts taking place high above the city. A couple new transportation hubs will find their way into the games as well, namely a train station and a shipyard. Taking these over will earn you a lot more loot than a barber shop or something similar, making them prime targets on your way to the top.

Lastly, the variety in The Godfather has been greatly expanded for the Wii and PS3 versions of the game. Each family will now have their own unique compound, unlike before where they were essentially copies of each other. More pedestrians and vehicles will fill the roads and sidewalks in the game, and more unique models for each will help spice things up. Oh, and speaking of cars, you'll now be able to take them and their passengers out with the new car bombs, one of the unlockable skills you can earn. Cool stuff.

The ...

News/release by Aythamie


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new release via Aythamie

Custom xmbIcon Packager v0.3.1

Fixed fw3.0x Icons and Names by Aythamie

I don't take credit for the making or the translation of this program, I've just fixed some the Icons and Names (by Aythamie)

Changes v0.3.1: (by Aythamie)
- Fixed German names for new icons.
- Fixed Spanish names for new icons.
- Fixed French names for new icons.
- Fixed Italian names for new icons.
- Fixed Portuguese names for new icons.

Changes v0.3: (by Aythamie)
- Fixed the fw 3.03 icons: RSS Channel Settings, Camera, Certificate Utility, Remote Play and Online Instruction Manuals.
- Fixed the English names for the new icons.
- Fixed the Dutch names for the new Icons.
- Added some more Icon Sets. (30 Icon sets totally now)

califrag: "I take no credit for this release as this is mostly a translation."

Changes v0.1 & v0.2: (respectively by kgsws & califrag)
- Hexed bmp2mig.exe and join.exe: Translated to English.
- Renamed bmp2mig.exe to bmp2psp.exe: .mig file extension is misleading.
- Renamed zac.dat and kon.dat to hdr.dat and ftr.dat respectively.
- Support for multiple firmwares with one batch file.
- Added advanced error handling procedures to the batch file.

Read the Readme file!!

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