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A bit of Everything

HMV have pulled MW2 Prestige Edition from thier site on the Xbox 360. The site now simply states that it is “Unavailable”. PS3 fans however can still get it there as it’s still for sale. Some time ago, it was reported that it was unavailable but it seems this was just to update the price as originally it was £149.99 on the site and it was readded as £119.99, the difference this time being that only the Xbox 360 version has been pulled rather than both.

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Play.com has revealed a special Microsoft Points card worth 1600 Microsoft Points will be released next month. The Points card, printed with a Grand Theft Auto IV: The Lost & Damned design will be a limited edition, released on Friday 13th February 2009.

If it looked anything like the above, you’d be lost and damned!

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2008 was a phenomenal year for the Xbox 360, but I’m not here to get teary-eyed and nostalgic. Now that all the “Best of” and “Worst of” lists have been compiled, praised, scorned, and faded into darkness like New Year’s Eve, it’s time look ahead to what the future might bring. Or rather, what the self-righteous geek inside of me thinks Microsoft should do to please my every whim in 2009. Without turning this into a console argument let us know what you think the 360 needs to dominate the globe 2009 by heading over to our forums (click here) and discussing this article!

10) Pandora – For the uninitiated and internet-defunct, Pandora is a free, online service that tracks your favorite bands and streams music from other potential favorites with uncanny accuracy. Imagine having your own digital DJ while waiting for your downloads, kicking back with a few friends, or playing a few rounds in Call of Duty to the fret-blasting power of DragonForce. I won’t wait in breathless anticipation for this one, but it would be a nice addition to the multi-media future of NXE.

9) One System to Rule – Variety may be the spice of life, but only if you know what you’re supposed to be cooking. As a former retail-clerk, I can tell you with absolute certainty that the average consumer has no idea what gigabytes, Jasper chips, or HDMI have to do with gaming. I can also tell you that if you bought a system outside of the previous year, lending $300 to a crackhead might have been a better investment. Microsoft, don’t be like Sony. Make this the year for one reliable system with all the bells and whistles.

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Despite early predictions that 2008 would be the year Sony regained momentum in the bitter video game console wars, it turned out to be false hope. Industry leader Nintendo stayed ahead of the pack all year, thoroughly dominating both the home console and handheld hardware markets with their Nintendo Wii and Nintendo DS systems, respectively.

According to NPD Group, Nintendo flat-out owned the all-important month of November by selling over 2 million Wiis, better than twice as much as the next closest competitor, Microsoft’s Xbox 360 (836,000). And at over 1.5 million DS systems sold, Nintendo tripled the output of Sony’s PSP (421,000). While those numbers weren’t nearly that high through most of 2008, the general order — Nintendo, Microsoft, Sony — held strong throughout.

Wii Ascendant

But this was hardly a banner year for Nintendo in terms of software. The biggest games — Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Mario Kart Wii and of course Wii Fit — came relatively early in the year, and their biggest holiday release, Wii Music, has been labeled something of a dud. Miffed that the company was focusing too heavily on catering to its relatively new mass-market audience, the usually loyal Nintendo fans complained about a lack of core games. Meanwhile, Microsoft and Sony enjoyed a wealth of blockbuster games all year long, including top-sellers Grand Theft Auto IV and Fallout 3. So how did Nintendo compete, much less lead the way?

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If its Xbox Live arcade games you live for, you’ll be glad to know that Microsoft is offering up to five Xbox Live arcade games free this Christmas. The games are Zuma, Marble Blast, Sonic The Hedgehog, Assault Heroes and 3D Mini Golf and here’s how you can nab them off the Xbox Live Marketplace:

Absolutely everyone can take advantage of this special deal. If you’re an existing subscriber all you need to do is renew. If you’re completely new to the whole Xbox LIVE experience, just follow the simple steps required to create an account and away you go. As long as you sign up for 12 months you’re eligible to choose your favourite Xbox LIVE Arcade game from a fabulous selection of five.
After subscribing, to qualify for your free game all you need to do is download a new Gamer Pic or Theme associated with one of the five titles. Of course you can go ahead and download more if you wish, but only the first game chosen will be the one you’ll receive. Also please bear in mind that this offer is only available to customers who subscribe to Xbox LIVE directly through Xbox LIVE, not using a prepaid card.
The offer runs between 23 December 2008 and 5 January 2009, so you’ve plenty of time to decide which game best suits your mood.