Who wants a figurine of their avatar?

Xbox 360 gamers give their avatars a lot of love and attention. Well at least I do.  Microsoft is now enabling you to use your Xbox Live likeness for custom made 3D figurines, Fathead wall graphics, and Zune etchings.

 

Xbox Live Update Sticks it to Hackers!

Microsoft released a mandatory update to the Xbox 360 this morning via Xbox LIVE that brings back a boot-up option that was previously taken away. But what you may not know is that it is really messing with all the hackers out there that love to make online gaming a pain in the ass!

Call of Duty: Black Ops - First Strike Multiplayer Preview

Hello to all my Call of Duty Fans! The first DLC has finally received a release date of February 1, 2011. That's right the DLC is just around the corner. The DLC titled First Strike will feature four ALL NEW multiplayer maps and one new Zombie stage. The names of the multiplayer maps is Kowloon, Discovery, Berlin Wall, and Stadium. Watch the video below to hear the details from Online Director Dan Bunting and Community Manager Josh Olin. Last I heard this pack will cost 1200 microsoft points for Xbox Live users.

Related articles

• 'Call of Duty: Black Ops - First Strike' Review (gamerant.com)
• Call of Duty: Black Ops First Strike Screens (gamingangels.com)
• Call of Duty: Black Ops - First Strike DLC Released For Xbox 360 (cinemablend.com)
• A Visual Guide To Black Ops First Strike [Call Of Duty: Black Ops] (kotaku.com)
• Call of Duty: Black Ops First Strike DLC goes live today on Xbox 360 (geek.com)

Xbox Live Dashboard Update is Here!

As promised, Microsoft today pushed out its fall Xbox 360 Dashboard update. The upgrade brings many of the features shown at E3, focusing most on the requisite Kinect controller support for games, video chat, and both gesture and voice commands in the UI itself. Other highlights bring live and on-demand ESPN3 sports events, Zune Pass music streaming and an overall more polished interface with particular attention to the Marketplaces and a new parental control center.

New Halo Reach Map Pack Revealed

Halo: Reach's first map pack will be released on 30th November, Bungie's announced. The Noble Map Pack includes three new maps: Tempest, Anchor 9 and Breakpoint. New Achievements and a total of 250 Gamerscore are up for grabs. It'll cost 800 Microsoft Points.

Call of Duty Black Ops Customization Update

Activision has released a brand new trailer for its soon to be record-breaker, Call of Duty: Black Ops. It shows off the various customization options available to players in the multiplayer mode,
and so far it's looking great. There are endless possiblities in this game.

With the currency system detailed in the video, it looks like the Call of Duty series is taking some serious strides forward and that's a great thing. I am really looking forward to this release.

Madden 2011 is finally here!

She was the very first person to receive her
copy because she was the first person in line
LUCKY!!!!

OK,  so I am just getting home from my local video game store from picking up my copy of Madden 2011 at 12am. I haven't cracked open my game just yet because I wanted to write this post. I did however manage to get a little game time in at the store for one half and I can honestly say that I think I am going to be comfortable with the changes that have been made to the game. There are a few things I have to get used to. For instance there is no turbo button on the default settings. I didn't realize this until after a couple of plays but before you know if you will completely forget all about the missing turbo. But all in all the game play looks fantastic. This year's Madden is most definitely geared towards the mainstream football fan by being less complex so to some this will be a welcomed change but to some of the hardcore Madden fans there may be a few complaints. But I don't think the bad outweigh the good here. So enjoy the game everybody. Looking forward to seeing you online.