Xbox Live 360.com. Games and Games.

In this week's Law of the Game on Joystiq, I address some of the recent commentary from everyone's favorite anti-game attorney.

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This is a teaser clip for our upcoming Halo 3 Plasma Pistol review! Enjoy!

I've mentioned this site on most of my websites besides this one. But I figured I'd give my collecting friends a heads up also. We have been hardcore users of Utterz.com since November. It's a great micro blogging social networking site, i've had the chance to meet a lot of other geeks and gamers through the service. You can post voice / text / video / picture blogs via your cellphone or PC. You can also connect utterz to your favorite services like blogger and facebook to have it instantly update those services with your new micro blogs.

Here is an example from my personal Utterz page:



If you sign up, make sure to add me to your friends and say what's up !

Tired of your music being overtaken by the constant clack, clack, clacking of your Rock Band Drum set? Check out the video review for a solution!

When your done, visit http:///drumshhh.com to pick some up!

Source: Unleaded Logic Dot Com

When last we left our heroes, Silicon Knights ("SK") and Epic, the motion to dismiss had been denied and discovery was on the horizon. Shacknews is reporting that a number of Unreal 3 licensees have been subpoenaed with respect to their license agreements. This is an interesting move that could turn the tide of battle.

Since the facts are widely being reported, I thought I would attempt to offer a little insight on the possible strategy behind this move. Of course, I'm not privy to any actual inside information, so this is all speculative. SK's theory seems to be proving a systematic lack of support of the Unreal 3 licensee while Epic developed Gears of War, including specific failures with respect to promises in the agreement.

So, here we have SK requesting the license agreements used with other developers. SK, I assume, is hoping for one of a few possible positive outcomes for them:
1. The other contracts lack the promises that SK is claiming, which can be argued that Epic therefore never intended to keep with respect to SK.
2. The other contracts are identical, and the other developers received the same support that SK did, showing a pattern of failure.
3. The other contracts are identical, and other developers received more than SK did, showing that SK was in fact neglected in terms of support.
4. The other contracts contain the same promises on a different timeline, evidencing that SK's contract was perhaps entered into improperly.
5. The contracts and support were identical, and other developers are in the same position, showing a pattern that the level of support has held back development universally.

Generally speaking, no matter how the contracts are similar or different, SK's counsel should be able to make an argument to support their case based on the contracts. Of course, on the flip side, Epic has a few possible arguments of their own:
1. If the contracts and support were identical and other developers made more progress, then Epic can argue that SK lacked the resources or know-how to make use of the engine.
2. If the contracts show a changing timeline over time, it could be argued that certain delays gave Epic a better idea of a realistic delivery date as time went on (and, assuming that the other contracts had provisions for reasonable delays, this could show SK hasn't been patient enough).
3. If the contracts were the same and support for SK was greater than other developers, with other developers making similar or more progress on their projects than SK on Too Human, it could again be argued that the issue was on SK's end.

There are many permutations of these arguments, but that should provide a pretty good idea of the possible result of these other contracts entering the record. Of course, I would still like to see the contracts to be able to weigh in more thoroughly, but as other sources have pointed out, it is likely those records will be sealed before anyone outside the case gets to review the documents.


[Via Joystiq]

A KOTOBUKIYA Japanese import! The long awaited Halo 3 has not disappointed XBOX players worldwide, and the phenomenon continues to gain new fans, smashing records while doing so! Join the Spartans of the United Nations Space Command in its fight with the Covenant, by collecting this exclusive ARTFX statue! With a black and gray high-gloss color scheme, the STEEL SPARTAN charges into battle clad in his MJOLNIR Mark VI combat armor. Developed by the Kotobukiya staff in conjunction with Bungie, this fabulously detailed ARTFX Statue perfectly replicates every detail of the armored battle suit as seen in the game. 

Some web sites intially started selling this statue for $54.99, which is way below its estimated retail price, I don't know if there was some kind of error of Kotobukiya's part, but look around you may be able to find this thing cheap! If not you can always pick it up from: www.toynk.com

On this week's Law of the Game on Joystiq, I discuss the potential application of gambling to the Guitar Hero franchise.

Read more.

Sure we might not be updated as frequently as we like to be. But hey , 400 blog posts later we are still here !! Dance, dance....

The Xbox Collector was started in December of 2005, since then we have had a wide assortment of bloggers who have come and gone. Special thanks to Pink Sage, Unleaded Logic, Cpt Capcom, HotApplePie, Devin...


- Peace

Chris "Avid X" E.
MS Xbox MVP

I came across this just a moment ago and I was blown away. Spaceghost2k made this amazing Iron Giant faceplate that I would love to have.

"My Iron Giant plate - autographed, by Brad Bird, the director of the film, "The Iron Giant" as well as "The Incredibles" and "Ratatouille."

Wow. Spaceghost should just make a business doing faceplates. He is awesome.

~Hotapplepie

Source: Xboxaddict

Good news to everyone who got the Limited Edition of Bioshock and their Big Daddy figure was broken: the new ones are coming in.

"Reader Jonathan shot us an email and this photo evidence today to let us know that the replacement Big Daddy figures 2K promised back in August have started showing up on doorsteps. While they don't have any Little Sisters in tow, they are accompanied by fancy Bioshock art books, well worth the wait, I'd say. Check out a glimpse of the art book on the jump and another fancy in-focus one by reader DrcAnjel."


~Hotapplepie


Source: Kotaku

Peter Jackson's WETA studios, the amazing nerds they are, sent Bungie some awesome props from the now dead Halo movie.

"Yeah, the Halo movie's on a long, unpaid vacation, but that doesn't mean Peter Jackson's WETA special effects studio have been sitting on their collective asses. They've already made a bunch of weapons and props for the film, and with the project doing naught but gathering dust, they figured they may as well send some over to Bungie, let them have a go. Here, you can see the results."

Its things like these that make me cry at night when I think of how good a Halo movie could have been.

~Hotapplepie

Source: Kotaku

New, real pics of the Gears of War figures are online now and I must say, they look pretty darn cool.

"OK, no more screwin' around. No more pics of Marcus hiding in a dark, dark closet. No more shots of Cole standing proudly in the midnight rain. Action Figure Xpress have started pre-orders for the figures, and blown NECA's cover by posting clear, finished shots of all three figures, including the hitherto-unseen Locust Drone. They're listing a release date of April."

As long as the price isnt too high I might actually check them out.

~Hotapplepie

Source: Kotaku

After many Xbox Live users spent their unhappy holidays battling a multitude of problems with logging into and using the online gaming service, Microsoft apologized for the gaff and said it would be offering a free Live Arcade game to all members as a make-good.

Today Microsoft detailed what the game will be and when gamers can actually get it. Beginning next Wednesday, January 23, at 2 a.m. and continuing through the following Sunday, January 27, Xbox Live users will be able to download Chair Entertainment Group's Undertow free of charge.

Ordinarily available for 800 Microsoft points ($10), Undertow is an action combat game with 15 single-player levels as well as multiplayer action where up to 16 gamers take on different classes and races in an attempt to assert dominance over the waves. Undertow is rated E10+ for Everyone 10 and Older.

*A 33-year-old Russian gamer from the city of Ufa was killed by a member of a rival online clan after virtual violence provoked a fatal real-life scrap, Russia Today reports.

The victim, named only as Albert, was a member of the "Platanium" clan in the unreported game (possibly Lineage II). His group was mostly made up of experienced gamers over 30, and at the end of December had a bit of an online rumble with the tastefully-entitled Coo-clocks clan - mainly students in their twenties - in which one of the latter was apparently killed.

This led to an arranged meet in the real world, during which "Albert was badly beaten and died from his injuries on the way to hospital".

The 22-year-old alleged assailant has apparently shown no remorse, and refused to justify his actions. His fellow Coo-clocks, meanwhile, "continue to harass the family of the murdered man, threatening to kill his sister, who hasn't turned on the computer for days".

She said: "I think they have confused the game and reality. And after we buried him [Albert] on 31 December, they continued to threaten us."

*Source

What if you had the chance to "Play on the Big Screen" with Call of Duty 4, Xbox and Carlton Screens here in the UK?!!

Cool.......!!!!!

You'll have the chance on the 26th and 27th January at CALL OF DUTY 4: MODERN WARFARE

CALL OF DUTY 4: MODERN WARFARE is one of the hottest gaming properties of the year.
Microsoft has limited spaces available for this competition – only 5 winners per cinema screen. However, each winner can bring a friend to play with. Check the location of the screens to ensure that there’s one near you (you’ll need to make your own way there):

• MANCHESTER ODEON


• BIRMINGHAM ODEON


• SOUTHAMPTON ODEON


• LONDON GREENWICH ODEON


• LONDON WIMBLEDON ODEON

To enter, simply click through on this link to register your details. The winners will be selected at random and notified the week commencing the 21st January.

Visit http://www.charlieoscardelta.com/ for full details of the game controls, weapons, soldier classes, and downloads.
For reviewing the terms and conditions Visit http://www.activision-win.co.uk/cod4/

Note: You should be 16 years or more to be eligible to enter this competition.

A few weeks ago, I mentioned that a "big announcement" was coming, and the day is finally here.

Law of the Game now has a weekly column on Joystiq, and today is the first column.

Check out Law of the Game on Joystiq: Crossover Contracts.

Check back on Joystiq next Wednesday for the next Law of the Game on Joystiq.

Incidentally, I was also quoted in this recent story on Joystiq about the Goschy "I Invented the Wii" news story.

This could possibly be the coolest, most unnecessary thing to come out of CES this year: the Halo 3 themed gaming chair. As you can see its decked out in correct Halo style colors and it looks pretty comfortable.

"If you've found your gaming life with a void that a Halo 3-themed special edition Xbox 360, a Halo 3-themed wireless headset and Halo 3-themed wireless controllers by Todd McFarlane can't fill, perhaps this Halo 3-themed X Rocker gaming chair from Ace Bayou will make you whole again. It's on display at CES and will hopefully already be in stores by the time you read this (fingers crossed!). It's fortunately hooked up to an Xbox 360 that's playing Halo 3, so you'll know how well it performs under fire. We haven't gone ass-on with the new Pro Series line yet, but expect a gaming chair blowout later this week. Yes, a blowout."

If gaming chairs were actually worth the money they costs and if I didnt have my surround sound system then I might have acutally considered buying this. Either way, it will sell very well.

~Hotapplepie

Source: Kotaku

An interesting anecdote has appeared on the Consumerist blog. To summarize the story, a 21 year old went to a local Best Buy to purchase a copy of Assassin's Creed (Rated M) and a Xbox Live Gold card. The protagonist of our story had his 15 year old brother in tow, as he was taking him to dinner. Upon getting to the counter, the clerk made a series of loud statements to everyone in line that he was "illegally purchasing a video game for a minor." After a string of banter, the 15 year old left the store, the patron waited in line again only to have the store refuse him yet again, this time on the half-baked theory that the gift cards were "stolen." Needless to say, the customer left the store, went to a different Best Buy, and purchased the game without an issue.

I must say this is one of the worst cases of store clerk vigilante-ism I've run across, and is disturbing on a number of levels. First and foremost, the rating system is voluntary. No state has yet passed any regulation barring the sale of any game to anyone that has withheld scrutiny in a court of law. To have clerks declaring random acts "illegal" on their own authority is disturbing, and the fact that the manager saw no reason to rectify the situation (or, for that matter, also bought into this arbitrary declaration of legality) speaks very poorly of the management of the store. More importantly, it may suggest that Best Buy's corporate policy may need to be revisited and revamped to have a clear, uniform policy in stores nationwide. Second, this particular anecdote rises past the level of restriction I've seen some store clerks operate under with regard to alcohol and tobacco. Should a law ever be passed, it raises serious concern that minors won't even be allowed in the store, which would essentially end the sale of M rated games entirely. Third, it's further discrimination against the medium. Would this clerk have even blinked if it were an R rated movie rather than an M rated game? I somehow doubt it.

While I'm sure this anecdote will make a certain attorney happy, the rest of the gaming community should keep a vigilant eye out to prevent these kinds of problems from being widespread. Moreover, when issues such as these are made public, the corporate offices of the retain store should be made keenly aware that it will cost them sales if they allow their store clerks to harass paying customers.

Excuse me if this story isnt exactly Xbox related but who would not want to have Panasonic's recently (at CES) announced 150' plasma TV. The T.V. is called the Life Screen and it is insanely big, maybe too big?

"It's the "World's Largest Flat Panel," which they call the Life Screen. And it's not just about size, it's about a "new level of image quality." It has 4 times the resolution of their current display, and even though I'm more than 20 feet away, it looks impressive."

Imagine playing Mass Effect on a screen of that size. The world would never be the same.

~Hotapplepie

Source- Wired Blog

Microsoft teamed up with British Telecom to deliver TV, music and movies-on-demand via the HD-ready ‘BT Vision’ service, which is coming to Xbox 360 very soon.
How cool is that? Cooler than you think - seriously!

For those of you not yet clued in, BT Vision is a groundbreaking service which allows BT customers to watch, pause, rewind and record any of the 60+ Freeview television and digital radio channels.
Better still it also grants users instant access to a library comprising thousands of hours of premium on-demand content and numerous subscription channels. We’re talking hit TV shows, top music videos, blockbuster movies, sporting events (such as near-live Premiership football) and the like. Regular BT Vision customers need to install a special set-top box to get all this, but you can have it all at your fingertips using your brilliant 360.
Of course, with BT Vision running on the Xbox 360 there are other advantages too, such as voice chat, sending and receiving instant text messages, Xbox Live Market place and other community features and now that the technologies have converged they can all be enjoyed without having to interrupt your TV viewing.
See, we told you it was cool! So how much, how soon and how do you sign up?
We don’t have all the details just yet, but the Freeview content is free, obviously, the service is scheduled to launch around the middle of the year and it’s open to all existing (and future) BT customers.
Beyond that you’ll have to keep a lid on your brimming enthusiasm until we have more concrete information.
Rest assured we’ll let you know the very instant we find out. If not sooner!

Football Manager 2008 is coming to Xbox 360 on March 28th 2008, Miles Jacobson, Studio Director of Sports Interactive Ltd. said:

“Football Manager 2008 on Xbox 360 gives console gamers the chance to dive into the wonderful world of football management, With the same feature set to the PC version and various online modes, we hope that there is something for every Xbox 360 owner to get stuck into.”

As noted on GameSpot, a number of Texas residents have sued over the Xbox Live holiday outage, for which Microsoft previously apologized and will be offering a free game. The suit apparently asks some $5 million in damages, based on a breach of contract for the service. I have a few thoughts on the matter, which are entirely thoughts and not legal advice (in case anyone is inclined to take them in an improper context).

1. A subscription to Xbox Live, annually, is $50. For 3 months, the going rate is $20, and for a month it's $8. So, the actual value of a month of Xbox Live is somewhere between $8 and $4.17 or so. The service has been down, or at least been acting in a less than satisfactory manner for approximately one month or less.

2. Microsoft has noted, and will be offering, a free live arcade game of some sort to all paying Live members. Assuming the game isn't one everyone has already purchased, or there are multiple options or the like, then the approximate value of the replacement game should be about the same as the loss experienced by the Live users.

3. More importantly, as this is supposedly a breach of contract action, upon review of the Xbox Live Terms of Use, the basic contract that governs Xbox Live, there's not an action to be had on the terms of the agreement if Xbox Live goes down. To quote the agreement:

16. WE MAKE NO WARRANTY
We provide the Service "as-is," "with all faults" and "as available." The Microsoft Parties give no express warranties, guarantees or conditions. You may have additional consumer rights under your local laws that this contract cannot change. To the extent permitted by law, we exclude the implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, workmanlike effort and non-infringement.

17. LIABILITY LIMITATION; YOUR EXCLUSIVE REMEDY
You can recover from the Microsoft Parties only direct damages up to an amount equal to your Service fee for one month. You cannot recover any other damages, including consequential, lost profits, special, indirect or incidental damages.
This limitation applies to:
-any matter related to the Service,
-any matter related to content (including code) on third party Internet sites, third party programs or third party conduct,
-any matter related to viruses or other disabling features that affect your access to or use of the Service,
-any matter related to incompatibility between the Service and other services, software and hardware,
-any matter related to delays or failures you may have in initiating, conducting or completing any transmissions or transactions in connection with the Service in an accurate or timely manner, and
-claims for breach of contract, breach of warranty, guarantee or condition, strict liability, negligence, or other tort to the extent permitted by applicable law.
It also applies even if:
-this remedy does not fully compensate you for any losses, or fails of its essential purpose; or
-Microsoft knew or should have known about the possibility of damages.
Some states do not allow the exclusion or limitation of incidental or consequential damages, so the above limitation or exclusion may not apply to you. They also may not apply to you because your province or country may not allow the exclusion or limitation of incidental, consequential or other damages.

In short, the service is provided "as-is," and any damages are limited to the value of one month of service. Whether a court will allow payment in the form of, say, additional time on Xbox Live or a free game is yet to be seen, but I would imagine that, given the low per user amount involved, Microsoft's remedy would likely be adequate, especially since the outage was not 100% over the time claimed and not too terribly extensive in the grand scheme of things.

This is by no means to say the suit is doomed or without merit. There are a number of possible interpretations under which the plaintiffs could succeed, but in general, this seems similar to so many of the other suits levied against the house that Gates built: mostly for profit or for principle.

[Via Joystiq]

Unlockable	How to Unlock
60 Yard Pass (15)	Complete a 60 yard pass.
60 Yard Run (15)	Complete a 60 yard run.
90 Yard Pass (30)	Complete a 90 yard pass.
80 Yard Run (35)	Complete an 80 yard run.
Intercept 2 Passes (20)	Get 2 interceptions with one player.
Intercept 5 Passes (35)	Intercept 5 total passes in one game.
Deflect 4 Passes (20)	Deflect 4 or more passes with one player.
7 Sacks with One Player (35)	Sack the Quarterback 7 times with one player in one game.
8 Tackles with One Player (10)	Get 8 tackles with one player in one game.
Recover 2 Fumbles (25)	Recover 2 fumbles in one game with one player.
Force 3 Fumbles (10)	Force 3 fumbles with one player.
200 Kick Return Yards (20)	Achieve 200 Kick Return Yards with One Player. Max 5min Qtr.
200 Punt Return Yards (20)	Get 200 punt return yards in one game with one player.
4 TD Passes (10)	Throw 4 touchdown passes in one game.
Score 84 Points (35)	Score 84 or more points in one game. Max 5min Qtr.
10 Catches in a Row (15)	Catch ten passes in a row with one player. Max 5min Qtr.
20 Completions in a Row (25)	Get 20 completions in a row with one player.
300 Pass Yards (10)	Achieve 300 passing yards in one game.
500 Pass Yards (30)	Pass for 500 yards in one game.
80 Percent Pass Completion (15)	Complete 80 percent of the attempted passes in one game.
100 Percent Pass Completion (25)	100 Percent Pass Completion.
Complete 25 Passes (30)	Complete 25 passes in one game.
1 Catch by Seven Players (20)	Catch one pass with seven players.
200 Pass Yards (10)	Get 200 passing yards in a game.
2 TD Catches with One Player (10)	Get 2 touchdown catches with one player.
150 Receiving Yards (15)	Achieve 150 receiving yards with one player.
200 Receiving Yards (25)	Get 200 receiving yards with one player.
100 Rec Yards with 2 Players (15)	Get 100 reception yards by two players.
10 Catches with One Player (15)	Get 10 receptions with One Player.
200 Rush Yards (15)	Rush for 200 yards or more with one player in one game.
40 Rush Attempts with One Player (15)	Attempt 40 rushes with one player in one game. Max 5min Qtr.
Average 20 Yards Rushing (25)	Average 20 yards rushing per attempt with one player in one game.
150 Rush Yards in One Qtr (25)	Get 150 yards or more rushing in one quarter with one player.
250 Rush Yards (25)	Rush for 250 yards with one player in one game.
100 Rush Yards with One Player (15)	Get 100 rush yards with One Player.
100 Rush Yards with Two Players (30)	Get 100 rushing yards with two players.
400 Yards on Offense (10)	Achieve 400 yards of offense in one game. Max 5min Qtr.
650 Yards on Offense (30)	Get 650 yards on offense. Max 5min Qtr.
No Dropped Passes (20)	Don't drop a pass for an entire game. Min 5min Qtr.
No Sacks Allowed (20)	Don't allow a sack for an entire game. Min 5min Qtr.
3 2pt Conversions Passing (35)	for three 2 point conversions in one game.
3 2pt Conversions Rushing (35)	Rush for three 2 point conversions in one game.
50 Yard Field Goal (20)	Kick a 50 yard or more field goal.
40 Yard Field Goal (15)	Kick a 40 or more yard field goal.
4 Sacks (10)	Get 4 sacks with one player in one game. Max 5min Qtr.
3 Rushing TDs (15)	Get 3 rushing touchdowns with one player.
Intercept 3 Passes (20)	Get 3 interceptions in one game.
Average 20 Yards Receiving (25)	Average 20 yards receiving with one player in one game.

*Microsoft now faces a lawsuit over recent problems with its Xbox Live online gaming service. Three Texas residents filed a lawsuit Friday on behalf of themselves and others who have had trouble connecting to Xbox Live in recent weeks.

The suit, filed in U.S. District Court in Houston, claims Microsoft's outages represent a breach of contract and negligent misrepresentation for which the software maker is liable. The suit doesn't claim specific damages, but notes the amount is in excess of $5 million.

In the suit, the plaintiffs allege that Microsoft should have known strong holiday sales would tax its servers. "Microsoft knew the increase in subscriptions would increase game-play on its servers, yet failed to provide adequate access and service to Xbox Live and its subscribers," read the filing.

Microsoft has apologized for the outage and said it would allow Xbox live subscribers to download a free game.

*source

Jasmantoys has officially released the new Halo Laser Tag Weapons! Watch my video review for comments and to see the Plasma Rifle in action!

http://www.jasmantoys.com/

This is an update as I have been recieving a few emails from people asking what the best Xbox 360 3 Red Lights Fix repair guide is and why I think so!

So here it is a full overview of the best Xbox 360 3 Red Lights Fix guide and why:

If you are in a hurry you can download the full guide from the link below or read more about it's features:

Click Here To Download The Xbox 360 3 Red Lights Fix Guide

Here are the features within the guide above:

• Full Video Guide Showing You EXACTLY How To Do The Xbox 360 3 Red Lights Fix

• Picture Instructions And Also Step By Step Format - You Can't Make A Mistake

• Full Technical Support Included

• Instant Download Guide Means You Get The Guide FAST!

• Full 56 Day Guarantee

• Be Playing Your Games In 30 Mins Starting From Now!

So there you have it!

To my knowledge no other guide I have seen offers the level of support that this Xbox 360 3 Red Lights Fix does or is as simple!

Click The Link Below To See More About The Guide And Get The Full Xbox 360 3 Red Lights Fix:

Xbox 360 3 Red Lights

If you unwrapped a shiny new Xbox 360 this holiday season, you weren’t alone. And according to Microsoft, that influx of new users helped Xbox Live break a few records—the largest number of new users in the service’s five-year history and the single biggest day of simultaneous members online. Records weren’t the only thing that got broken, though. That flood of new users brought a host of problems for some users, including troubles signing into the service and a variety of performance issues.

Microsoft’s general manager of Xbox Live, Marc Whitten, has a few things to say to users about those problems, and is also extending a peace offering: “As a result of this massive increase in usage we know that some of you experienced intermittent Xbox LIVE issues over the holiday break. While the service was not completely offline at any given time, we are disappointed in our performance. I would like to take this moment to thank you each and every one of you for your patience and understanding as our team has worked around the clock to return the service to a stable state.

“At the same time we would like to offer a token of our appreciation to all of you in celebration of record success for the service. And as a thank you for your loyalty during this holiday period, we will be offering all of our Xbox LIVE members around the world access to a full Xbox LIVE Arcade game that will be available to download free of charge. In the coming weeks we will be sharing the specific details of this offer with you.”

Free is good, right? Let’s just hope it’s free and good.

If you are a fan of cutesy colors and the hit kids cartoon My Little Pony, then you should be a fan of this Xbox 360 faceplate. The artist did a great job customizing it. Im sure it will make one of your daughters or wifeys happy come valentines ;) .

Source: eBay

Valve is milking the Orange Box cow, first plush toys, then signed lithographs and now we have some sweet Portal shirts. One featuring the companion cube, one the famous cake, and one GlaDOS. Pretty nice stuff. I'm considering snaggin ghte GlaDOS hoodie.

Source: Valve Store

Let's say you have a Thunderfury, Blessed Blade of the Windseeker. And let's say you bought this item for $100 US. If Blizzard repossess this item (i.e. takes it from your inventory), does this cause you an actual financial loss? Or, in the alternative, let's say you manage to somehow get an Ashbringer (despite theoretical impossibility, it happens), do you have a monetary loss if Blizzard takes it, merely because you could have sold it for $1,000 US?

According to a story from Pacific Epoch, it would seem that is the case in China. The jist of the story is that Shanda Interactive has been forced to apologize to a gamer and pay that gamer 5000 Yuan (just under $700 US) because they removed six virtual item from his account in the MMO The World of Legend. The items were removed pursuant to an investigation in stolen good sales in the game, and after police ordered Shanda to return the items post-investigation, Shanda failed to do so.

While I wouldn't go as far as to say this sets up a virtual "search and seizure" precedent, it does present a greater case for actual value of virtual goods. And while there's no such thing as "international precedent" that would bind courts in other countries to the decision, it does provide a perspective that US judges could look to when deciding their own virtual asset cases. It also seems to paint a further picture of inevitability to the idea of virtual assets being assigned value in the US officially by either the courts or the IRS, those being the two most likely to make the first statement in the arena.

[Via PlayNoEvil, Thanks Cameron]

Altgn*, received an interesting piece of information from a regular poster on their boards. He was taking quizzes through the Microsoft Retail Zone, which is a website interface used to further educate employees of electronic retail stores. While taking the quiz for “Universe at War”, he stumbled upon a cool little gem that might come to pass.

6. Which of the following are defining features of Universe at War?

1. The first ever Xbox 360/PC cross-platform RTS
2. Tactical dynamics create the best RTS until Starcraft 2.
3. Truly unique factions and customization
4. Free one-month Games for Windows LIVE Gold subscription
5. All of the above
6. None of the above

Could this be an unintentional sign given by Microsoft that the long awaited Starcraft 2 will be coming to Xbox 360? As some might remember, Blizzard allowed ports of Starcraft to both the Nintendo 64 and the Playstation. Ports of recent PC RTCs have come to 360 such as Lord of the Rings: Battle for Middle Earth 2, and Command and Conquer 3. Both have been received well by console gamers because of their impressive control schemes, previously a massive hurdle to jump for previous RTS console ports. Whether this is simply a misunderstanding or not, this is an exciting rumor nonetheless.

Source*