In case you hadn’t checked the Community Games channel lately, it has totally blown up since the New Xbox Experience debuted last week.

A handful of the titles showing up are exceptional, like Artoon, but a good percentage of the games are utter crap — actually, that might be giving too much credit. But like I’ve stressed in the past, the few good games available make up for all the bad.

That’s why it’s so important everyone gets a fair shot at sharing their creation through the service. Microsoft seems to concur with this viewpoint, as its announced that starting on December 15, designers from Singapore, Australia, and New Zealand will be able to do just that.

This announcement may or may not have to do with the fact that Gambit, the team who won 2008’s Dream-Build-Play competition with CarneyVale: Showtime, hail from Singapore. Way to show ‘em how it’s done, guys!

Via Destructoid

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If you’ve gazed upon it, there’s little chance you’ve forgotten the fantastic press kit/retro packaging Capcom put together for Mega Man 9. Now, they’re doing the same for Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix, which launches on PlayStation Network and Xbox LIVE this week.

The results are equally as incredible as the treatment the Blue Bomber got earlier in the year — retro packaging stuffed with: Ryu’s headband; a rare Chun-Li figure; an E. Honda stage/character magnet set; a Street Fighter Remix comic book; and an asset disc crammed with high-resolution artwork and screenshots.

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What’s the deal with Microsoft’s game consoles and the junky disc drives? Don’t get me started on the one for the original Xbox. The drive in the Xbox 360 is an improvement, but it still has issues, the worst being how vibrations to your console can scratch your discs.

Apparently RDC from the benheck.com forum also hates the Xbox 360 disc drive. He went through the trouble of gutting the original DVD-ROM drive, taking all of the parts and putting them into the casing of an old iMac’s slot loader. The result is a Xbox 360 that has a slot-loading DVD drive. I don’t know if it repairs the vibration problem or not, and I’d hope that this new drive is a bit less noisy, but this is still a cool mod.

[Via Engadget]

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On Friday we reported that MTV Games and Harmonix were being hit with a class action lawsuit over what was being labeled a “design defect” in the bass pedal for Rock Band drums.

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On Friday we reported that MTV Games and Harmonix were being hit with a class action lawsuit over what was being labeled a “design defect” in the bass pedal for Rock Band drums.

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Even though the Xbox 360 launched with its fair share of issues, once the system started picking up big-name titles like Gears of War and Halo 3, it was only a matter of time before the console outsold the original Xbox.

That time, is now. Microsoft VP of Interactive Entertainment Chris Lewis broke the news to MCV saying, “We’ve already surpassed the installed base of the original Xbox – which is a really significant milestone. We’ve been blown away by the appetite of people to consumer digital entertainment experiences.”

If you recall, the Xbox sold 25 million units worldwide in five years, while it only took the Xbox 360 three years to reach that same level of overall sales.

Honestly, this shouldn’t come as much of a surprise to anyone. The 360 has been this generation’s PlayStation 2 for a while now, and those recent price cuts certainly aren’t hurting sales.

[Via Edge]

Via Destructoid

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Electronic Arts has released a handful of new screenshots for the upcoming multi-platform sequel The Godfather II, and unsurprisingly, most of them feature sharp-dressed, angry-looking Italian guys with guns. They’ve also revealed the game’s box art, which is decidedly brighter than the art for the original, but also features sharp-dressed, angry-looking Italian guys with guns.

We had a chance to check out The Godfather II a few months back, and came away intrigued, if not a bit impressed. EA could have gone the easy route and tossed out a sequel that was almost identical in every way to the original sandbox title, but they didn’t. Instead, Godfather II is a curious mix of sandbox play and mafia-management strategy using something they’re calling “The Don’s View.”

We’ve no clue how it’s going to turn out when The Godfather II is released in February of 2009. But we’re worried about expressing any negative concerns about the game — EA might send a sharp-dressed, angry-looking Italian guy with a gun to our offices.

Via Destructoid

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Halo Wars handles superior than a PC RTS. At least, that’s what the guys at Ensemble (the developer of the game) seem to think. In a recent interview with CVG, lead designer Graeme Devine noted that the game trumped the typical PC and mouse setup and noted that he “wouldn’t state it if [he] didn’t believe it.” He also commented on the fact that Ensemble spent the majority of their first year in development simply ironing out the supposedly stellar controls.

From the interview:

We spent the first year of this project just working on the controls. Without the controls working it’s pointless even doing the game. We actually took Age of Mythology and we set ourselves a target. One of our testers, who’s a hardcore RTS PC guy came over and told us that it’s easier to play with the controller than it is with a mouse and keyboard.

Devine went on to state that when the tester stated that it was superior, Ensemble “gave [themselves] the green light” with the lofty project. Using Age of Mythology as a benchmark is an excellent idea, even though I question if a Cyclops has anything on a Warthog. Too bad we won’t ever see a mash-up on that scale.

Via Destructoid

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You might have noticed that we’ve been speaking about Left 4 Dead an awful lot lately. While we petty Destructoid editors jumped around, hurriedly calling dibs on our favorite characters, you may have wondered when the actual review was coming.

That, or you were so busy playing the game yourself that you really didn’t care when we’d get around to reviewing it.

Either way, this is the review. How did Conrad Zimmerman and I feel about Left 4 Dead’s gory, ambitious blend of single-player aesthetics with a cooperative experience? How does the versus mode match up with the campaign? If you only own a PS3, should you be really depressed, or just regular depressed?

Hit the jump to find out.

Via Destructoid

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Today, Lionhead announced their massive downloadable content secret for Fable II, which unsurprisingly takes the form of an entirely new area called Knothole Island. The content will sweep adventurers to a “remote” island with a climate similar to that of Antarctica. The area is now frozen over and only the best (or the worst) of Albion can restore it to its previous glory.

Knothole Island will be available for download on December 12 for 800 Microsoft space bucks. It promises several new quests, and enemies to face as well as cooperative opportunities if you’ve a buddy willing to download it as well. In addition to your buy, you’ll receive several new items not specific to the DLC. These items include the Knight’s Boots, Assassin’s Gloves, a weight loss potion, a collectible silver book, and “more.”

This is what I’ve been waiting for in terms of Fable DLC – new areas and items. I’m really digging the Assassin’s gloves, because it shows the promise of at least two more of these packages. Only the chest piece can be found in Fable II.

Via Destructoid

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