Unlock Xbox Doritos Campaign Is Back

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From Kotaku :

Last year’s “Unlock Xbox” winner, Doritos Dash of Destruction, was downloaded nearly a million times, so while we endlessly poke fun at the contest, it is a way to get your skills recognized by a large chunk of the gaming community.

Those who feel they have a game concept that merges cheese-flavored corn chip and interactive entertainment in a way never-before-seen can visit www.unlockxbox.com from now until October 4th to submit a video of their idea. Ten quarter-finalists will be chosen to make their games reality.

Two finalists will have their titles made into 2010 Xbox Live Arcade games, with one grand prize winner scoring a $50,000 gaming consultant project from Doritos.

We re fans of this campaign just because it goes above and beyond just having ads show up on a game and actually gets the most hardcore users (usually the most vocal) involved.

The Ballad Of Gay Tony Starts Singing

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Grand Theft Auto IV: The Ballad Of Gay Tony is the second and final exclusive DLC episode for GTA IV on the Xbox 360.

Developer Rockstar Games is known for keeping things extremely secretive, and this latest DLC pack is no exception.  After announcing the eye-catching title and logo a few months ago, they have finally released four screenshots.  Yup, only four.

And their method of distribution is equally interesting, as one screenshot went to each of four Grand Theft Auto fansites rather than the usual IGN/Gamespot route.

Expect this trickling of game media to continue until the DLC is released later in October.

[The screens] {link no longer active}

The Genesis Train Rolls On

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Sonic the Hedgehog single-handedly made Sega a console powerhouse, so it s no surprise that they ve just finished porting their entire Sonic on Genesis library to the Xbox Live Arcade.

In an example of how old IP can still create opportunities on current consoles, Sonic the Hedgehog still satisfies (not critically, but in sales) with recent PS3, Xbox 360 and Wii releases, so the Genesis ports are an obvious choice.

Sonic & Knuckles goes the extra step of trying to actively market the other three Sonic games, as it acts as an expansion pack for Sonic the Hedgehog, Sonic 2 and Sonic 3.

Shacknews  explains:

Buying each of the previous games unlocks the following:

Sonic the Hedgehog: Unlocks the game “Blue Sphere,” the bonus/Chaos Emerald level from Sonic the Hedgehog 3

Sonic the Hedgehog 2: Lets you play as Knuckles, complete with the ability to get to previously inaccessible areas of the game, and new power-ups added for playingas Knuckles

Sonic the Hedgehog 3: Play as Knuckles in Sonic 3, and also changes the flow of the game and connects it directly to Sonic & Knuckles, so that you can play the two seamlessly!

How prescient!  Sure, today we have easy-to-download DLC, but who would have thought Sega would have an old IP that would actively market the idea of DLC in such an easy and still-innovative way   Any other IPs in mind?

Buy One, Get One Half Off

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Best Buy has been taking strides in gaining consumer acceptance for their video game retail efforts in recent months.

Last month, the electronics superstore began test marketing a program that would match Gamestop’s used prices for new titles (something Gamestop quickly matches by lowering the price of used games significantly).

Now, Best Buy is offering a buy one Xbox 360 game, get one 50 percent off sale through their website at bestbuy.com .

Couple Best Buy’s efforts with Amazon’s increasing used games market share, and Gamestop better start responding in more ways than just offering pre-order bonuses to consumers.  How about starting with more than just $5 off for a used version of recent releases

Exclusive GameStop Bundles Continue With Brutal Legend

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With the prevalence of digital distribution, bricks-and-mortar video game retailer Gamestop has resorted to different techniques to keep gamers buying their wares at the store.  One of these methods   To partner up with publishers and offer downloadable incentives (through promotional codes) for people who pre-order their game at Gamestop.

EA’s upcoming rock opus Brutal Legend is the latest to join the action, and it helps us see a trend in marketing games (and locking down those dollars).

Gamers who pre-order Brutal Legend at Gamestop will get early access to a demo of the game on September 17, and there will be a special downloadable guitar that is only available to the pre-orderers.

Expect these kinds of offers to continue as both retailers and publishers continue to try and stem the tide of digital downloads and (in the publisher’s case) a long-booming used games market.

Xbox 360 ‘Not At Halfway Point’

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From a recent Kotaku interview with Microsoft’s Aaron Greenberg:

“We feel like our system has done very well for us in the current form,” said Greenberg, director of product management for the Xbox 360. “We have no plans for a slim.”

“We feel that we’re not even at the halfway point (of the Xbox 360’s life cycle),” he said. “That is something we believe in strongly. People have invested in these consoles, and we have massively connected communities and we have storage. I think what we did with the New Xbox Experience is a sign of what we want to do with the console.”

It looks like the rumors of a slim Xbox 360 are untrue, and with Facebook and Twitter making their way onto the system this fall, it looks unlikely we’ll see a hardware refresh anytime soon, instead having software take the main focus of updates from Microsoft.

Fighting Fire With Fire

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Activision today officially announced the inclusion of two classic Nirvana songs in their upcoming Guitar Hero 5.

The songs, Lithium and Smells Like Teen Spirit, are from the Seattle band’s breakthrough blockbuster Nevermind, an album that is largely credited with pushing the grunge rock movement into the mainstream.

Rolling Stone had the first opportunity to break the news and get comment from the different parties involved.  Some excerpts:

The licensing deal had been in the works for years, but Activision’s Vice President of Music Affairs Tim Riley is still pinching himself. Smells Like Teen Spirit is a song that we’ve had at the top of our wish list ever since I came to Guitar Hero, he tells Rolling Stone from his office in Santa Monica. So it s been a while.

Indeed, securing the proper approvals was no small feat. Not only did Cobain’s widow Courtney Love have to sign off on behalf of the estate, so did former drummer Dave Grohl and Universal Publishing, which administers the Nirvana catalog.

Naturally, Love did have some concerns. Namely, Cobain’s physique, Riley reveals. Courtney supplied us with photos and videos and knew exactly what she wanted Kurt to look like, he says. She picked the wardrobe and hair style, which turned out to be the Teen Spirit look, then we went back and forth over changes some subtle, some not so subtle. In column B Love’s reference to the Greek God Adonis, whose youthful good looks made the male deity an object of desire. She certainly had a physical image in mind, says Riley. She wanted him to have that sort of athletic definition but not overly so. And while Love has long had a reputation for being difficult, Riley’s experience was anything but. She was actually great to work with, he says. She got back with comments pretty quickly.

Hans Zimmer Scores Modern Warfare 2

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Big name Hans Zimmer, whose scores have entertained audiences in The Lion King and Gladiator, is currently scoring the upcoming Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2.  At least, that s what his agency is saying.

Kotaku reported the information after seeing a resume that outlined the composers works, but could not get any confirmation from Activision. What are they waiting for, this guy adds even more credibility to an already hot game for the holidays.

[Full story at Kotaku]

Microsoft Officially Drops Xbox 360 Price To $299

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Microsoft today announced that the weekend will start with a $100 price cut on their Xbox 360 Elite model, giving it an MSRP that matches the latest Sony PS3 price cut to $299.  The Xbox 360 Pro model, now cut to $249 while supplies last, is being phased out for the Elite model, whose only difference is a 120GB drive rather than a 60GB one.

The Xbox 360 Arcade model, sans hard drive, remains at $199.

The $299 price match is great news for consumers, but a closer look shows a few items that Sony should (and will) highlight as major factors to consider.  The PS3 comes with built-in Wi-Fi, something that the Xbox 360 does for $100 more with an optional attachment.  Similarly, no HDMI cable comes with the Xbox 360, resulting in yet another accessory purchase for new owners.

So you have a gorgeous high-definition system with the world s best online gaming service, and you don t include Wi-Fi or an HDMI cable   Even though the core of your business and marketing strategies are online, and an HDMI cable costs a few dollars

Sony, Microsoft just gave you an opening, it s time to give em a good roundhouse with this one.

Guitar Hero About To Smash The Beatles?

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Accoring to EEDR research analyst Jesse Divinch, Guitar Hero will continue to win the sales war in the music genre, even though competitor Rock Band is releasing an unprecedented set focused completely on the Beatles.

The analyst projects [The Beatles: Rock Band] the game will sell at least 1.7 million copies this year, fewer than half the 4 million-plus he estimates for Activision Blizzard Inc.’s Guitar Hero 5, which comes out on Sept. 1. Activision, based in Santa Monica, California, said on Aug. 5 that Guitar Hero had 53 percent of the music category in North America and Europe.

Overall, though, the music genre has hit its peak, according to Divinch.

The genre has peaked, Divnich said in an interview. This genre has seen explosive growth over the past two years, so it would be wrong to assume that would continue.

According to the most recent NPD numbers, the music genre of games is dropping even more than the overall market, showing a 14 percent decline from this time last year.  And a big name like The Beatles may not be enough to make kids take notice again.  From the Bloomberg article {link no longer active}:

“I’m totally going to buy it, but I don’t think it s going to be big with those who aren’t as into the Beatles,” said Ken Ball, the co-owner of Game Over!, operator of three stores in Florida and Georgia. “Teenage kids and preteens are the audience that they are trying to appeal to, and the Beatles just aren t as recognizable a band to them. “

Does this mean a Flo Rida Rock Band would actually outsell THE @!^*#$# BEATLES

Sigh.