WE ARE THE WORLD 25

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TOY STORY 3 OFFICIAL TRAILER

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THE EXPENDABLES

See why it may be the best action movie ever made!
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First Chromehounds DLC pack FREE on the 19th!

Posted by Jason Triplett

Sgea and From Software announced on their website that the first round of DLC for their popular mech combat game Chromehounds will be free to download on the 19th of July! Here is what was posted on the official forums:

"We're happy to announce that the first downloadable pack of new content for Chromehounds will be unleashed next week. And it'll be free!

SEGA and FromSoftware have made the decision to offer the pack free of charge by way of a thank you to HOUND pilots around the world. As you may know, we experienced some tricky server-load problems right after launch, and we hope this will go some way to saying thanks for sticking by the game.

The pack will be available to download via the Xbox Live Marketplace at 00:00GMT on 19th July.

PACK CONTENTS:

Light Arms
http://tinyurl.com/n8mdn WP_SG003 A sniper cannon for fast, furious engagements. Features a smaller magazine to reduce weight.

Heavy Arms

http://tinyurl.com/njkgb WH_HC034 An improved HC1500/D, for those in the know. A giant cannon with massive destructive power.

Assist Part

http://tinyurl.com/mlkec AX_AM002 Additional armor with an enhanced KE defensive profile. It’s shaped to better turn bullets.

Colour Pattern

http://tinyurl.com/o3y3q WWII Tricolor Camouflage A brand new World War II inspired camouflage pattern.

Enjoy!"

So there you have it folks! Chromehound addicts rejoice! The 19th is gonna be awesome!

Source: http://boards.sega.com/chromehounds/viewtopic.php?t=778

LOTR: Battle For Middle Earth II demo now on XBL!

Posted by Jason Triplett

XBOX Live has been seeing a flood of content as of late. The newest demo to hit is the LOTR: BFME II demo. Test out this awesome RTS, and decide for yourself if it's the best RTS on a console!

City of Heroes/Villains gets double XP weekend!

Posted by Jason Triplett

City of Heroes/Villains will get a double XP weekend pertty soon. We got the press statement, which says the following:

"NCsoft is giving City of Heroes and City of Villains players a boost to their characters with a “Double XP Weekend” where players will earn twice the usual experience points for all activities that result in an XP reward.

The double XP weekend will start at 9 a.m. Pacific Time on Friday, July 21 and ends on Sunday, July 23 at 9 p.m. Pacific Time.

The “Double XP Weekend” will give players the opportunity to level up their characters and gain access to many of the new features available in both City of Heroes and City of Villains.

The “City of” games have recently been updated with Issue 7: Destiny Manifest which introduced the action-packed mayhem missions to City of Villains and added the PvP zone, Recluse’s Victory, where heroes and villains fight for control over a future version of Atlas Park.

For more information on the “Double XP Weekend” go to www.cityofheroes.com or www.cityofvillains.com."

There ya have it, wannabe comic book stars! Put on your spandex and your cape and cowl and get ready for some action!

NCAA Football 2007 demo hits XBL!

Posted by Jason Triplett

We are proud to be the first to announce the arrival of the NCAA Football 2007 demo on XBOX Live! The demo weighs in at a heft 1.05 GB, and pits Florida VS. Florida State! This demo just went live, so be sure to jump right on and grab it!

As always, stay tuned to Rated-M.com for more breaking news!

Is Microsoft buying Rockstar?

Posted by Jason Triplett

Microsoft buying a company isn't big news these days. They suck up all the little guys like a vacuum. However, when the company is question is Rockstar games, the small news becomes a supernova. I want to point out that at this point, neither company will comment on this buyout, so we are merely looking at the facts that are out there and speculating on how it will go down.

Take-Two has been a huge force in the gaming world, buying up small indie companies and bringing them into their collective. However, Rockstar has caused them far too much pain in their tenure with T2. Most notably, "Hot Coffee" cost the company a lot of money in fines and a full scale recall, and further tarnished Take-Two in the faces of the government and the ESRB.

A short time after the "Hot Coffee" fiasco, Take-Two's New York office was severely damaged in an office fire, destroying everything inside. All their records, hardware, software, everything. This hurt them badly. Take-Two has to relocate all of their employees, and considers filing for bankruptcy.

Take-Two is called before the congress to discuss GTA and the upcoming games "Bully" and "Snow". Congress warns that if either game is released, take-Two will face even further investigation and scrutiny.

E3 2006. A spectacular E3 for Microsoft. Peter Moore blows us away with the GTA 360 announcment and te now infamous tattoo. GTA IV is scheduled to launch on 360 first and PS3 a short time later.

The very next day on G4TV, Peter Moore sat down with Kevin Pereira for a shocking announcment. This is the one that would cause al the controversy! In the interview, Moore revealed that just prior the the interview he was doing, he signed a contract of exclusivity, and that GTA IV was now "Only on XBOX 360". Kevin asked Moore how he managed to steal away such a huge title from Sony. Moore stated that Rockstar were "smart businessmen" and that they "knew what they were doing".

After E3, no one was talking. Rockstar, Take-Two, Sony, Microsoft...nobody. Until Sony makes a statement that would almost collaborate what was happening behind the scenes. Sony co-CEO Jack Tretton commented in an interview about the deal, saying the following:

"There's no question that having the Grand Theft Auto franchise helped us a lot and helped us sell some units, but I don't think the battle would be any different with or without Grand Theft Auto.

If you look at our first-party library and the franchises that we've brought to market over the course of PlayStation 2, we have a very formidable first-party library of exclusive software that will help define us."

In other words, Sony claims they don't need GTA.

Take-Two is hit again by the ESRB, this time behind Oblivion's rating. Due to the fact that the PC version has a player created nude mod, the ESRB forces T2 to re-rate the game from T to M. Take-Two and Bethesda claim that this is all the fault of Rockstar, GTA, and the "Hot Coffee" situation. They say that if "Hot Coffee" never happened, the ESRB wouldn't have been so strict in this case.

Take-Two announces that they have cancelled the game "Snow" in which you sell, smuggle, and distribute drugs, saying they didn't want any more controversy, and that it "just isn't a good game".

Rockstar Games fires over half of it's employees, including one of the co-founders of Rockstar. A massive firing of this sort is almost ALWAYS indicative of a buyout. A huge mass firing is usually done to cut the fat, making room for employees of the purchasing company. This sends shockwaves throughout the industry.

And now most recently, Take-Two announced that it is in fact being investigated by the Securities and Exchange Commission regarding stock option grants given to employees between 1997 and today. A Federal investigation is exactly what the company doesn't need at the present time.

Despite the number of great titles they have on the shelves, T2 continues to lose more money than they are making. Certainly selling off the company that keeps them under scrutiny and investigation would help them in two ways. First, they would make a sweet sum of cash from the deal. Knowing MS, they were willing to pay a hefty sum to snatch Rockstar from T2. Second, cutting the only controversial developer on their roster would ensure the company could rise again to the levels in which it once was...this time without the added controversy that Rockstar brings.

Losing Rockstar also isn't a huge deal to T2, since their only two premiere franchise titles were GTA and Midnight Club. Most of Rockstar's other games have been considered flops by the press and players alike. T2 still has 2K games, which is one of the largest publishers on the scene today, as well as many other smaller companies.

Expect an official announcment about this buyout in the coming months. All the facts lead up to this buyout, so at this point, judging on the facts presented here today, we are 99.9% sure this is happening behind the scenes. If you all think back to the Rare buyout, certain details were very similar in the way they went down.

Stay tuned as we cover this story further, and remember, you heard it here first...on RATED-M.COM!

Acclaim begins open beta for BOTS!

Posted by Jason Triplett

The newly reborn Acclaim games, which has dedicated itself to localizing free Asian MMO's for the states, announced today that they have begun open beta for their first game, BOTS! From the official press release:

"We are pleased to announce the start of Open Beta for BOTS, a free multiplayer online action game. The Open Beta phase means that everyone can register and play right away. Since the beginning of Closed Beta, thousands of players have experienced this unique fast-paced fighting game. With the assitance of more than 250,000 game hours logged by closed beta testers, the full version of BOTS is ready for release.

Visit http://bots.acclaim.com/downloads/game.htm to begin your adventure! Players that have already registered can continue using their current account. Closed Beta testers that have previously played the game will need to uninstall the older version of the game and download/install the new version of the game.

The Open Beta version of BOTS introduces all new maps for all three types of gameplay: Sector story mode, PvP and team PvP Base mode. In addition, new items are available including parts for all three BOT types, new skill packs, shields, shoulder parts and guns. Players will also be able to reach level 99, the highest level in the game. Open Beta participants will be able to prepare themselves for the launch of the game, when Acclaim introduces more than 50 money items such as transformation packs, wings, head parts, mini-bots, special items and much more!"

We are very happy to see Acclaim back at it, no matter how they do it. I grew up with this company through the Nintendo Era. To see such a behemoth crumble before your eyes is never good. However, watching a Phoenix rise from the ashes is terrific. I just hope Acclaim can hold on this time!

Auto Assault sever merge...already?

Posted by Jason Triplett

Auto Assault isn't a horrible game by any means. It's actually pretty fun. However, it just isn't worth the monthly fee. Perhaps a sign of this is the fact that just a few short months after the game's launch, they are merging all servers into one big server. From the official Press Release:

"Since Auto Assault® launched earlier this year, we’ve had the pleasure of finding a community that is vocal, helpful and truly cares about the game. You, the Auto Assault® gamer, are vital in helping us to create a unique experience unlike any other online role playing game.

One of the things thatyou’ve told us is that you would like to see all servers merged into one to allow more community-oriented play. Therefore, on July 13th, all existing Auto Assault® servers will merge, bringing us all together as one big, happy, warring, power-sliding, flame-throwing family.

What does this mean to you? Well, you’re going to see many more people around in-game, but you also might need to make some decisions. For example, you may need to determine which characters to keep – 12 characters per account is the limit. There are a few other factors you’ll need to consider. You can find out all the details of the merge and what it means to you HERE.

By merging the servers, you’re going to make new friends and enemies and even have the pleasure of forming a convoy with your European brothers and sisters - or you can just blow them up…all in the spirit of International relations. Auto Assault® is going global!

In addition, this move makes it easier for our team to create more inclusive in-game events, including tournaments, meet-and-greets, drop and spawn events and more.

Let the games begin
"


Usually a server merge doesn't happen this early in a game's life, so this could be indicative of the state of the game so far. Another factor showing the poor financial performance of this game is the fact that many retailers no longer carry the game. GameStop actually gives Auto Assault away when people buy Guild Wars. Unfortunately, people aren't buying that game either.

So what should NCSoft do at this point? We think they should adopt a program like SOE's Station Pass. A "one price plays them all" fee. This may boost sales and playership on many of their games, Like City of Heroes/Villains and Auto Assault. Who knows what they will actually do.

Prey only 5 hours long? We have proof!

Posted by Jason Triplett

Yeah, you heard it right. Prey, the long delayed and lon gawaited game is only 4-6 hours long. Below we show you a screenshot showing the final boss battle save at just over 5 hours. Further more, people across the net are claiming to have beaten it in under 5. $49-$59 for a 5 hour game? NO THANKS!

Tenchu XBOX 360 website opens!

Posted by Jason Triplett

From Software recently launched the official Tenchu XBOX 360 website. The game, tenatively titled Tenchu Senran, is shaping up to be a hot game! The site is in Japanese, but you can check it out for the cool gameplay videos!

Source: http://www.tenchu.net/

UPDATE! Official statement about Mickie James Porn!

Posted by Jason Triplett

So we managed to get some kind of official word on the Mickie James scandal. A true WWE official could not be reached for comment, nor could R.B. Kane, but the administrator of the official Mickie James website gave us as close of an official statement that we think we are gonna get.

"Unfortunately I missed this topic this weekend, but to end all discussion on it, the photos in question are not legitimate, they are of another individual. I've personally verified this with the original magazine publisher. For confidential reasons the name of the woman who does appear in the photos cannot be given out, but I can confirm that it is not Mickie James. Due to the nature of the entire discussion, I've removed it."

We believe that the artist is in fact Tabatha Stern, which can be seen on the R.B. Kane website under the tour section "Famous Anus". Yeah, I know...porn and the silly shit they come up with. Anyways, there is your answer. It seems that Mickie James is safe from getting fired over this scandal, unless word comes out otherwise showing that it is indeed her.

Source: http://www.mickiejames.com/boards/viewtopic.php?t=225
Source: http://www.rbkane.net/

House of the Dead 4 Special hits Arcades in Japan!

Posted by Jason Triplett


Sega has released HOTD4 Special in Japan, and this machine is HOT! Featuring an enclosed booth with a pair of huge flat screen HDTV's, the game is tailored toward 2 player muti-play. The gun, which resembles an Uzi, has force feedback and rate of fire change. So far, this unit is only available in Japan. No word whether Sega intends to release this in other countries where Arcades are slowly dying.

Rated-M.com is also working on a special feature regarding the very state of Arcades in the US. Will Sega be a factor? Stay tuned! For now, check out the official site. It's in Japanese, but there are some awesome pictures as well as some high-res wallpapers!

Source: http://hod4.sega.jp/top.html

LOTR: BFME II server patch released today!

Posted by Jason Triplett

EA has patched the LOTR: BFME II game a second time today, this time clearing up the server connection issues people were having. Although in the official statement they claim they applied it over the weekend, we can confirm tha tthe patch was not active until today. People still had the connection problem as of last night.

Here is the official statement:

"Hey everyone,

We applied a patch to the servers over the weekend that should correct the login issue that some players were having. We would just like to verify that those of you who had to do the login workaround each time to get online, no longer have to and you can get online to Xbox Live and the game just perfectly now. Please verify you can get online with no issue. Hope everyone had a fantastic weekend with the game, its a huge hit! We are taking Xbox Live by storm!

APOC"

Well there ya have it. Seems EA is getting pretty fast at fixing problems. This is good news, and proof that EA intends to stay one the the premiere developers on the market today.

Source: http://forums.ea.com/mboards/thread.jspa?sls=2&tstart=0&threadID=87547

Screenshots from GTA4?

Posted by Jason Triplett

A friend of mine sent me a couple of photos that look to be environment screenshots from GTA4. This is definately along the lines of what people are expecting form the game, so these should make many people drool. We have no official confirmation as to whether these are real or not, but the damn photos do look convincing, that's for sure. Until we get official confirmation, all we can do is speculate. For now, enjoy the photos!





WWE's Mickie James a former porn star?

Posted by Jason Triplett


So there are these semi-hardcore porn photos floating around the net that people claim are of WWE wrestler Mickie James. I will admit, it looks very much like her. However, there are some skeptics who say they are fakes with Mickie's head photoshopped on, or that it just simply isn't her. Photographer R.B. Kane and the WWE have both declined comment.

I suggest that you be your own judge. Now I shall always stay dedicated to not posting porno directly on this site, nor will I ever host it on my servers. However, there is a long standing discussion about this very topic on the wikipedia website for this beautiful diva. The links to the photos just happen to be there. I wont say where, but they aren't hard to find.

Why would I even bring this issue up you ask? Well remember the porno that Chyna and X-Pac shot? That action is what caused Vince McMahon to allegedly blacklist both wrestlers from ever returning to the ring under the WWE company. Vince has no problem with Playboy, which some people call artistic nude photographs, but these Micki photos are borderline hardcore, similar to what would be in Penthouse or Hustler. That is exactly what Vince is against.

The question I pose is, if these are real, will Vince McMahon fire her for them? While you all oogle the photos...I mean do some investigative journalism of your own, I will continue to try to coax comment from both R.B. Kane and the WWE.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mickie_James

Comprehensive Oblivion tips & tricks list for the XBOX 360 version!

Posted by Jason Triplett

While browsing the net, we came across this thread at the popular (and sometimes extremely immature) GameFAQs that outlines everything from how to dupe items to how to find rare creatures and items to my personal favorite, how to access a test level on the 360 version by using one of the DLC patches! You can also find out two different ways to clear the 360 HDD cache and do some very odd enchants.

The thread also posts links to Oblivion sites and maps and more. If you play Oblivion on the 360, you gotta check this thread out...and tell em Rated-M.com sent ya!

Source: http://boards.gamefaqs.com/gfaqs/genmessage.php?board=927345&topic=29065359&page=0

FarCry to the Wii? Probably not.

Posted by Jason Triplett

A rumor was spread around the net that FarCry was coming to the Wii. Supposedly, Amazon (which has been known to post bullshit items for sale in the past) had this listed as an item for sale. However, the link has been promptly removed. Some will still say that they pulled it down as damage control due to them leaking the info. The truth is that the Wii most likely cannot handle a game like FarCry, even with it's built in Havok physics processor.

We will be contacting Ubisoft first thing tomorrow for a follow-up, but we already know what they are going to say...and so do you.

Source: http://gonintendo.com/?p=3554
Source: http://www.amazon.ca/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000GJ0J1A/qid=1152264333/sr=8-7/ref=sr_8_xs_ap_i7_xgl14/701-4308060-5425939 (the link the listing WAS at)

Lord of the Rings: BFME II Connection problems? Microsoft responds!

Posted by Jason Triplett

Lord of the Rings: Battle for Middle Earth II came out a few days ago to lackluster response from players, despite stellar reviews from the press. Sure, the controls are great, but the game is not without it's problems. Day 1 the game had to be patched due to excessive frame-rate dipping. The patch didn't fix the problem entirely.

Then there is the problem many have with not being able to log into the EA servers to play on XBL. After being hammered with calls, Microsoft decided to make an official statement on their website on how to alleviate this problem.

"If you are playing this game on Xbox Live, and you get hung up at the 'Connecting to EA Servers' screen, we are aware of the issues and working with EA on this. In the meantime you can get online the following way:

1.) Sign in and start the game
2.) Select Xbox Live
3.) This is where you will sit “Connecting To EA Servers”, at this point, press the 360 button on the controller and sign out, but don’t go back to the dashboard
4.) Once signed out, sign back in again.
5.) Go back to the game, it will say “the active gamer profile has been signed out”, press A to continue.
6.) Select Xbox Live
7.) You get connected

Thanks for your patience as we work on addressing this.

Major Nelson Xbox Live Director of Programming"

There you have it folks, a rigged way to get past the problems until EA can roll out yet another patch for this game. Seems to me that this game wasn't ready. What happened? Oh well. Feel free to voice your opinion or experiences here in the comments section.

Source: http://forums.xbox.com/5267853/ShowPost.aspx

Christian HALO 2 clan? Nothing like a little Jesus with your violence, eh?

Posted by Jason Triplett

One of the more bizare things I have seen of late is a Christian Halo 2 clan called "The Christian Halo Union". The bizare thing isn't that they are Christians that play Halo 2, but that they decide to use a violent game in which you murder each other over and over to promote the Lord's word.

The clan isn't huge, nor is it very prosperous, but they have been hitting all the message boards advertising their clan and spreading the word. People will have their own opinions of this, and I certainly have mine. Preaching while playing a violent game like Halo is like stopping in a titty bar to enjoy the naked women and pass out religious flyers while you are there. I can understand where they are coming from I guess, but it still seems a bit off to me. So what do you think? Let us know in the comments section provided below!

Source: http://www.bungie.net/fanclub/103120/Group/GroupHome.aspx

Pirates sequel now second highest weekend opening, predicted to take first!

Posted by Jason Triplett

According to CNN Headline News this morning, "Pirates of the Carribean: Dead Man's Chest" has now taken the number two highest grossing opening weekend of all time, a record previously held by "Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith" with $108.4 million. The number one spot holder is still "Spider-Man" with $114.8 million, but CNN/HN stated this morning that when the final numbers are in and counted, Pirates should sail well ahead of that.

Despite reviewers like Entertainment Weekly scoring the film really low, calling it boring and pointless, we expect this film to be one of the biggest box office holders of all time.

Check back with us tomorrow for the official tally, as well as our full review!

Blog Archive

Spider-Man reboot gets a date...and 3-D!

Posted by Jason Triplett
02-10-10

Toy Story 3 gets a full trailer!

Posted by Jason Triplett
02-11-10

New shots from the set of Predators!

Posted by Jason Triplett
02-11-10

Tyrese to Transform once more!

Posted by Jason Triplett
02-11-10

Star Trek Online gets HUGE endgame update!

Posted by Jason Triplett
02-11-10