While Xbox 360 owners got their Facebook implementation yesterday, PlayStation 3 owners should get their update today.  The Xbox 360 version of Facebook is used as a way to browse your friends, find gamertags, look at photos, and interact with the system.  Sony took a slightly different route.

Since the PS3 has a web browser, it was kind of silly to include a Facebook app.  Instead, the PS3 is going to allow users to publish trophy info, PlayStation Store purchases, and eventually unique in game information once the developers get their hands on a new API.  Also in this update is a revamped friends list (no more ugly boxes), and an updated photo browser that looks really slick.

Read More...

Gearbox has released the first patch for the PC version of Borderlands, squashing a few nagging bugs and adding features like voice volume control.  The biggest fix has to do with leaving a co-op game causing a characters progress to be lost, which thankfully, no longer happens.

 Along with the patch comes news that Borderlands was the fastest selling original IP of 2009, netting around 550k units sold on the 360 and PS3 alone.  This would put it ahead of Uncharted 2 on the NPD charts, and it doesn't include PC and digital sales of the product.  Bravo Gearbox!   We thoroughly enjoy the four player co-op gameplay and loot collecting, and it looks like everyone else does too!

Read More...

Xbox 360 owners will be getting a shiny new dashboard update on November 17th that includes features like Twitter, Facebook, Last.FM and the Zune video store.  Also in the update will be a "News and More" section on Inside Xbox with feeds from MSNBC, The New Yorker and comics from Dilbert.  

So while the update doesn't have too much of an affect on your gaming experience, it certainly adds to the social and cooperative experience of Xbox Live.

Not to be outdone by the Xbox, Sony is planning their own Facebook app - as Eurogamer has confirmed today.  Leaked shots of the app hit the internet the day prior, and speculation ran rampant.  More information is coming "very shortly" on the update, though we have to wonder, is it really needed on the PS3?  After all, the system has a web browser.

When the New Xbox Experience was released last year, one of the greatest features of the update was the ability to install games to your Xbox 360 hard drive to help decrease loading times.  Sadly, not all games benefited from this.

Most older titles were designed to be played from the disc and developers optimized data on the discs, often duplicating it in various regions on the disc, to stream loads.  Games like Halo 3 and Crackdown were actually slower when installed to the hard drive.  

The Crackdown team though recently released an update for the game that will remedy the situation, making loading from the hard drive a more optimized experience.  It's a good time to give the game another go to get yourself hyped for Crackdown 2. 

Source: Link

US PlayStation owners may have just gotten their hands on Trine, and it might need a patch, but PC owners have had the game for a good four or five months now.  Southpeak has released a patch for the retail edition of the game bringing it to version 1.05 and it fixes a variety of bugs.

Most of the fixes are for bugs, but there's a few technical optimizations to make the gameplay experience a lot smoother.  

Read More...

Codemasters has made good on their promise, and officially announced the first content pack for Operation Flashpoint 2: Dragon Rising.   The pack is called the Skirmish pack and features two new cooperative missions for four players as well as four new maps for competitive play.  There's also a new sandbox mode called Island Tour which can be played cooperatively.

 The new co-op maps are called All Round Defence, which looks to be a survival mode type map with support and attack helicopters as players defend a fortified complex against waves of PLA; and Uphill Struggle has players trying to capture a bunker under heavy fire from hillside reinforcements. 

Read More...

Earlier this week we gave you a status update to some of the bugs in Borderlands.  Today we bring you good news as the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions of the game have received patches to tidy things up a bit.  

Yes, Lilith's phase walk now works correctly.

Read More...

If you're a fan of Steam and happen to be running Microsoft's recent Windows 7 operating system, you're in for a treat.  The latest Steam update adds full native Windows 7 support for features like jump lists and process bars.

What does that mean?  Seen above you'll have quick access to recent games, mostly co-op ones in my case, quick online tasks as well as one click access to all the tabs.  The best part is Steam doesn't need to be running to take advantage of these features.  Finally while Steam updates, the task bar icon will show the progress in real time.  Suddenly your Left 4 Dead and Dawn of War 2 sessions got a whole lot easier.

While you're updating Steam, don't forget to join our Steam Group!

You may have received a system update when firing up your Xbox 360 console last night, but don't get excited, it isn't THE update.  You know, the one with Twitter, Facebook, and Last.FM support.  

Instead the update is for users of the Xbox Live Wireless Adapter.  It adds WPA2 encryption support to it's settings allowing for more compatibility with home networks.  We have to think that releasing such a small and minor update now, means the widespread release of the bigger update is still a few weeks away.  

"Ain't no candy here, ugly!"

Sounds like Epic is *ahem* GEARING up for a fun Halloween.  The Gears of War 2 "All Hallow's Eve" event begins Friday morning, and will likely keep you glued to your Xbox 360 all weekend.  The fifth title update for the game is available today, fixing some bugs and exploits.  This weekend, XP earned in competitive multiplayer (the tricks) and Horde mode (the treats) will be doubled, allowing you to earn those achievements and the respect of your peers just that much faster.

Horde mode won't be the same ol' thing, though.  How does "more Boomers" strike you? 

Read More...