In some excellent news, Bungie has also announced that it is to be releasing some new multiplayer maps for Halo 2. Unfortunately for original Xbox owners, the new maps will only be available via the Xbox Live Marketplace and thus only available for use on the 360 (you will also need a hard drive to store them). No news on how many maps will be made available or indeed how much they will cost. Expect them to arrive sometime in the spring 2007.

Further Information from the Bungie.net website…

The November 15th marks the 5th anniversary of the original Xbox and the 4th anniversary of Xbox Live. Has it really been that long, how time flies when your having so much fun…

This weeks top Xbox Live games.

Xbox 360 Top Live Games

1. Gears of War
2. Call of Duty 2
3. Splinter Cell Double Agent
4. Need for Speed Carbon
5. Madden NFL 07
6. Ghost Recon 3
7. Saints Row
8. Pro Evolution Soccer 6
9. Call Of Duty 3
10. Final Fantasy XI

Top Xbox Live Arcade Titles (Full Versions)

1. Contra
2. UNO
3. Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3
4. Texas Hold ‘em
5. Geometry Wars Evolved
6. Hexic HD
7. LUMINES LIVE!
8. DOOM
9. Street Fighter II’ Hyper Fighting
10. Bankshot Billiards 2

Original Xbox Top Live Games

1. Halo 2
2. Battlefield 2: MC
3. Madden NFL 07
4. Counter-Strike
5. Rainbow Six 3 BA
6. Star Wars: Battlfrnt 2
7. Forza Motorsport
8. Splinter Cell-DA
9. Splinter Cell Chaos
10. Rainbow Six 3

Source: majornelson.com

This weeks top Xbox Live games.

Xbox 360 Top Live Games

1. Splinter Cell Double Agent
2. Call of Duty 2
3. Pro Evolution Soccer 6
4. Madden NFL 07
5. Ghost Recon 3
6. Saints Row
7. Tony Hawk’s Project 8 Demo
8. Final Fantasy XI
9. Marvel Ultimate Alliance
10. Tiger Woods PGA TOUR 07

Top Xbox Live Arcade Titles (Full Versions)

1. Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3
2. UNO
3. LUMINES LIVE!
4. Texas Hold ‘em
5. Hexic HD
6. Geometry Wars Evolved
7. DOOM
8. Street Fighter II’ Hyper Fighting
9. Bankshot Billiards 2
10. PAC-MAN

Original Xbox Top Live Games

1. Halo 2
2. Battlefield 2: MC
3. Madden NFL 07
4. Counter-Strike
5. Rainbow Six 3 BA
6. Star Wars: Battlfrnt 2
7. Forza Motorsport
8. Splinter Cell-DA
9. Splinter Cell Chaos
10. Rainbow Six 3

Source: majornelson.com

Eragon demo is now available for download on the Xbox Live Marketplace.

What was once your life … is now your legend. Enter a magical world of dragons, destiny, and epic adventure in Eragon as you fight to fulfill the legacy of the dragon rider. Take to the skies as a dragon rider this winter, and experience the movie in theaters December 2006.

Just a quicdk updte on the November dashboard update from majornelson.com:

An updated version of the Fall Update is now available on Xbox Live which has elminated issues relating to new or refurbished consoles failing after applying the Fall Update. Users who have already applied the Fall Update and are seeing an error message should call their local Xbox Support telephone number. If you already have the update, you will not be prompted for another update.

Well looks like MS have messed things up a bit with the November Xbox Live update. Details are a bit sketchy at the moment but it is looking like anyone with a brand new Xbox 360 will have major problems installing the new update. People attempting to do so are getting a System Error E71 on the dashboard, basically meaning that they can’t use their Xbox.

MS are reported to be on the case and are advising people not to apply the update, and a patch should be ready in a day or two to fix the problem. In the meantime, if you are having the problem, it has been suggeste that you try the following (although I haven’t done this myself so don’t hold me responsible for anthing that goes wrong). If in doubt, just wait for the patch.

Option 1
- Turn your console off
- Disconnect all the cables
- Connect the cables
- Turn your console on

Option 2
- Turn your console off
- Disconnect all the cables
- Remove your harddisk
- Add your harddisk to your console
- Connect the cables
- Turn your console on

Option 3
- Turn your console off
- Disconnect all the cables
- Remove your harddisk
- Remove your poweradapter from the wall-socket
- Wait 60 seconds
- Connect your poweradapter to the wall-socket
- Add your harddisk to your console
- Connect the cables
- Turn your console on

Further details can be found at:

http://www.xboxic.com/news/1897
and
http://forum.teamxbox.com/showpost.php?p=8310370&postcount=210

Some time today (Tuesday, October 31), Microsoft will be launching a major update of the Xbox 360 via Xbox Live. This update will be automatically applied the next time you login to Xbox Live. The update will include the following features:

New Features

• HD 1080p video mode support over VGA and component cables.
• Xbox 360 HD DVD Player support.
• Stream WMV video from a Windows PC running Windows Media Player 11, Zune software, or Windows Media Connect.
• Play video from storage devices such as USB flash drives, Xbox 360 Memory Units, etc.
• Play video from CD or DVD data discs.
• Xbox 360 Wireless Headset support, including battery level indicator in the Xbox Guide.
• Video support for 50 Hz HDTV modes (DVD and HD DVD only).
• Xbox 360 Wireless Racing Wheel support.
• Set up automatic downloads of newly released Xbox Live Arcade trial games.
• Support for upcoming release of XNA Game Studio Express (separate download and subscription required.)
• Stream music, pictures and video from a Zune device.

Xbox Live Arcade

• Lightning-fast enumeration and listing of all Xbox Live® Arcade games on the console.
• Find games quickly with two new sort options: Recently Played and By Category.
• Have all new Xbox Live Arcade games at the ready with auto downloads. Auto downloads optionally adds newly released trial versions of games to active downloads when you enter Xbox Live Arcade.
• View full achievement info in Xbox Live Arcade, including icons, achievement point details, and descriptions.
• Friends leaderboard: Compare yourself with friends and view leaderboard details right from the Xbox dashboard.
• Tell a friend: Send a message to a friend about your newest favorite Xbox Live Arcade game.

DVD Player

• Optionally disable notifications from Xbox Live while watching DVD movies.
• Improved support for audio streams on incorrectly authored DVDs.
• Better handling of unreadable discs.
• Updated count-down timer.
• HD DVD player support.
• Added zoom support for non-anamorphic content.
• Added support to Family Settings to block Unrated Content

Video Player

• Improved support for extended all black scenes in WMV content.
• Added support for Windows Media Video 9 Advanced profile video.
• Screen saver now becomes active when videos are paused.
• Now shares UI and player controls with DVD player.
• Improved video playback while downloading from Xbox Live.
• Added skip controls (forward approx. 30 seconds, back approx. 7 seconds).
• Improved messaging around unplayable video content.
• Added time elapsed and time remaining displays.
• Improved playback of high bit-rate HD content on fragmented hard drives.
• Improved visual quality of video playback.
• Added selectable display modes: default and letterbox zoom.

Localization

• New locale setting for China.
• Improved German translations in console settings.
• Improved German translations in memory area.
• Improved Japanese translations in Family Settings.
• Added localized text for all supported languages in pictures area.
• Improved Spanish translations in camera effects.
• Improved locale-specific decimal denominators.
• Added localization support for title menu and main menu in the DVD player.
• Added localization support for “Attempting to Read Media” system message.

Memory Area

• Added support for Xbox 360 HD DVD Player content.
• Added new page for viewing content size by category.

Other System Improvements

• Updated support for new Daylight Savings changes coming in 2007.
• Improved support for games to better handle host migration in multi-player matches.
• Improved Xbox Live Vision camera support for changing room lighting while zooming.
• Background downloaded videos appear in video area.
• Improved Xbox Live Vision camera support while using VGA.
• Playing photo slideshows from PC now maintains picture folder hierarchy.
• Improved user experience when playing and deleting videos from the Games or Media areas.
• Improved handling of invalid characters during Xbox Live signup.
• Better handling of watermarks in gamer cards.
• Improved text for Windows Media Connect.
• Improved UI performance in Media Center Extender.
• Improved connection support for Buffalo WZR-G108 wireless router when using Xbox 360 Wireless Adapter.
• Redownload of deleted Arcade Games no longer re-enumerates all games on the Arcade page.
• Improved visual display of text in themes.
• Improved support for CD playback after signing up for Xbox Live and losing network connectivity.
• Improved support for long names of items memory area.
• Improved handling of gamer pictures downloaded from Xbox Live.
• Improved background download notifications when downloading many small items from Xbox Live.
• Improved support for custom backgrounds after returning to the Xbox Dashboard from the Account Management area.
• Improved network reliability between Windows Media Center Extender on Windows Vista and Xbox 360 consoles using Xbox 360 Wireless Adapter.
• Improved voice chat quality in Xbox Dashboard and in-game chats.
• Improved messaging when failing to connect to Windows Media Center Extender.
• Improved USB keyboard support when using a USB hub.
• Improved consistency of user experience when deleting various types of content.
• Improved handling of low storage space for background downloads.
• Improved handling of Picture streaming from attached Digital Cameras over MTP protocol.
• Improved error messaging for optional iPod support download when storage devices are full.
• Improved handling of multi-key repeating for USB keyboards.
• Expanded Family Settings to include support for blocking unrated DVDs and videos.
• Added ability to clear space from storage devices in download areas.
• Added support for low-speed and full-speed USB keyboards.
• Improved CapsLock behavior for USB keyboards.
• Improved look and feel in Xbox Live Marketplace and Xbox Live Arcade areas.
• Added redeem code option to Xbox Live signup.
• Removed system message at the start of new downloads. Messages will be displayed for completed items.
• Added support for CCV credit card validation field in Xbox Live Marketplace purchase areas.
• Updated “More Information” instructions in the Xbox Dashboard for connecting an Xbox 360 console to a Windows PC to stream digital media content.
• Added auto-scroll to long text descriptions in Xbox Dashboard UI.
• Improved support for DVD insertion while playing a video file.

This weeks top Xbox Live games.

Xbox 360 Top Live Games

1. Splinter Cell Double Agent
2. Call of Duty 2
3. Tony Hawk’s Project 8 Demo
4. Ghost Recon 3
5. Madden NFL 07
6. Saints Row
7. Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3
8. Final Fantasy XI
9. S.C.D.A. Online Demo
10. BFMC

Top Xbox Live Arcade Titles (Full Versions)

1. Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3
2. LUMINES LIVE!
3. UNO
4. DOOM
5. DIG DUG
6. Street Fighter II’ Hyper Fighting
7. Texas Hold ‘em
8. Geometry Wars Evolved
9. PAC-MAN
10. Marble Blast Ultra

Original Xbox Top Live Games

1. Halo 2
2. Battlefield 2: MC
3. Madden NFL 07
4. Counter-Strike
5. Pro Evolution Soccer 5
6. Rainbow Six 3 BA
7. Star Wars: Battlfrnt 2
8. Splinter Cell Chaos
9. Forza Motorsport
10. Mortal Kombat: Armageddon

Source: majornelson.com

Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Vegas demo is now available for download on the Xbox Live Marketplace.

Team Rainbow makes its next-generation hardware debut in the most dramatic installment of the renowned first-person shooter franchise to date. In Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Vegas, Rainbow operatives take to the chaotic streets of Las Vegas as an escalating terrorist siege in Sin City threatens to take world terrorism to new, uncontrollable heights.
 
The future of global security hangs in the balance as you battle to defend classic Vegas locations and environments like Fremont Street, the Strip, and world-famous casinos. Experience Las Vegas like never before, through revolutionary next-generation technology as you work against the clock to keep one of the world’s most recognizable cities from utter devastation.

Please note that this demo is not available in the US or Canada.