More exciting news for Ghost Recon fans, a ultiplayer demo of the upcoming Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2 is on its way. The demo should arrive on theXbox Live Marketplace sometime this week.

Bethesda Softworks has now confirmed that the next instalment of the Oblivion, the Shivering Isles, will include 250 gamer points and 10 new achievements. This fits in with Microsoft’s new game achievement policy which allows DLC to existing games to increase their gamer score above the 1000 point mark.

So to celebrate these new achievements, how about some new Shivering Isles screen shots… 

This weeks top Xbox Live games, based on Xbox Live connectivity.

Xbox 360 Top Live Games

1. Gears of War
2. Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Vegas
3. Call Of Duty 3
4. DEF JAM: ICON (Demo)
5. Crackdown (Demo)
6. Madden NFL 07
7. Lost Planet
8. NBA STREET (Demo)
9. Oblivion
10. GRAW 2 (Demo)

Top Xbox Live Arcade Titles (Full Versions)

1. Paperboy
2. Root Beer Tapper
3. UNO
4. Heavy Weapon
5. Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3
6. Contra
7. Texas Hold ‘em
8. Geometry Wars Evolved
9. Street Fighter II’ Hyper Fighting
10. Small Arms

Original Xbox Top Live Games

1. Halo 2
2. Battlefield 2: MC
3. Madden NFL 07
4. Star Wars: Battlfrnt 2
5. Counter-Strike
6. Call of Duty 3
7. Forza Motorsport
8. Ghost Recon 2
9. PGR 2
10. Rainbow Six 3

Source: majornelson.com

As the start date for the Halo 3 Beta gets ever closer, the folks over at developers Bungie have put together a helpful little FAQ to answer some of your questions.

Is Halo 3 beta registration closed?

Yes, phases one and two of the beta have already ended. If you haven’t received an email by this point, then you were not one of the lucky few.

Is there no other way?!

If you didn’t get in to either phase, then you can still get in by buying Crackdown, releasing in the US, on February 20 th . Inside every launch copy of Crackdown is an invite to the Halo 3 beta.

How will the Crackdown invite work?

Once the Halo 3 beta has been activated (start date is still TBD) you simply go to the Downloads menu in Crackdown to download the Halo 3 beta. After that, you will need to launch the Halo 3 beta from within Crackdown. You will need an Xbox 360 with a hard drive and an Xbox Live Gold account.

I’m an experienced beta tester with a PhD in Astrophysics and a minor in messaging Bungie to whine about the beta. Why wasn’t I invited?

Microsoft did not choose beta testers based on merit, that would take far more manpower than is realistically possible. Phases one and two were both essentially lotteries or contests. Bungie was not actually responsible for those contests, but rather your local Microsoft Games Studios division. Messaging Frankie, Sketch, KP or any other Bungie employees is futile.

When does the beta start?

The beta will not start when Crackdown is released. The beta will go live when it’s ready, which should be sometime this Spring. The team is currently busy whipping the included content into shape. Our goal is to deliver a fun, solid game experience though it will still very much be a “beta.”

How long will the beta last?

The beta will only be playable for a limited time. Exact timing is still TBD.

Are there multiple phases to the beta?

Not really. The term “phase” applied to the beta registration process. Participants from phases one and two as well as those using Crackdown will be able to get their copy of the beta at the same time. The participants from the Friends and Family program may be able to start playing shortly before the others, however.

What can you tell me about the Bungie Friends and Family program?

Not much, at the moment. As we’ve said, it’s just a method for Bungie to get some of its closest community friends into the beta. As we mentioned above, this program will start at a period shortly before the others, the extent of which is yet to be determined.

How many players are going to be in the beta?

A lot, many thousands. Let’s just say, you won’t have trouble finding a match.

How many maps, gametypes, playlists, etc. are we going to see in the beta?

Just enough to get the testing data we need while providing a fun game experience yet still leave everyone wanting more. The exact scope is still being finalized.

Will the party system be implemented in the beta?

Yes, you will be able to find your friends, join their party and enter matchmaking with them, in playlists which support parties.

Will we be seeing anything that we have not yet seen from the Alpha screenshots (and leaks) in the beta?

There are bound to be a few surprises in store for fans. And seeing a fuzzy cell phone video of the alpha doesn’t even begin to come close to actually playing yourself on an HD television with maps that are several months further along in development.

Will we see the function of the mysterious X button?

Yes. Whether or not it’ll still be mapped to X is subject to change. And honestly, it won’t be all that surprising. Just cool.

Please tell me I get to blow stuff up with the laser.

You get to blow stuff up with the laser. Try lining stuff up and then firing through it all. Preferably without teammates in or around said stuff.

Will we all have to sign NDAs and never speak of the beta? Will you try to contain screenshots and movies coming out of the beta?

Nope. In a perfect world, maybe, but it’s hard enough when the participants are just a few thousand MS employees, let alone thousands and thousands of Halo fans. We don’t expect anything in the beta to remain a secret. The beta will be covered by a normal user agreement, with lots of caveats about the fact that it’s not finished, only lasts for a short time and so on.

What kind of data and feedback is Bungie looking to glean from the beta?

We’re looking for a lot of things. Mainly the kinds of things that you cannot otherwise accomplish without the mass of people we’ll have, such as stress-testing all of the backend stuff and networking. We’ll be keeping an eye on our forums for general feedback, but the primary goal is to gain valuable technical information that’s only possible when we have tens of thousands of simultaneous players across the world.

Following on from my previous post in September, the black Xbox 360 rumours are doing the round again. According to some reports this time the story is indeed legit, although they are using the same images from five months ago. The black Xbox 360 is rumoured to be HDMI enabled and have a 120 GB hard disk.

We will wait and see…

Peugeot have just announced the winner of their 2007 Design Contest. The challenge was to design a concept car that is both innovative in the use of technology and expresses the future of car design. The winning design  is to be built (full scale) and unveiled at the 2007 Frankfurt Motor Show. The winning design will also be included in upcoming Project Gotham Racing 4.

Flux was designed by Mr. Mihai Panaitescu (20) who  studies design at the I.E.D. Turin

Peugeot Flux Concept 

My intention was to design a vehicle that pleases it’s occupants in every way. It’s versatility combined with it’s sportiness and the ability to use it in different environments are in my opinion some of the vehicle’s strong points.

Either as an explorer of sandy beaches, sweeping mountain roads, or simply commuting in the city, the Flux concept embodies a vehicle that is made to please. It’s dynamic shape and open air cockpit make it lively and fun to drive as the occupants are always in contact with their surroundings.

The name Flux was inspired by the continuous change and flow of our daily lives during work and play. The shape also represents this flow with transitions through hard and smooth lines, between straight and curved all of which are characteristics of Peugeot. A relatively small car (3500cm long by 1650cm wide), it runs on a slim hydrogen power plant hidden in the back along with the tank mounted under the front bonnet. The hood and side body panels are made from plastic, polyurethane for the seats and aluminium for the mechanical parts. The main components such as the chassis and head protection are metal. Made up of simple body work (basic intersected volumes) the car is easily produced and accessible to everyone but most of all, it’s fun to drive.

Adding to this, the car is also a gaming hub thanks to the integrated Xbox 360 so P.L.E.A.S.E. hop in!!!

• Third and Fourth placed designs
• Other Seven Finalists

Well further to my previous post, I can now confirm details of the Rainbow Six Vegas map/game pack, oh and some new pretty pictures….

New Multiplayer Maps 

• Doscala Restaurant: This well known Italian restaurant is located in the heart Las Vegas, near the famous Fremont Street.
• Marshalling Yard: This century-old service yard is situated in the center of an industrial district. Still active today, it is primarily used to store cars, but is also equipped with cleaning and maintenance facilities.
• Roof: A Coffee Factory has been overrun in the continuing gang violence that is wreaking havoc in this border town. The strategic positioning of the factory makes it highly desirable to control, making it a focal point of the violence.

Relit Maps

Two favorite Rainbow Six Vegas MP maps are revisited and relit for a new gameplay experience.

• Border Town – Redux
• Killhouse – Redux

New Gametypes

Two all new game modes that can be played in the 10 original maps and the five new maps add upon Vegas’ long list of available game types.

• Assassination: The goal of the Attackers is to eliminate a high-value asset of the Defenders, who in turn will try to defend and escort the VIP to his extraction Zone.
• Total Conquest: This is a team-oriented, static control-point game mode where each map contains three “Mobile Radar Installations” (control points). To win, a team must activate and maintain control of at least one of the three Mobile Radar Installations locations for a given period of time

PaperBoy is now available for download from the Xbox Live Marketplace. PaperBoy is available in all Xbox Live regions and costs 400 points. 

Can you deliver? Rediscover the classic arcade game Paperboy on Xbox Live. Keep your subscribers happy by tossing newspapers on their doorsteps with perfect accuracy. Pedal fast and avoid obstacles to make the headlines and bring home the bacon. 

Today is a good day for Xbox gamers everywhere as it marks the re-launch of the excellent Xbox 360 Leagues, v3.0. After a brief hiatus (the longest 10 days of my life), the 360 Leagues is back with a vengeance with an all new and improved website and forum.

The Xbox 360 Leagues is one of the UK’s premiere websites dedicated to organising and hosting Xbox Live events and providing you with an environment where you can meet like-minded gamers of all skill levels. If you are a keen Xbox gamer, this is the place for you.