June 3rd is seriously getting closer and that means some serious slicing & dicing action is near.  I know you all have Liberty City on the brain right now but there are other games coming this year.  Ninja Gaiden II is one of them.

There’s a demo set for next month (May) and to help you ease the pain of waiting, you can try your hands at the Ninja Gaiden II mini-game.  Click here and register to get your mini-game on.  It’s time to practice your ninja skillz!

Slimer.  Gozer.  Venkman and Egon.  Who you gonna call?  Ghostbusters!  Sierra Enteraintment had a little portofolio showcase of sorts last week out in California highlighting their upcoming games and they shared a few tidbits of their show with me.  One such tidbit were new screenshots of Ghostbusters The Video Game.  Don’t cross the streams but you can view the screens!

Screenshots: Ghostbusters The Video Game (New marked with March)

It’s going down tonight.  A special edition of U360 Live covering the release of Grand Theft Auto IV happens tonight at 9PM Central.  Someone is going to win a regular edition copy of GTA IV for the Xbox 360.  Who will it be?  Tune in to find out.

How do I thug it up for the win?

Just post a comment or send me a message via Xbox Live and then listen in to the show tonight as usual for your name.  Easy as jacking a car right?  Ok, it’s easier than jacking a car so good luck.  I’ll be in Liberty City this week to play with the winner and everyone else from U360!

The countdown is on for many people here in North America to the release of Rockstar’s Grand Theft Auto IV.  I can only imagine the hysteria that will go on tonight at various midnight release locations across the states.  I set up a special show tomorrow night just to get everyone’s initial feedback on the game.  I hope you all can pry yourselves away for a few minutes to share your GTA IV stories with the crowd.

Midnight release stories, first thoughts and impressions are all welcome on the GTA IV Special Edition Show.  There’s even a special treat for one lucky person who may not have had the chance to get their little hands on a copy. (wink)  Yes that means that someone will win a copy of Grand Theft Auto IV for the Xbox 360 on the show!

show time - 7PM PST / 9PM CST / 10PM EST
# to call in to the show - (646) 478-5897
link to listen and chat - http://www.blogtalkradio.com/u360tv

Remember that one time in band camp when I told you that Assault Heroes 2 was coming to Xbox Live Arcade and I gave you some screenshots?  Well, just in time for summer gaming action, Assault Heroes 2, is geared up to invade Xbox LIVE Arcade on May 14th. 

Re-envisioned for an even more action-packed arcade shooter experience, Assault Heroes 2 expands its horizons into outer space. New features also include hi-jackable enemy vehicles, more levels and enhanced on-foot and co-operative gameplay modes. Whether attacking on foot or piloting all-new spacecraft, players will enjoy optimum mobility in the most dangerous situations.

Developed by Wanako Studios, Assault Heroes 2 will be available for 800 Microsoft Points.

It was another wild ride on the show today especially with a surprise appearance by TriXie all the way from New York City celebrating the Brett Favre Madden NFL 09 cover announcement.  She even brought more of her famous TriXie Dust and sprinkled yet another round of Xbox Live Arcade redeem codes on U360.  Look for more chances to win this week.

All the 9 I had to find for Mr. Driller Online were announced on the show and we had a great time mixing it up on Grand Theft Auto IV, Battlefield: Bad Company, Peavy guitars and more. 

Tune in now!

Format:
46mins 59secs, 21.5 MB, mp3

Show files:
mp3 - Download the mp3 of the show

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Special appearance:
TriXie - Xbox.com TriXie - 31:05

 

 Live Episode #65 Mr. Driller Online Winners with special guest TriXie [46:59m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

2K Games had some new screenshots waiting in my inbox for their upcoming game, Mafia II.  I never got around to playing the first one but I heard a lot of good things about it so I have my eye on the sequel.  It’s being developed by 2K’s new studio in Europe, 2K Czech.  Expanding upon the original hit that captivated more than two million gamers, 2K Czech takes players deeper into the Mafia with a mature and compelling narrative that will immerse players like never before.

Screenshots: Mafia II

Mafia II provides a beautifully crafted look into the dark and unforgiving world of the Mob.  Drawing on the experience they garnered from working on the critically acclaimed Mafia and Hidden & Dangerous series, 2K Czech’s look at Mob life in the 1950s will immerse gamers in the seedy criminal underworld that makes up Mafia II.

You ready to get really gangsta with Mafia II?  If it keeps impressing me like this, then I’ll be there on release day to pick it up.

Rockstar’s Grand Theft Auto IV releases next week (April 29) and I figured I’d let you guys and girls know where to hang out at for midnight releases.  I don’t think I’ll be doing any midnight hunting but I do know that midnight releases are a fanboy’s treat so if you’re planning on grabbing this game when the clock strikes 12, then here are the places you need to be. 

It doesn’t appear that there are very many locations that won’t be open so you should be okay to hit up any local retail store.  And just an fyi, you’ll have to be there on Monday, April 28th sometime before midnight.  (hey some people might not have known it’s actually April 28 midnight)  There are some exciting things going down especially at the Best Buy stores in Canada where you could win a Limited Edition Grand Theft Auto IV themed Elite console!

Midnight Release Store Locations

GameStop Midnight Locations - Click Here
Best Buy Midnight Locations - Click Here
Best Buy Canada Midnight Locations - Click Here (First 100 in line have a chance to win a Limited Edition GTA IV Elite console)

Game Crazy Midnight Locations - See Below (including $ prizes)

100 East Compton Blvd., Compton, Calif. (Los Angeles, 310.668.9074)
1738 165th St., Hammond, Ind. (Chicago, 219.844.4163)
855 El Camino Real, San Bruno, Calif. (San Francisco, 650.871.8710)
14104 Woodward Ave., Highland Park, Mich. (Detroit, 313.883.0509)
719 Sleater Kinney Road SE, Lacey, Wash. (Seattle, 360.413.7774)
1422 North Lombard, Portland, Ore. (503.286.3759)
3105 El Cajon Blvd., San Diego, Calif. (619.521.4734)
540 N Nellis Blvd., Las Vegas, Nev. (702.437.9902)
903 North IH 35, Bellmead, Texas (Austin, 254.867.8168)
933 Pleasant St., Fall River, Mass. (Providence, 508.235.1093)

This just in….Brett Favre has officially put an end to the so-called Madden Curse.  He’s been selected as the cover boy for this year’s Madden NFL 09 and because he’s retired, it’ll be literally impossible to have a football injury.  Well, he hasn’t actually turned in his retirement papers so there’s still a slight chance that this “curse” will get him.

Peter Moore dropped the news to fans on his EA Sports blog today.  It’s an awesome selection and a fitting end to an incredible career.  Even though I’m a Dallas Cowboys fan, I’ve always enjoyed watching Brett Favre play.  I still remember him being drafted and announced as Brett “Favor”.  And I wonder if he’ll actually be playing Madden NFL 09 to replace playing on Sundays?

It looks like we’ll have more tennis to choose from this year.  Featuring the biggest names in tennis including Roger Federer and Maria Sharapova, highly realistic visuals, a host of gameplay enhancements and online play via Xbox LIVE, Smash Court Tennis 3 will be lobbing and smashing its way into North American retailers in August 2008.

The first in the revered tennis simulation series for the new console generation, Smash Court Tennis 3 for Xbox 360 tests the player’s skills against 16 of the world’s finest international tennis players.  Gameplay modes include Tutorial, Arcade, Pro-Tour, and Exhibition mode where up to four players can go head to head offline. The game also features an online mode allowing players to play online via Xbox LIVE online entertainment network.

In addition to Xbox LIVE voice chat and rankings, players can take on opponents in online tournaments and in a range of different matches. Online doubles matches let players team up side by side for a long distance match against another pair, bringing the action and interaction alive like never before.  Will it be game, set and match for the Smash Court Tennis debut?  Who knows but it better have the Williams sisters in it!