Microsoft Media Briefing Live Blog

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The briefing is scheduled to begin at 10:30 AM PST, expect live updates to begin around then.

10:15 AM - There's a promotional video showing called Xbox 360 Street Talk featuring man-on-the-street interviews with people, talking about gaming slang.

10:16 AM - The room is dark, with green neon lights all around. The stage is austere, with just a couch and two chairs. There are three plasma TVs on the left side, with three 360s underneath.

10:20 AM - A Raconteurs song is playing, which makes IGN Insider editor David Clayman a happy panda.

10:22 AM - We're waiting for Microsoft to announce that "What Game Do You Game" is their new marketing slogan.

10:23 AM - The hall is starting to fill up, and it's getting about as hot as the IGN podcast room.

10:24 AM - The promo video is still going -- the focus is on young people hanging out, talking about music games, party games, etc.

10:25 AM - Techno music is playing behind images of 360s and controllers floating through the air.

10:26 AM - It's an electro version of Sinner Man by Nina Simone.

10:28 AM - The promo vid is over and the official press briefing screen is up. The music just got 5 times louder.

10:30 AM - The theatre is almost completely full at this point.

10:31 AM - You can tell the crowd is excited because everyone has put their iPhones away.

10:32 AM - Don Mattrick coming on stage.

10:32 AM - Welcoming the audience. Says the biggest sellers are on 360. Mentions GTA IV, Bioshock.

10:33 AM - Guitar Hero, Rock Band and Scene It! are mentioned too.

10:33 AM - Asks how MS can cater to both hardcore and casual crowd.

10:33 AM - Says MS will unveil a new experience that will change the industry.

10:34 AM - Mentions GoW2, Fable 2, Fallout 3, RE5 as big titles this year.

10:34 AM - A Fallout 3 trailer is showing.

10:35 AM - It's a black and white 50s style training film.

10:36 AM - Todd Howard of Bethesda comes on stage.

10:36 AM - The new Fallout 3 trailer will be coming out today.

10:37 AM - Howard is demoing Fallout 3, but his controller disconnects.

10:37 AM - Now he's got it working.

10:38 AM - Showing an ibot floating around onscreen. Brings up the Pip Boy 3000.

10:39 AM - Howard shows the radio function of the Pip, and colonial music plays as he uses VATS to snipe enemies.

10:39 AM - Now he's shotgunning some fools.

10:40 AM - Says there are over 100 hours of gameplay in Fallout 3.

10:40 AM - We're seeing some robotic tanks, automated turrets and sentry bots.

10:40 AM - He uses pulse grenades to take them out.

10:41 AM - A helicopter lands, carrying the Enclave. So he whips out a mini nuclear bomb thrower and takes them out. The demo ends.

10:42 AM - He announced there will be "sunstantial" exclusive 360 DLC for Fallout 3.

10:42 AM - Capcom's Jun Takeuchi comes on stage (RE 5 producer).

10:42 AM - He's wearing an Umbrella sweatshirt.

10:43 AM - Going to show the first public gameplay demo of RE5.

10:43 AM - Chris Redfield is pwning some zombies in Africa.

10:44 AM - Chris is there to investigate a bioterror event.

10:44 AM - The game looks really sharp, and online co-op is announced.

10:45 AM - Sheva is Redfield's partner based in Africa.

10:45 AM - Chris just launched Sheva over a gap in a co-op move.

10:46 AM - She is fighting zombies up close while Chris snipes from a distance.

10:46 AM - He is switching back and forth between them at.

10:47 AM - Cutscene - a chainsaw wielding boss rears his ugly head.

10:47 AM - But the demo ends.

10:47 AM - The big thing here obviously is the co-op mode shown.

10:48 AM - They announce RE5 will have a simultaneous release Friday 13, March 2009.

10:48 AM - Peter Molyneux comes on stage.

10:48 AM - "Fable 2 is finished" he says.

10:48 AM - The crowd applauds.

10:49 AM - Showing a trailer.

10:49 AM - Snow-covered field with a bird flying through it.

10:49 AM - Past the ruins of an old castle.

10:50 AM - A sprawling medieval village comes into view.

10:50 AM - It's the GDC trailer.

10:50 AM - He's explaining tha basics of Fable 2.

10:51 AM - Says he wants to explain a new innovation.

10:51 AM - Says you'll have the ability to play co-op over Live in Fable 2.

10:52 AM - No lobbies, no menus - just pop in, pop out.

10:52 AM - Shows his character's wife and son.

10:53 AM - Your co-op buddy can pop in and interact with your family as well.

10:54 AM - October 2008 release date confirmed.

10:54 AM - "I have a rendezvous with death" Is the opening line of a narration over a Gears 2 trailer.

10:54 AM - Cliff comes on stage.

10:55 AM - The trailer was brief.

10:55 AM - Cliff preps for a co-op campaign demo.

10:55 AM - Cliff is taking Marcus to a deep chasm.

10:56 AM - He and Dom ... the game briefly stops and then starts up again.

10:56 AM - The Locust have reached Jacinto.

10:56 AM - They spray some Locust with Lancer fire as Marcus mutters "Let's do this."

10:57 AM - He grabs an enemy and uses him as a meat shield.

10:58 AM - The Hammer of Dawn is back.

10:58 AM - As are curb stomps (Cliff just smashed a Locust's brain).

10:58 AM - Cliff busts out a flamethrower and roasts some enemies.

10:58 AM - Enemies throw up grappling hooks, but he shoots the hooks and the Locust fall to their deaths.

10:59 AM - The checkpoint descriptions, weapon choice screen and HUD look the same as Gears 1.

10:59 AM - A Boomer shows up along with a massive group of grunts.

11:00 AM - The building they are in collapses, and they escape through a decrepit old elevator.

11:01 AM - At the top, they come face to face with the Brumak.

11:02 AM - Marcus pistol-whips a grunt to death

11:02 AM - Marcus suggests they ride the Brumak out of there.

11:02 AM - Demo ends.

11:02 AM - New mode called Horde announced - a 5 player co-op mode.

11:03 AM - November 7 release date announced.

11:03 AM - Don Mattrick comes back.

11:03 AM - Wow. "How's that for 10:30 on Monday morning," he says.

11:04 AM - He says gaming is now the biggest thing going in entertainment.

11:05 AM - 48 billion will be spent of vidgames worldwide this year, he says, citing a PWC study.

11:05 AM - Says MS is 5 million units ahead of PS3.

11:05 AM - 3rd party games outsold wii and ps3 combined last year on 360.

11:05 AM - Xbox Live remains "the undisputed leader" in online gaming.

11:06 AM - Since the launch $1 billion has been spent on Xbox Live by users.

11:07 AM - There are 10,000 movies and TV shows on Live.

11:08 AM - New TV partners announced - NBC and Universal Studios.

11:08 AM - The Office, Monk, Heroes, etc. NBC, USA. Sci Fi Channel.

11:08 AM - 12 Monkeys, Chronicles of Riddick, etc. available today.

11:09 AM - John Schappert, head of Live, comes on stage.

11:10 AM - I believe this generation of consoles will change the face of entertainment, he says.

11:10 AM - Says the biggest changes are happening online as people connect via games.

11:11 AM - Mentions vido chat, messaging and video marketplace as recent MS Live innovations.

11:11 AM - What's next?

11:11 AM - Showing system update.

11:11 AM - Dashboard comes up.

11:11 AM - Totally new.

11:12 AM - Avatars.

11:12 AM - Entireley new interface

11:12 AM - Slick and sparse, looks like a line of album covers that can be flipped through on a background.

11:12 AM - Avatars are customizable.

11:13 AM - They look remarkably like Miis.

11:13 AM - With a bit more detail.

11:13 AM - A Rare video starts up.

11:13 AM - The avatars were created at Rare.

11:13 AM - They will be in games, on Web sites, in the dashboard, in messages, etc.

11:14 AM - Thousands and thousands of pieces of content, the Rare guys are saying.

11:14 AM - An Avatar is shown on screet with his gamerscore and a chat bubble next to him.

11:14 AM - Charles Onyett says, "This is dumb. They look like slightly less cartoonish Miis." He wants them to be called "Mii-60s."

11:15 AM - There is a new Community channel

11:15 AM - Your friends who are online -- their avatars show up in your space.

11:15 AM - Can create a "Live Party" where your friends can come over, share photos, chat, etc.

11:15 AM - You can stream your photos w/ ppl in your party.

11:16 AM - Xbox Live Prime Time is announced.

11:16 AM - They are partnering with Endemol entertainment for the channel - it will allow gamers to take part in their own game shows over Live.

11:16 AM - 1 vs 100 is the first game that will use Prime Time. There will be a live host and real prizes can be won.

11:17 AM - The updated dashboard will go live this fall.

11:17 AM - New Games channel.

11:18 AM - Uno Rush announced.

11:18 AM - The Live Party he created jumped from a lobby to an Uno Rush game with a couple button presses.

11:19 AM - He moves on to XBLA.

11:19 AM - Geometry Wars 2 announced - coming next month.

11:19 AM - Same black background with brightly colored shapes exploding.

11:20 AM - Nice particle effects.

11:20 AM - Galaga Legions announced for XBLA.

11:20 AM - Namco Bandai's sequel to Galaga. Will come to XBLA exclusively next month.

11:21 AM - GLAdoS' voice is playing!!

11:21 AM - Portal Still Alive is announced

11:21 AM - 2008 Xbox Live Arcade exclusive.

11:22 AM - 2009 - A South Park game is announced for Xbox Live.

11:22 AM - Nothing is said about it... no details.

11:22 AM - XNA Community section begins.

11:23 AM - Fall is still the release window for XNA to come out of beta.

11:23 AM - Exclusive partnership announced with Netflix.

11:24 AM - Netflix subscribers can watch movies in their queue via Live.

11:24 AM - And people in your Party can all watch the same movie together over Live.

11:25 AM - Shane Kim is on stage now.

11:26 AM - More than 1000 titles will have launched this year.

11:26 AM - A Banjo trailer is showing.

11:27 AM - Banjo is flying around in an airship. Then he's shown platforming around various maps in Nuts and Bolts.

11:28 AM - Viva Pinata 2 trailer starts up.

11:28 AM - A camel pinata, deserta areas, snow-covered areas and traditional grassy areas are shown.

11:29 AM - Ryan's battery is dying on his laptop.

11:30 AM - Banjo XBLA announced.

11:30 AM - Scene It Box Office Smash is announced.

11:31 AM - Uses the Scene It controllers.

11:31 AM - And integrates the avatars.

11:31 AM - First retail game that will let you do so.

11:31 AM - You're in the movies announced exclusively for 360 from Codemasters.

11:32 AM - (Game is called You're in the Movies)

11:32 AM - Some MD folks come on stage to demo the game.

11:33 AM - Don Mattrick is demoing You're in the Movies. It uses the Vision camera and is mini-games.

11:33 AM - John Schappert is pretending he is surrounded by hornets and has to swat them down.

11:34 AM - This is a lot like Nick Arcade.

11:34 AM - The next mini-game requires you to dance and strike poses as directed on screen.

11:35 AM - Normally you'd do more mini-games, and at the end the game turns your performances into a movie by recording your actions and then putting them into a pre-scripted event.

11:36 AM - This movie is about a giant lizard attacking...it turned the dancing into a goofy shower scene.

11:37 AM - The game lets you make edits and share them with the rest of the world. The game will include the Vision Camera when it ships.

11:38 AM - Now Shane Kim has turned his attention to the music game genre. On average, 3.5 million songs are downloaded every month. Xbox Live accounts for 80% of all songs downloaded across all platforms.

11:38 AM - Guitar Hero franchise has sold nearly 5 million units on 360 alone.

11:39 AM - Kai Huang, President and Founder of Red Octane, takes the stage to talk about Guitar Hero: World Tour.

11:40 AM - He's talking abbout the Guitar Hero: World Tour peripherals and the 85 songs on the disc (no mention of specific songs).

11:40 AM - A rundown of the music creator is being given and GHTunes.

11:41 AM - Two announcements: World Tour owners will be able to download a REM track pack before anyone else with new songs.

11:41 AM - Metallica's next full album will be available for download on GH3 and World Tour.

11:42 AM - It will be up for download the same day it is released.

11:43 AM - Shane Kim is back. He is announcing a new game -- looks to be Lips game.

11:43 AM - Yep, there's a flashing microphone. This is a first-party karaoke game. The mic flashes while you sing.

11:43 AM - It's wireless, too.

11:44 AM - I don't know what song they're singing.

11:44 AM - They plugged in a Zune and are getting new music for the game.

11:44 AM - Available this holiday.

11:44 AM - Keiichi Yano, creator of Lips, takes the stage.

11:44 AM - This game lets you sing from your own music collection. Plug in a Zune (or iPod) and you can sing along to anything you have.

11:45 AM - Shake the microphone to do tamborine shakes.

11:46 AM - The setup looks a lot like Singstar, music video in the background. Duffy takes the stage to sing her own song. (nobody here knows who Duffy is).

11:46 AM - According to the game, she's not hitting every note in her own song. At least we know it's not a pre-recorded performance.

11:49 AM - Now they're talking about Rock Band 2.

11:50 AM - Alex Rigopulos, CEO Harmonix, on stage.

11:51 AM - Alex is announcing the entire soundtrack (after it was on IGN bitches!)

11:51 AM - This is all old news. I read it on IGN an hour ago. Shackler's Revenge from Chinese Democracy and GNR will be on the game.

11:51 AM - Bob Dylan's Tangled up in Blue and AC/DC are called out as big.

11:52 AM - Metallica, Pearl Jam, Beck, Interpol and more are also noted. 20 bonus tracks will be up for free download this fall as well.

11:53 AM - Next he is talking about the platform strategy. All of Rock Band 1 tracks will seemlessly integrate into Rock Band 2. These can be exported so there will be no need for disc swapping.

11:53 AM - By the end of this year, there will be over 500 songs available to play in Rock Band 2.

11:53 AM - Don Mattrick is back to welcome President of Squre Enix.

11:55 AM - Yoichi Wada takes the stage.

11:56 AM - He is talking about the strong partnership they have built with MS.

11:56 AM - He says this partnership led to Star Ocean, Infinite Undiscovery and Last Remnant.

11:56 AM - Infinite Undiscovery, a 360 exlcusive, will be released September 2 in North America (First worlwide). Sept. 5 in Europe, 11 in Japan.

11:56 AM - Star Ocean will be out Spring 2009.

11:57 AM - Gameplay trailer will be up today on Marketplace.

11:57 AM - The Last Remnant will be out on 360 first this holiday season.

11:57 AM - Next a trailer is being shown of The Last Remnant.

11:58 AM - The trailer looks fantastic, but offers little for plot.

11:59 AM - November 20 worldwide.

11:59 AM - The Last Remnant will also be on Games for Windows. Hooray for the PC! First mention.

12:00 PM - No launch date yet for the PC version.

12:00 PM - Don Mattrick is talking, but Square president comes back to announce a new game with a trailer.

12:01 PM - It looks like Panzer Dragoon with dragons flying in a trench.

12:01 PM - Cocoon and pulse defintions are put on screen.

12:01 PM - A ship lands and flying mechanical soldiers drop out.

12:02 PM - There are massive airships.

12:02 PM - Graphics are fantastic.

12:02 PM - Flashing between battles. They showed a hint of gameplay, it looks awesome.

12:02 PM - Final Fantasy XIII!!!!

12:04 PM - Available on 360 at launch in US and Europe.

12:04 PM - No longer a PS3 exclusive.

12:05 PM - Don Mattrick thanked everyone and it's over.

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