Jet Set Radio HD remaster is coming

The stylish cell-shaded, paint spraying, inline skating game from SEGA is going to get re-released.

SEGA released a teaser video a few days back and have now just confirmed that this is real thing that is happening. Jet Set Radio (Jet Grind Radio in Japan) which was a Dreamcast exclusive (up until they stopped making consoles) when it first came out is getting up-res'd in HD and will be available on both XBLA and PSN (or by it's new name "SEN") as well as Windows PC this summer.

I've always wanted to play this but I never got to own a Dreamcast (or any SEGA console for that matter) I missed out. The second game, Jet Set Radio Future, was released on the original Xbox so I also missed out on that so I'm very glad that SEGA is giving the series some love and re-releasing the first game in HD.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cfDlHdERxrE[/youtube]

Source [4playerpodcast]

Screenshots from SEGA:

New Xbox 360 2011 dashboard update is now live!

The new Xbox 360 dashboard is now live! I personally like the dashboard of the 360 more than the Playstation 3 but its hard to navigate to find what you really need. This dashboard update fixes seems to fix that and added features that will make any Xbox 360 owner happy.

My Xbox 360 is already updated so I've tried the new dashboard myself. Off the bat, it's definitely easier to navigate compared to the old one. I remember taking awhile finding a specific content in the games marketplace because of how cluttered the content was. Now, everything feels simplified and compact. The overall layout of the dashboard design was definitely made for people with Kinect though, but the reason why I think this dashboard will work overall is because this layout is still friendly to users navigating with a controller.

If you don't like the new layout maybe the new feature will make you appreciate the latest update. The first one is my favorite.

Cloud Save

Yes! This is a great addition. A place to put your save files as either backup or if you'd like to play your save in a friend's house. This feature gives each Xbox Live gold member 500+MB of storage space to put your player profile and game files. The files saved on your cloud save will be accessible in any Xbox 360 console when you log into your account. While I don't see myself going to a friend's house to play with my save file, at least I won't be in a complete lose if something happened to my Hard Disk. I just love the fact that you have an option to place game files on Xbox Live for back-up. Back up is so important.

Beacons and Activity

I really like this idea. So usually you join a group or send a message asking if they want to play  some Call of Duty or any type of game. With Beacons and Activity, it makes it easier for people to find who's up to play a specific game in your friends list or Facebook account. Adding a beacon lets you state that your up for a specific game. When you set the beacon up, your friends will be notified that your up for that type of game, even though your seen playing Skyrim for 10 hours straight. You also have the option to sync your Facebook account and say that you want to play this game with friends. Beacons and Activity also records you and your friends currently gaming activity. It pretty much records what you've played recently and for how long.

Bing Search engine

Like I said, easier to navigate through Xbox Live. Bing is Microsoft's search engine and gives you yet another way to navigate through all of Xbox Live's content with ease. Put something like Fable in the search, and the search result will organize all content related to fable. Its pretty darn fast when searching too. I also appreciate that its first in the line of categories so I can go straight to what I need to see.

Xbox Live is really growing on me. I appreciate how easy it now is to navigate and the fact that it feels smooth and fast during its release day. So far no issue. This is not the end of what I'd like to call 360 Dashboard 2011. They say that they will be integrating youtube, the promised UFC application, and more before 2011 ends.

Halo 4 is a thing and it's not jumping systems

There have been rumors spreading that Halo 4 was to be a launch title for Microsoft's successor to the Xbox 360. That doesn't seem to be the case as it looks like Cheif is in for an extended stay.

Frank O'Connor, the development director for the Halo franchise, has just posted on Neogaf that Halo 4 will be on the 360.

"Halo 4 will be on Xbox 360 and use a modified core of the Halo engine(s). Not really a singular engine since it goes through fairly radical evolutions all the time."

I personally am not a Halo fan (didn't find the games very interesting) but I understand why so many people like it. This is also good news for a lot of people since most of them are probably not ready for a console move just yet. Or will have trouble convincing their parents to get them another Xbox.

Source [Neogaf]

Gears of War 3 reviews are in!

Gears of War 3 is days away and reviews from all the big sites are in. Overall, almost close to all reviews give the last Gears of War game a near perfect scores and giving a lot of praise to the campaign. Excited for the release? I am.

Here's a list of some scores:

Game Informer - 95/100

IGN -  9/10

Eurogamer - 8/10

G4 - 5/5

Gamespot - 9.5/10

Joystiq - 5/5

Gametrailers - 9.4/10

Seems like Gears of War 3 is getting praise in every aspect. Campaign, multiplayer, story, and of course gameplay. This is definitely living up to the hype. This game is definitely a must buy for any Xbox 360 owner and will be inside your system for a long time. There's a lot to look forward to. Question is, which one will you jump in first? Horde mode? multiplayer?, or the campaign that can be played either split screen or co-op. Gears of War 3 is just around the corner but it feels like its taking forever.

If someone needs to get updated on the events of the Gears of War story, here's a link to the game's timeline. Thanks Epic Games.