Kinect PlayFit Launches On Xbox Live

Kinect PlayFit launched on the Xbox Live in the US today. This dashboard feature is available to download for all Xbox Live members for free, and it'll be launching outside of the US later this week.


Kinect PlayFit tracks the calories you burn while playing Kinect games. Whatever Kinect game you decide to play (for me, it's either Dance Central or Your Shape: Fitness Evolved), Kinect PlayFit will track all your stats, and will place you amongst others on the Xbox Live members leaderboard. Not only does it allow you to compete for high scores, but achievements and avatar awards can also be unlocked.


Many sniff at the thought of exercising via a console, but honestly guys, it works. I managed to lose three stone in a year from a combination of Wii Fit, Dance Central, Your Shape: Fitness Evolved and eating healthier. Don't knock it until you've tried it!

Xbox 360 Gets A Patriotic Makeover

Amazon.co.uk  added an Xbox 360 4GB Kinect Family Bundle to their listings (which has been removed for some reason now), which sports a Union Jack skin, and sports the name "Xbox 360 Celebration Pack."


This special edition Xbox 360 and bundle will be available on the 25th May for £249.99. The bundle will include the Union Jack skins, a 4GB console, a Kinect sensor, Kinect Adventures, Kinect Sports and a free 3-month subscription to Xbox Live.


Check out the console below. What do you think of it?

First Resident Evil: ORC DLC Trailer

The first batch of Campaign DLC for Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City was announced today. 


Capcom will be releasing a series of new missions for the US Spec Ops squad, and four new versus mode maps for players to download and try out. The first launches on the 10th April and is free to download on the Playstation Network and Xbox Live. 


The DLC will see Harley, Dee-Ay, Willow, Shona, Party Girl and Tweed attempting to recover  evidence that uncovers the truth behind the outbreak. Check out the trailer below!

Tattoos Added to the Avatar Marketplace

It seems that Microsoft have removed any guns and weapons props from the avatar marketplace and replaced it with...tattoos.


The transparent design sleeves are worn with a plain t-shirt, and add a tribal, kanji or flame style tattoo to each of your avatar's arms. I have no idea why Microsoft have not just made this actual tattoos though. Perhaps they don't support actual tattoos? Not that it is that important anyway.


You can kit out your avatar in these "tattoos" for around 160/240 MSP in the Avatar marketplace on Xbox Live.

Bastion Hits Half a Million Downloads Mark

Supergiant Games has a lot to celebrate this week, after their hugely successful Xbox Live Arcade/Steam title made it to the 500,000 downloads mark. 


Bastion benefited from a serge in downloads over the holiday period on both the Steam and Xbox Live Arcade platforms, which the team have announced in a celebratory post on their Supergiant Games site. The team state that "When we set out to make Bastion, a sales number like that seemed astronomical to us, so it feels great to have hit that mark. It goes to show that a lot of folks out there like what we’re doing and want us to keep going, which is great, because we intend to stick together as a team and do just that."



Not only has the downloads hit an impressive milestone, but Bastion has also been critically acclaimed, been nominated for Game of the Year awards, and has gained special mentions on a whole host of gaming websites and publications.


It seems that Supergiant Games will be off to a promising start to 2012!

Guns to be Removed from XBLA

Microsoft have announced that all gun props, including the Gears of War Lancer or Hammerburst, will be removed from the Xbox Live Avatar Marketplace. If you already own one of these items, then fear not, you'll be one of the lucky ones to keep hold of it whilst plenty more people will be blocked from even getting a chance to acquire one.


If you're quick though, you can download a Lancer or Hammerburst from the marketplace until the 1st January 2012. 


This means that from the 1st January 2012, Microsoft will no longer allow any weapon/gun props into the marketplace. How do you feel about this though? Let us know in the comments!

RAGE Demo Released

RAGE has been available for a month now, but if you haven't checked it out yet, a demo will be available on Xbox Live next week. Playstation 3 owners will be able to download the demo from the 6th December. The 2GB demo features both driving and shooting segments.


RAGE is a first person shooter set in a post-apocalyptic world similar to the Mad Max series, and games such as Fallout 3. 

Saints Row The Third Community Creates 1 Million Characters

THQ and Volition announced today that the Saints Row: The Third community has created more than one million characters in the Saints Row Initiation Station.

The Initiation Station has been available to download for free on Xbox Live, Playstation Network and Steam, and allows players to create their own character which they can share online, and use when Saints Row: The Third is released on the 18th November. 

“The characters we’ve seen are mostly ridiculous, often hilarious, and always over-the-top. And now there are a million of them,” said Kevin Kraff, Vice President, Global Brand, THQ. “With the crazed creativity we’ve seen in only one week, we can’t wait to see what’s to come. One million is just the beginning.”

1.2 million people have played the Initiation Station so far, with many players opting to create a character in non-traditional colours such as green, red and silver. In this press release, THQ stated that currently 24 characters have been tagged by users as "God", although there are plenty of bizarre, wonderful and wacky characters available to view. 

Saints Row: The Third Initiation Station Demo Now Available

With only a fortnight to go until Saints Row The Third is released, THQ has released the Initiation Station demo via Xbox Live and the Playstation Network.


The demo enables you to create your own character and/or share it on the Saints Row community. When the game is released, players can then download their creation, or others, into their game. Initiation Station not only shows off the games impressive, in-depth and rather funny character creation system (sex appeal slider, anyone?), but it also demonstrates the brand new, impressive graphics that the guys at THQ have adopted this time around. 


Saints Row: The Third will be released on the 18th November 2011.