The GameShadow Blog

Microsoft has put its foot down and cut off a reported 600,000 XBOX Live users. The reason is based around users modifying, or chipping,  their console in order to play pirated copies of games. Microsoft has stated that this action by users violates the XBOX Live terms of use. The 600,000 could even rise to [...]

Microsoft has announced a new series of features coming to its Games for Windows – LIVE service. Anti-Piracy Solution: Zero-day piracy protection and server-side authentication help prevent game piracy before street date, and protect publishers and consumers by requiring authentication for online play. In-Game Marketplace: New Marketplace APIs let developers create unique in-game store fronts [...]

After much musing on this here blog a few weeks ago, further details have emerged regarding Bungie’s unanounced project: it’s Halo. The game was due to be revealed at E3, but the announcement was pulled by Microsoft at the last minute – to much uproar and conflicting reasons for why. However, Microsoft man Don Mattrick [...]

It’s been a while since I put anything up here on the blog. However after playing the Too Human demo last night for the first time I thought I should. It’s great, saw it there, a massive 1.3GB of demo and was just curious, anyway after a bit of a download, played it. It’s a [...]

A lot of attention on Microsoft at E3 this week, the firm has announced that it plans to re-design XBOX Live, with an emphasis on building communities and shaping the XBOX 360 to be at centre of  home entertainment.  The company also unveiled XBOX Live PrimeTime, a service which will introduce online quiz games, made in conjunction [...]

  In the latest Bungie podcast the developer has hinted at a new game announcement to be made at Microsoft’s E3 press conference. Brian: Isn’t there something going on on July 14th or something like that? Luke: Yeah, around then. Brian: Somehow that’s sticking in my head for some reason. Guess we’ll have to see. [...]

This story concerns Microsoft and its strict controlling of gamer tags on its online service – it’s been running for a few days, but has now reached amusing enough levels to be bloggable. Things kicked off last Wednesday when Consumerist reader Grant ‘I’m the only gay on Xbox Live’ wrote to say that his gamer [...]

8Bit Joystick is reporting that the joypad (codenamed Newton) rumoured to revolve around Wiimote-copying motion sensing functionality is indeed in development at Microsoft. They also helpfully point out it’s named after some guy who invented gravity, so give yourselves a pat on the back for not being as ignorant as the 8Bit audience in needing [...]

The good news is Rock Band is finally confirmed for a Euro release, and it’s just around the corner: May 23rd. It will launch with all US DLC available, and will keep pace with future releases. It’s also got some exclusive tracks from bands like Blur, Oasis and Muse (Hysteria, result!!). Now the bad news. [...]

Gamerush is reporting that Australian retailers (granted, not always at the forefront of industry trends) are stocking 360s only out of good faith to Microsoft. “The Xbox 360 is dead. We are stocking it because of our relationship with Microsoft however all our energy and marketing is going into the PS3 and the Nintendo Wii [...]

EDIT: This claim has since been rebuked by Microsoft, who claim to have had no involvement with Xbox World 360, and that the rights to Goldeneye continue to reside with Nintendo. Xbox World 360 seems to think it knows categorically that a Goldeneye revamp is indeed coming to XBLA, as has been rumoured for many [...]

EB Games, one of the largest video game retailers in the world – and, bizarrely, nothing to do with Electronics Boutique UK, owner of GAME – is said to be arguing with Microsoft over AUD 10 million worth of faulty 360s. The infamous ‘red rings of death’ issue which lead to thousands of 360s being [...]

I’m torn. As ever, Windows Vista was released in rubbish state, and hasn’t gotten an awful lot better – for games. We all know about the 5% – 25% drop in frame rates on Microsoft’s behemoth, and the controversy over various software support issues. Microsoft, rightly or wrongly, uses the first year or so of [...]

Recent announcements from Microsoft, Nintendo and Sony have shown the differing costs of launching a console: Microsoft’s shares rose more than 10% yesterday after their quarterly results announcement showed strong results in the Vista and Office divisions, while sales of Halo 3 pushed the consumer division, which includes the Xbox 360, into profit. Nintendo announced it has [...]