Facebook and Twitter may be coming to the Xbox sooner than expected! Now you can get status updates from your friends while playing Halo! Ok we’re kidding about that last part, but if Social networking sites are a part of your life, this promises the convenience of keeping your ass plotted on the sofa instead of walking the 5 feet over to your computer to check on your Facebook. We still don’t have a definite date yet but it is definitely due out some time in the Autumn season. Don’t get your hopes up though as it has been confirmed that this will not be part of the August dashboard update. The applications will be independent of the dashboard.

[Source: Eurogamer]

The XCM black light cases pictured above are a great way to make your Xbox look more techno pretty. Of course they are also a great way to void your warranty. If you have one of the newer Xbox modles that are supposed to give off less heat and therefore possibly spare you from the RRoD, we may actually recommend this. The entire case comes with a kit you can use to swap out your hardware in a matter of minutes and we do admit the blue looks pretty cool. With XCM black light cases for the Xbox 360, you’re sure to get laid….

[Source: Gizmodo]

In an interview with the lead designer of Gears of War Cliff Bleszinski, he gave a few thoughts regarding Project Natal and its influence on Gears of War. Sadly, CliffyB does not really see Natal being implemented into the Gears of War games. While he was impressed with the technology, the young game industry veteran does not really see Natal replacing traditional gaming. While we agree that the controller pad is by far the most efficient way to play games, we can’t help but feel a little disheartened that we won’t be able to re-enact the grusome and bloody chainsaw bayonet actions. Natal presents itself as a great alternative to the controller in racing games and fighting games but first person shooters often require many different simultaneous inputs which would only seem bothersome if you had to actually act the whole thing out.

The panels at Comicon have been very tightlipped regarding the Gears of War movie which is currently going through pre-production. They have confirmed one thing however; Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson will not in the film to ANY degree. Producers cite the reason for not casting the one human being who looks like a real life embodiment of Marcus Fenix as being the Doom connection. The notoriously bad movie tends to stand out because it is in a very small section of video game movie adaptations and despite the Rock’s decent acting prowess, even he could not save the film from horrible reviews. So the Rock is out. We still hope they’ll cast Michael Clark Duncan to play Cole though!

Bioshock 2 was pushed back to the 2010 fiscal year. Take Two Entertainment has announced that the game will need further time in development and could not meet the original November release date. Bioshock 2 has the player taking on the role of a Big Daddy, one of the more notorious enemies from the first game and it is set after the events of the first game. Currently the game is being scheduled for a release some time in the first half of 2010 and if I were an investor, I may actually be pleased since releasing a game during the unforgiving Christmas season is always a gamble even if it is a game like Bioshock. Bioshock 2 now joins the ranks of Red Dead Redemption, Max Payne 3, and Mafia 2.

[Source: IGN]

In an interview with Cliff Bleszinski, the lead developer of Gears of War, he stated his admiration for games like Deus Ex and Bioshock. These games were both FPS games that had a dash of RPG in them. Both those games were also critically acclaimed masterpieces in gaming history. Bleszinski has since hinted that there may be elements of RPG gameplay in the next installment in the Gears of War franchise. While there has been little news on the third installment, it is definitely in the making. While I’ve always been a fan of Bioshock and Deus Ex, I am not so sure the RPG elements would work well especially when introduced in the middle of a franchise. After all, we’ve all gotten used to the unchanged formula that makes Gears of War so successful a game.

[Source: IGN]