Black Is The New Black. Black.

As some of you are probably aware, the Xbox 360 Elite arrived in stores yesterday, although it seemed a bit less dramatic than when the news of the upgraded version (then known as the "Zephyr") leaked to the webs a few months ago. I stopped by my local Target to see what was up, and sure enough they had about 4-6 hidden behind the electronics counter. I'm still not 100% sold on getting one, I'll have to post up my Xbox 360 Purchase Chart (yes it is real, I'm hardcore like that) for you, but I am still waiting for them to shrink the CPU and GPU size, which would make the console run cooler. Rumor has it this will probably happen sometime this fall, which would be nice because then I could swing it for Christmas, courtesy of the Claus' residence.

Although it has HDMI and a hard drive with 6 times the capacity, the major selling point seems to be the matte black finish.

From Xbox.com:
"Xbox 360 Elite is the ultimate console with a huge hard drive, a black wireless controller, black wireless headset, and more, all with a premium black finish."

Fully 3 times in one sentence. Nice.

I'm off to watch Heroes now, and I suggest you do the same. Seriously. If you want to stay friends with me, I highly recommend it.

Flash Friday Fun III: The Black Knight

A little later than usual tonight, but saving lives comes first, sadly. Today I bring you a game that is all about the gold. Everything in the game can be smashed, and it all holds gold. Smack a bird, 30 gold. Tree, 20 gold. Even rocks carry a fat wallet. The best thing about this game is it can be played with one mouse button. Click and release, and you are on your way to mastery. Just make sure not to buy the mace too early, or the King won't be happy with your tax collections!

My Rating: 75

My Hi-Score: 59290

Play: The Black Knight

The Xbox Laptop Mark 2

... For when you need to play Halo 35,000ft above ground, using your mobile to connect to Xbox Live, on one of those new European flights where they are now allowed.




Ben Heck, of Endgadget fame, has topped an earlier creation of his, to produce this very stylish looking Xbox 360 laptop. No longer will we be forced to carry televisions on those weekend camping trips, all you need now is a car and an extension cord.
"But Ben Heck is just one man, how can I get him to make one for me?" you ask.
Simple. He is in the process of revealing a detailed guide so you can
build your own! Nice Ben, nice.

Via Engadget

I know this isn't the newest of stories, but it is a pretty boring Wednesday, so I had to backtrack a bit. In other news, as I eat from the Hospital cafeteria almost every night, I've noticed a very strange phenomenon occurring with their so-called "entrees". They have no capacity for medium temperatures. When I get them, they are very hot and tasty. This lasts for an varied 10-15 minutes, in which suddenly and without warning, they are freezing! Of course, as soon as I get my dinner back to the computer room, before I can finish my meal a call comes in, and a quarter of my dinner becomes inedible. Luckily their drinks don't prescribe to any such special powers, so I don't have to worry about my Mountain Dew burning my throat.

I Thought My Old Landlord Was Bad...

I am a fan of Will Farrell, but in this clip I think his co-star steals the show. A must watch.





Pearl - "I'm just buzzed"

Flash Friday Fun II: Fishy

Here is a fun little game that doesn't require anything more than knowledge of the arrow keys. It is a fish eat fish world, and you have to stay on top! Eat those smaller than you, avoid those bigger than you, and keep on growing! Let me know how ya do in the comments, winner gets bragging rights. My highest isn't even that challenging this time around, but if I feel threatened perhaps I'll raise it a bit. Enjoy.


My Rating: 80

My Hi-Score: ~6500

Play Fishy

Finally I Can Fly My Dragon On A 360

... which I don't actually own, yet. But still, good news all around. The wizards at Xbox have issued a new backwards compatability update today, with all of this goodness.

April 2007 Back Compat titles added/updated:

Tenku (Japan only)
Avatar: The Last Airbender
Avatar: The Legend of Aang (EMEA/ANZ)
Breakdown
Call of Duty 2: Big Red One
Call of Duty 3
Cars
Crash Bandicoot 5: Wrath of Cortex
Daisenryaku VII
FIFA Soccer 2007
Full Spectrum Warrior
Guilty Gear Isuka
Innocent Tears (Japan only)
Jet Set Radio Future
King of Fighters 2002
King of Fighters: Neowave
Mad Dash Racing (Japan only)
Mech Assault 2
Mercenaries: Playground of Destruction
Nascar 2006: Total Team Control
NFL Fever 2004
Oddworld Munch's Oddysee
Panzer Dragoon Orta
Petit Copter (Japan only)
Phantom Dust
Reservoir Dogs
Return To Castle Wolfenstein
Rugby League 2
Sengoku Warriors (Japan only)
Sonic Riders
Soul Calibur 2 UPDATED
Spider-Man 2
Star Wars: Republic Commando
Street Fighter Anniversary Collection
Tiger Woods PGA Tour 07
Tony Hawk's Underground
Ultra Bust a Move /ULTRA Pazzle Bobble
Unreal Championship 2

Highlights around the intertubes are Panzer, Jet Set, Mercenaries, and CoD.
You can find the complete list of all their 300+ titles over at Xbox.com

Let us see how compatible this makes me and my huge collection of legal Xbox games.

Halo - Check
Halo 2 - Check
Fable - Check
Knights of the Old Republic - Check
Panzer Dragoon Orta - At last! Check
MechAssault - They just added MA2, but still nothing for the original? Maybe because it sucks
Magic the Gathering: Battlegrounds - I guess this is low priority, or they just assume that these kind of people would rather play the actual card game... Like my father.

Calculating... 71% Compatible! C-. Although to be fair, I really apparently down own that many games.


Via Major Nelson

Haloid

This is one of the most interesting/amazing pieces of fan fiction I've ever scene. If you ever wondered what Metroid versus Halo would look like, then this original bit of 3D work would most likely be the pinnacle. Please, I implore you, give it a watch. Now. Seriously.

Update: I can embed it! Oh the joys of technology. Enjoy.






Via GameTrailers

Time To Cash In! (Your Weaksauce Xbox 360 Pro)

So if you have been sitting on your tired old white Xbox 360, with its puny 20 gig drive and lack of HDMI, now might be the time to trade up to the new hawtness. Starting today, at any EB/Gamestop will gladly take your Pro/Core 360 for $250 or $200, respectively. Got an old Xbox (1) laying around. 50 bones. Done. So I could sell all of mine for a nice $150. So get ready for the Elite, dump your 18 month old, out dated stuff off at the nearest game store.

Via Joystiq

Flash Friday Fun I: fl0w

Here is a simplistic yet entertaining game written as a thesis to show an adjustable difficulty program. It hit the big time when it became the first game available for Playstation 3's equivalent to the Live Arcade. Eat or be eaten, and descend deeper into the darkness for tastier treats. A good way to relax and swim around eating those less fortunate.


My Rating: 75

My Hi-Score: Not Applicable (Although it was like 19 orbs and 7 fins long)

Play: fl0w

Welcome Welcome

My first official blog to go public, hello everyone. Here I will discuss all the important things in life. Flash games, television, movies, and anything else that I fancy. So sit back, relax, and check back once or twice a week.

~Phil