1337pwn.com Top XBOX Live Games for Week Ending 10/31

Fable II has climbed to the number 3 position and it looks like Fall sleeper titles such as Dead Space and Far Cry 2 are cracking into the TOP 13. Here is the list with #37 thrown in for good 1337 measure.

1. Call of Duty 4 (1000)
2. Halo 3 (882.25626957219)
3. Fable II (405.97582753177)
4. Gears of War (367.68549910712)
5. GTA IV (247.04314293848)
6. Saints Row 2 (205.56950231631)
7. Madden NFL 09 (199.09935557338)
8. Rock Band 2 (187.34956908823)
9. Guitar Hero III (180.6982582365)
10. Dead Space™ (140.75157224566)
11. FIFA 09 (140.01397551696)
12. Rock Band (130.39933745697)
13. Far Cry® 2 (105.35986956184)

37. Brothers in Arms: HH (34.38235979192)

Myself? I've been playing Fallout 3 as much as my crowded adult schedule permits. As a work of Bethesda, the game fixes much of what was broken with Oblivion in terms of gameplay mechanics and simply provides a better narrative.

Thank you all for your feedback and support.
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Far Cry 2 is Far Cry

After a console detour that included a couple of linear titles that would have Jack Carver rolling in his grave. The new Far Cry 2 title takes the game back to its nonlinear roots in exotic Africa. Those console Far Cry in-name-only titles might have hurt the brand for the hard core, but the new game will make it all seem like a bad memory. It's good intense fun and I've already left the main mission stuff to raid outposts and let the savannah burn.

Unlike space stations/outposts, European towns, middle east, and Mexico, the African setting actually feels fresh -- at least until Resident Evil 5 hits the market.

don't pwn alone(tm)

PlayStation Network Woes

Sony needs to really pull it together. Little Big Planet is a spectacular piece of software, but the servers have been inoperable all weekend. At least Little Big Planet offers a completely sublime offline experience. The same cannot be said for SOCOM confrontation -- an online title that wouldn't work on the day you bought it.

I'd rather pay for something that works than be stuck with something "FREE" that doesn't. I think that Little Big Planet is quite possibly the definitive experience of this console generation. It's a shame that it's full potential is hampered by the reliability of the PlayStation Network.

Sigh.
don't pwn alone(tm)

1337pwn.com Top XBOX Live Games for Week Ending 10/24

We're getting back in the habit of posting our statistics for the most popular games on XBOX Live. With our rankings, we include our popularity index that allows you to better compare and understand a particular title's actual popularity.

While the other guys stop at 10, we're going to give you the top 13. Plus, include the game in the #37 spot. Why? It's just more 1337 to do it that way.

1. Call of Duty 4 (1000)
2. Halo 3 (915.77677831101)
3. Gears of War (357.22003065404)
4. GTA IV (262.92117892409)
5. Madden NFL 09 (205.28153973718)
6. Rock Band 2 (186.47453453604)
7. Guitar Hero III (178.54719967838)
8. Saints Row 2 (150.229905274)
9. Fable II (147.57908490163)
10. Rock Band (137.57883363904)
11. FIFA 09 (129.07359481394)
12. The Force Unleashed (126.84992085228)
13. Rainbow Six® Vegas 2 (106.61071886228)

37. Burnout Paradise (33.279730646499)

Analysis:
Gears nearly fell out of the TOP 10 over the summer, but clearly excitement is building for GOW2 with people dusting off the title. Halo 3 will likely grab the top spot again when the new Call of Duty comes out. As with prior COD releases, gamers will split amongst the COD games until everyone finally boards the new title. Recall that COD4 didn't gain real traction until some major retailers overstocked the game and sharply discounted it post release.

EA's Dead Space is clocking in at #16. Liking the game, I was hoping that it might break the Top 10. There's so much good stuff landing in the next couple of weeks. I hope that folks might find time for it.

Of course, you can view the popularity of a title in our XBOX Live Friends iPhone/iPod Touch application by tapping on a game icon in the game detail page.

Thank you for your support.
don't pwn alone(tm)

Server Down/Failure (FIXED)

We have a down server that's knocked out the web site and the 1337pwn.com data feeds for our applications. Our hosting provider is investigating the issue.

UPDATE:
The hardware issue has been addressed.

Thank you for your patience.

Minor Gamer Detail Tweaks

We've made some updates to the gamer details screen to improve performance with the new NXE-inspired layout. You'll also notice that the Send Message button now appears much more quickly. Be advised that we have encountered some encoding issues with avatars that can cause occasional crashing when or after viewing gamer details.

UPDATE:
Avatars have been turned off until the release of the NXE. By then, those issues will be straightened out.

Thank you all for your feedback...
don't pwn alone(tm)

1337pwn XBOX Live Friends Application Now Supports Avatars!

We have updated the gamer detail screen of our 1337pwn XBOX Live Friends List AppStore application to reflect New XBOX Experience (NXE) features. You will be able to view a gamer's avatar along with their play history.


As always, we're working hard to improve our application. We welcome your feedback and comments. Send them in a message to borocouncilman on XBOX Live.

UPDATE:
We've turned off the Avatar support for now until the release of the NXE. We can't wait!

Thank you and...
don't pwn alone(tm)