New Xbox LIVE Gold Family Subscription Plan

From the MS press release:

[QUOTE]
This November, the new Xbox LIVE Gold Family Pack will offer up to four individual Xbox LIVE Gold memberships for only US$99.99 - the price of two regular Xbox LIVE Gold subscriptions. Now as you prepare for the launch of Kinect for Xbox 360, which makes YOU the controller, consider giving your family premium Gold experience and access to the biggest names in entertainment.

Perfect for families, the Xbox LIVE Gold Family Pack will also offer access to additional conveniences and services including the new Family Center, accessible on the Xbox dashboard and Xbox.com for easier family management, access to activity monitoring reports, and the ability to purchase and give Microsoft Points to other Xbox LIVE Gold Family Pack members.

An Xbox LIVE Gold Family Pack includes:
* Up to four individual Xbox LIVE Gold memberships for the price of two - (US) $99.99.
* Family Center - a single, easy to use, destination for Family Settings and account management, accessible on the Xbox dashboard and on Xbox.com.
* The primary account member has the ability to purchase and dispense Microsoft Points to other Xbox LIVE Gold Family Pack members.
* Activity monitoring reports viewable on Xbox.com to help encourage discussions about safer more balanced gaming and entertainment habits.
* Simplified billing that applies all purchase charges to the primary account holder's billing account and the ability to authorize purchases, helping to manage the family's entertainment budget.
* Exclusive family content and discounts.

The industry-leading, built-in Xbox 360 Family Settings are also being taken to the next level this November. It's Microsoft's goal to provide parents and caregivers with tools and resources to manage their children's gaming and entertainment experiences, and these features are available to all Xbox LIVE members:
* Family Programming that removes all mature games, movies, and content from the dashboard, based on ESRB, Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) ratings and the TV Parental Guidelines system . Family Programming is password protected, and easy to turn on and off for each member. (Compatible with international ratings systems.)
* Title exceptions - the ability to allow your family members to play specific games above the console's designated ESRB rating if you deem appropriate. (Compatible with international ratings systems.)
* Intelligent default settings for child, teen, and adult profiles. Xbox will automatically assign default privacy and activity settings for each member that can later be individually customized.
* Family Settings are displayed prominently in the MyXbox channel. Current tools include the Family Timer, which allows you to control the amount of time - either daily or weekly - your children may use the console. [/QUOTE]

Kinect for Xbox 360 Price Confirmed

There's no need for conjecture; Microsoft's upcoming motion control peripheral, once known as Project Natal, is now to be officially known as "Kinect".

"For lots of people, that controller is a barrier," Microsoft creative director Kudo Tsunoda told USA Today. "We set out to make a new control paradigm where anybody can get in and play, without having to read the instructions or learn a complicated set of controls."

In addition to the rebranding, a number of Kinect titles were also revealed in the USA Today report, including a Star Wars game from Lucasarts, a Disney game, a dance title from MTV , a pet-training title, a Wii Sports clone called "Kinect Sports" (which we believe Rare is developing), an adventure sports game and, as expected, the return of Joyride as a motion-controlled game.

So, goodbye, Project Natal. You were a strange name, but we grew to love you in a way we could never do with something as stupid as "Kinect". And with a price of  $149.99  we know it will be a big success and so far all the games are Kid OK .

Xbox Live Explaned

So you just got a Xbox 360 and hooked it up to your HDTV and up starts Xbox live (XBL) you get a free

Gold account for the first 30 days. But what are Xbox live accounts?

Xbox live has 3 types of accounts. Guests – This is just as it sounds. Silver – The base account. & Gold – The premium account.

Ok so what do they each give you here is the breakdown.

Silver gets you Free Game Demos, HD Movies, HD TV Shows, Downloadable Arcade Games, Game Add-ons,

Avatars, Avatar Fashion, Voice & Text Chat.

Gold gets you all the things you get with Silver plus Photo Sharing, Play games online with friends,

Streaming Netflix, Xbox LIVE Parties, Video Chat, Early access to game demos, exclusive discounts, Facebook, Twitter & Last.FM.

Now even though you get access to , HD Movies, HD TV Shows, Downloadable Arcade Games, Game Add-ons,

Avatars, and Avatar Fashion with any Xbox live account none of these things are free they all cost MS Points. (more on MS Points later)

So why do you care will here’s why “Play games online with friends” you can only play that cool new multi player online with a Gold Account.

But before you say “no way” just here me out.  If you have every played a multi player game on a computer, a ps2, a ps3, or even the Wii you know

How clunky they can be. Xbox live solves all of these problems It just works. So what does it cost?

Xbox Live Gold for one month is $ 7.99 or 3 Month of Gold is $19.99 or 12 Month of Gold is $49.99.

And remember the MS Points well here is the breakdown on them.

In the United States, 80 points are equal to $1. As a result, an 800 point arcade game would retail for $10 in real-world currency.

MS Points	80	160	240	400	800	1200	1600	2400
USA	$1.00	$2.00	$3.00	$5.00	$10.00	$15.00	$20.00	$30.00
Canada	$1.24	$2.48	$3.72	$6.20	$12.40	$18.60	$24.80	$37.20
UK	£.68	£1.36	£2.04	£3.40	£6.80	£10.20	£13.60	£20.40
EU	€.96	€1.92	€2.88	€4.80	€9.60	€14.40	€19.20	€28.80
Norway	6.56 kr	13.12 kr	19.68 kr	32.80 kr	65.60 kr	98.40 kr	131.20 kr	196.80 kr
Sweden	9.60 kr	19.20 kr	28.80 kr	48.00 kr	96.00 kr	144.00 kr	192.00 kr	288.00 kr
Australia	$1.32	$2.64	$3.96	$6.60	$13.20	$19.80	$26.40	$39.60
Japan	¥118.40	¥236.80	¥355.20	¥592.00	¥1184.00	¥1776.00	¥2368.00	¥3552.00

Fragile Dreams: Farewell Ruins of the Moon Review

What can I say about Fragile Dreams, what indeed. Fragile Dreams is set in a post-apocalyptic near future world that has lost its light and is covered in a dense fog. Almost all the world's population has vanished, and the cities have been left abandoned. The game places the player in the shoes of Seto, a young boy. In the game's opening, Seto narrates how his "grandfather," an old man that he lived with, died at the end of the summer. He buried his grandfather in a small hole in front of their house, and from that moment on he became truly lonely. Seto decided to set out in search for other humans, marking the beginning of the game's events.

Fragile Dreams is difficult to categorize, as it straddles genres and always manages to elude an accurate pigeonhole. It is part action/adventure, part JRPG, part survival horror and part art game all rolled into one. It tells the tale of a young boy named Seto who finds himself alone in a world where most of humanity has died and everything it built has been left in ruin.

Fragile Dreams is all about the journey, and it's one of the saddest journeys ever seen in a videogame. Its tale is a tragic one, and as the game's story is incredible. Seto encounters a range of eccentric characters and suffers the loss of their brief company, only a player with a heart of stone could experience it and not feel something. The most amazing thing is how some of the game's saddest moments shouldn't be as depressing as they are. One very early scene, at the end of the first section, is unbelievably poignant, despite the fact we barely know the characters involved.

The Wii Remote is used as an aid in exploration. Seto has access to a flashlight, controlled by the Wii Remote, to illuminate his surroundings as well to solve puzzles and interact with the environment. The flashlight is also used to uncover hidden enemies and can act as a weapon against them. Seto also has access to a metal detector that the player can use to find various items hidden on the ground, as well as a microphone that picks up sounds through the mini speaker. The Wii Remote speaker is used similarly superbly from the beginning, alerting you to impending enemy attacks as well as a lot of hot-and-cold segments that break up the combat. Lift the Remote to your ear and your companion Personal Frame gives words of advice through the speaker, bridging the gap between screen and your senses. There’s plenty of speech from the controller and it’s always loud, clear and adds plenty to the game whenever used, drawing you into the world with ease.

In the end all of the elements come together to give you one of the most memorable experiences you will ever have in a game. The world is beautiful and well fleshed out all of Seto's experiences feel very real. This game tells a story that must be experienced and does so with style the music is superb and draws you in more. Fragile Dreams: Farewell Ruins of the Moon is a must play  .