Xbox Living

Do I really need to tell you that? Activision is calling it the biggest entertainment launch ever.

People like their Call of Duty.

A warning comes to us on the Battlefield Blog today about sites pretending to offer beta sign-ups for Battlefield: Bad Company 2. The Battlefield team assures us that there is no beta for Bad Company 2 at this time, and if and when one comes along, it’ll be announced through the official Battlefield site only.

GordonVanDyke explains on the blog:

Please do not let these e-tards take advantage of your enthusiasm for BFBC2 in their scam and only give them the middle-finger if anything.

Message received.

Frank O’Connor, former Bungie content manager and current Microsoft “Halo guy”, has stated that Microsoft has plans to keep the Halo franchise very much alive for years to come.

O’Connor heads up 343 Industries, the Microsoft division responsible for the Halo franchise.  He says that his division has plans for at least six more years of Halo content, meaning that we’ll see Halo titles appearing into 2015. He has also stated that Halo will continue to branch out into other media.

“Eventually, it will become very apparent that there is a plan for the way the canon all ties together and the way the comic books and the novels all tie together.”

For instance, the Marvel Comics series Halo: Helljumper is currently active, with another series, Halo: Blood Line, set to debut in December.  The anime series Halo Legends will start up next year, distributed on DVD and via Xbox Live.  More novels and a line of toys are also in the works.

With Halo rapidly expanding, speculations about the possibility of a Halo film.  One incarnation of the film was set up to be directed by Peter Jackson, but has been placed on hold.

“We’re being very careful to pick the right time and the right partner,” O’Connor explains.

Halo 3: ODST, which made its appearance late last month, has already sold 2.5 million copies, raking in over 27 million in revenue. O’Connor says that all of the titles in the Halo universe are going to converge at some point in the six-year plan, making the tie-ins between stories more obvious.

Enjoy.

Heh…

Ok, I think I’m a bit late on this one, but because I’m a big fan of Battlefield, I couldn’t let it pass by.

Battlefield: Bad Company 2 has been given a release date.  The game is due out on March 2, 2010 in North America, and on March 5 in Europe.

Bad Company 2 promises to expand on the destruction offered in the first game, with buildings that seem to be completely destructible.  15 vehicles will be available in the game, including a 4-person helicopter — which is something I missed in Bad Company after Battlefield 2: Modern Combat.  Kits and the 46 available weapons will be customizable as well, offering more variety.The series’ executive producer, Karl Magnus Troedsson, brags:

“When Battlefield: Bad Company 2 ships in March, it will deliver the best online multiplayer experience ever.”

Big words, but the Battlefield franchise usually keeps that promise, so I’m hopeful that Bad Company 2 will be no exception.  Until that time, we have Battlefield 1943 on Xbox Live Marketplace and Battlefield: Bad Company to keep us busy.  The first BF:BC is still very active, and has recently become one of the full downloadable games on Xbox Live.

This and other dates have just been updated on the Xbox 360 Release Schedule so be sure to check that out, and follow me on Twitter at @xboxliving to get more updates.

If you’re not a Beatles fan you may not be too excited about The Beatles: Rock Band next month.  Then there’s LEGO Rock Band in November, which is bound to be a good party game, but may not be everyone’s cup of tea.

But Harmonix has confirmed that another mainstream Rock Band game is in the works:

“The Harmonix development team are working on what is effectively the next game, or ‘Rock Band 3′. We arent standing still we will keep moving into new areas and look at new technologies that our platform holder partners are also developing, such as Project Natal from Microsoft. We’re working with them to pull some things together.”

The company also said that they’re considering doing another Rock Band title focused on a specific artist, like the Beatles title due out September 9.  Rock on!