As most Xbox fans probably already know, there have been numerous rumours circulating of a 360 slim model being released in the near future. Albeit there is no exact date, the E3 expo which is due to take place June 15-17 is the most likely ETA.

Whilst these claims have not yet been verified by Microsoft, I certainly hope they are true, as let’s face it; compared to other consoles on the market (wii, PS3) the 360 is a chunky piece of kit. To add to the flames of this rumour, it’s worth noting that a release around now would make sense as the current model is half way through its estimated life cycle of 10 years.

"We firmly believe that the Xbox 360 has a life cycle through 2015 (10 years after the launch). Project Natal is a great innovation. It will work with every Xbox 360 sold. It's not about pushing more pixels on the screen. It's about how to break down barriers that stop people from playing games," – Shane Kim, Corporate Vice President of Strategy and Business Development at Microsoft's Interactive Entertainment Business.

With the upcoming release of Project Natal, it also makes sense to revamp the console to give the consumer a feel that the Xbox 360 is still cutting-edge technology, even though it is around 5 years old.

All in all, I think E3 should hold some interesting surprises for us avid gamers. I am certainly excited to see what comes about from the much awaited exhibition, not only on the 360 front.

Celebrate 30 Years of Empire Strikes Back with More Star Wars Avatar Gear

To celebrate the 30th anniversary of The Empire Strikes Back, LucasArts is releasing a selection of fantastic new outfits and accessories for your Xbox Live Avatars.

Here’s a look of what will be available. In total, look out for the following: Imperial snowtrooper (male and female), Boba Fett (male and female), Lando costume with cape (male), Chewbacca (male and female), Rebel snowspeeder pilot (male and female), Han Solo Hoth outfit (male), Leia Hoth outfit (female), Bossk (male and female), C-3PO (male and female), AT-AT pilot (male and female), and props like a tauntaun pet, a ballcap with Yoda ears (male and female), and a lightsaber!

These will be made available today, Thursday the 20th of May 2010.

You can view the full range of the new Star Wars Avatar gear here.

Recently I turned on an Xbox 360 and was presented with four red lights surrounding the power button. After the huge amount of online discussion about the “RROD” (Red Rings of Death), my immediate reaction was to panic!

Whilst worrying about whether this premium console was still under warranty and if I’d be several days without being able to play my Xbox 360, I turned the console off and began checking all of the connections. To my surprise, this was infact NOT the RROD problem, but something rather minor that can be fixed easily.

So, what was it that caused 4 red lights on the Xbox 360 console, and how did I fix it..?

Apparently there are several errors that correspond to the amount of red lights that are lit around the power button. After a quick search on Microsoft’s support pages I found that:

1 red light = hard drive failure / problem
2 red lights = overheating
3 red lights = (RROD) hardware problem
4 red lights = AV cable connection issue

The fact that my console had flashing red lights as a complete circle indicated that there was an AV cable connection problem. All I had to do was reconnect the cable (which came loose somehow? possibly due to someone in the house dusting or moving it for some reason) and turn the Xbox back on again. Phew, what a relief!

If this problem has happened to you, try switching the console off and reconnecting all cables like I did. Otherwise, check out Microsoft’s official support page on Four Red Lights error surrounding the Xbox 360 power button.

The Secret of Monkey Island Special Edition is out today for an extremely cheap 800MS Points! I say cheap because this is one of my favourite game (series) from my youth, revamped with new graphics and sound for the youth of today! (Although there is the option to play it as it was in the old days). When compared to many other games on the Xbox Live marketplace, you are definately getting a great deal for your money.

I tried downloading it during my lunch break today but only got to about 75%! So I will have to wait until tomorrow to play it. I am very excited about this Monkey Island remake and hope it is the beginning of something wonderful; a re-release (and revamp) of a selection of classic Lucas Arts games such as Monkey Island 2 and “Day of the Tentacle”.

The Secret of Monkey Island is a strange “point-and-click” adventure game where you interact with people and objects in order to solve various puzzles. You “play” as the main character Guybrush Threepwood who wants to be a pirate. The game is full of great humour and characters and is guaranteed to provide hours of enjoyment and a memorable experience.

Download it now and let me know what you think! I will try and post more on this game after I have played it tomorrow!

So, Sony/Playstation have temporary “exclusive” rights for the Ghost Busters retail game in Europe. Annoying huh? Well, for those of you who are a bit impatient you will be pleased to know that you can still play it now! (well, shipping takes 24 hours but you can play it before the UK/Europe release date).

Ghost Busters on the Xbox 360 is “Region Free”, meaning that if you buy a copy from, say.. Canada, it will work on your European Xbox 360 console. Woohoo!

There are many places you can buy the game from online, but I was recommended that you buy it from here: http://www.videogamesplus.ca/product_info.php?products_id=13664

The price is currently $69.99CDN (Canadian Dollars) which converts to about £37.29 GBP. So, what are you waiting for? Kick Sony in the teeth by playing Ghost Busters in the UK/Europe before the official release date!

Damn, I just can’t get enough of this game at the moment. Whilst I’m not great at the online skirmishes, they are incredibly addictive.

Since I got back from my holiday last weekend (and just before I left) I have been pretty hooked on this game. Whilst it isn’t as deep as “Command and Conqueror” and other PC-based RTS games, Halo Wars is still very entertaining. For some reason it reminds me of when I used to play Warcraft 3 over and over and over again.

So, what makes it so good..?

Firstly, the controls are easy to pickup. Infact, the whole game is very accessible. The game has been well thought out so that everything is just a button click (or two) away.

At first I was slightly against the idea of being restricted to the placement of buildings. Instead of freely placing them you get assigned a number of “slots” around your main base (or additional bases) which they can be created on. The number of slots can be increased though through base upgrades (at a cost).

Now though, I don’t mind about the building layout design at all. Infact, having the restriction actually helps in both attacking and defending. There is also new tactics as to what to build where to prevent your most needed structures being blown up first. Whilst turret placement is now fairly simple and helps balance sides.

The units are quite cleverly designed as they all seem to work in a “rock, paper, scissors” format. Each unit has one strength and one weakness against another which again keeps things clear and simple, whilst still remaining tactical. Clever stuff..

I think this game has plenty of life in it, even though the number of available maps is beginning to feel slightly limited already. I haven’t bothered with the DLC yet as it seems a little pricey for what it is. I hope they release new maps in the future at a reasonable price.

So for now, Halo Wars is keeping me entertained and constantly coming back for more. For how long remains to be seen. I highly recommend this title for renting though even if you are “on the fence” about either halo or RTS games. You might be pleasantly surprised.

For me, The 3 vs 3 online skirmish modes are great fun. Please feel free to leave feedback as to your own experiences, tips, or even questions you may have about this game. Also, if you fancy doing some co-op, feel free to send me an invite

Like most of you I have been following the E3 lately and finding out information on the fantastic lineup of games for the Xbox 360. With all the big media sites out there, I didn’t feel that covering the E3 would offer anything new or unique. Those who want to find out about the new games could easily do so on hundreds of other blogs and websites, so I spent my time reading, twittering, and gaming instead.

Here is a little update of where I’m up to…

The GXP Twitter Page
Somehow the GXP blog twitter page has acquired a total of 50 followers! I’m aware that there are plenty out there with well over 1000, but for me this still feels like quite an achievement. It’s nice to know that there are people out there interested in my blog and gaming opinions. So for all those of you who signed up (marketing spammers included) thank you.

Xbox 360 Games I’ve Been Playing
Since my last update I have been playing a LOT of Xbox 360 games. Is it an addiction? I’m not too sure. Whatever the reason, I have been having a lot of fun.
Some of the games I have been enjoying lately (in no particular order) are:

• Halo 3
• Halo Wars
• Left 4 Dead
• Gears of War 2
• Bionic Commando Rearmed
• Puzzle Quest
• Crystal Defenders
• Call of Duty 4
• Mass Effect
• Sacred 2: Fallen Angel
• Fifa 09
• Wallace and Gromit
• Prince of Persia
• Battle Fantasia
• Blue Dragon

Okay, I’ll stop there. That list is quite scary enough. I have been playing far too many games last month. Most recently I have been getting back into the Halo universe. Previously I felt the Halo franchise was a little too “cartoony” when compared to games like Gears of War and Rainbow Six, but after being lured into buying the Mythic Map Pack it has really pulled me in. So much so, that I have also downloaded the Legendary Map Pack and even purchased a book to read on my holiday next week. Mental!

My Gamerscore
The last time I posted about my gamerscore was back in February (I think.. I only did a quick search) with a total of 32,525 points. My total now is a score of 38,050 achievement points thanks mainly to Halo 3, Left 4 Dead, Call of Duty 4, and Fifa 09. Infact, as it was in February, it was probably due to a lot of other games I have forgotten about.. nevermind.

What’s Next?
So what now? Soon I will be posting about some of my E3 favourites (my most anticipated games), some of my recent favourite games, online co-op fun, and some other bits and bobs. Come back soon to see what’s new.

This weeks “Deal of the Week” is actually something worth talking about. Yes, for 400 MS Points you can get your hands on the excellent re-make of Bionic Commando; a fantastic challenging and addictive game that originated on the NES about 20 years ago.

Bionic Commando Rearmed is a platforming game where you must use your bionic arm to grapple and swing about the levels, avoiding enemies or using gun upgrades (or barrels) to take them out. The game also features hacking mini games and numerous challenge maps to add some extra variety and replayability.

For those of you who are unsure about whether or not to purchase this game, see what else is on offer. It’s hard to find a lengthy and replayable good quality game for 400 measly points. Okay, so there are a few good 400 MS Point games, but this title is extremely worthy of a purchase. The music is great, the graphics are great, and the price is great. What have you got to lose?

You can always check out the demo, and I strongly advise you do. This is a game I highly recommend.

It’s inevitable. There comes a time when you have some Microsoft Points (MS Points) left which you just can’t spend on anything. Infact, some people (like me) are unfortunate in that I have an amount of points that potentially I can never spend.

So here I am. Somehow I have managed to have 10 Microsoft Points left over in my Xbox Live account. After much searching I found that there is nothing to buy for that amount, nor is there anything that would be worth buying for that price I imagine.

So… what to do?

Whilst browsing around the Internet looking for a possible solution, I stumbled across this very interesting article about the Microsoft Points system. It highlights quite an obvious fact that we are being screwed over by this needless unique currency.

It suggests that Microsoft intend to have small amounts of points which cannot be spent in a high number of Xbox Live accounts. This cash could then be collectively kept in a high-interest account to increase the money being made from it’s customer base.

the real point is clear: Microsoft’s “points” are designed to confuse consumers and generate interest income from “left over” amounts. Now you know exactly why “1 Microsoft Point” doesn’t equal “1 U.S. Cent.” Boy, if Microsoft can dupe enough people into this Microsoft Points scheme, those “left overs” will really add up.

I strongly advise you read the article for an insight about Microsoft Points. Whilst the marketplace service is great, I wish it could have been created in a way that didn’t “milk” it’s customers so much. The same goes for Wii too with their points system.

So how can you avoid falling into this trap? Well, you can’t. Buy ordering Microsoft Points you are taking your first step into this process of helping them invest your money. However, if you wait until the stuff you want to download adds up to a complete figure, you can try and buy it all at once. Just try to make sure your purchases don’t end in a weird number like “90″. It happened to me, and now there’s no way out.

Due to popular demand, Marvel vs Capcom 2 is coming to the Xbox Live Arcade. I mentioned it a little while ago on the GXP twitter page, but finally here is some proof.

Looks good, doesn’t it?

Whilst the resolution is said to be improved, it doesn’t quite look like Capcom have done as much work in the visual update as they did in Street Fighter 2 Turbo HD Remix. I’m looking forward to seeing some screenshots soon to see how good Marvel vs Capcom 2 looks in high definition.