State of the Network Address

State of the Network Address,

Hello XBLN members and guest, as you all have noticed, we have not posted much of anything other than new posts for our NFL Picks Show by Jerhawk. Unfortunately, there will be no more content for our other shows including Total Access, America's Game, Around the Hawk, etc... The only active show for now is NFL Picks as we have to carry out the contract for that show and our sponsors until the NFL season concludes. All other shows as of now are officially canceled. We do apologize to our readers and follows that this has happened. We can no longer provide you guys with the information you want and desire. At some point in the future we may be back and better than ever. But for now, there will be a cooling period of sorts for us to rethink and to revitalize the XBLN image and name. When we return, you guys will not be disappointed. For now, the site will remain active and will be "Here". Until sometime in the future, XBLN is signing off. Feel free to still post comments and participate in the NFL Picks until that show as well is canceled. Again we are sorry we have to go. Maybe in 2011 we will return :-). Happy New Year!

-Deus Legend
XBLN Editor-in-Chief

NFL Picks: Week 16 Results / Week 17 Picks

Welcome back to NFL Picks as we head into the final week of the regular season.

Here were the standout picks from Week 16:

• Everybody got Pittsburgh and Kansas City correct.
• Everybody got Dallas, San Diego and Philadelphia wrong.
• JohnnyX77 was the only one to get the Bills wrong.
• Jerhawk was the only one to get the Raiders wrong.
• ScottRocketOrian was the only one to choose the Browns and Seahawks incorrectly.

Of the three successful 2-point conversion games (Bengals over Chargers, Vikings over Eagles, Redskins over Jaguars), only one of them had anyone choose the upset. That game would be the Redskins upsetting the Jaguars. Those who got 2 points for that game: JohnnyX77 and ScottRocketOrian.

Here were the results from Week 16:

1.) JohnnyX77 / 11
2.) Jerhawk / 10
T3.) Deus Legend / 9
T3.) BlazenHawks / 9
T3.) Stopable / 9
6.) ScottRocketOrian / 7

Now for the overall PowerRankings, presented this week by Little Debbie Snack Cakes:

1.) Jerhawk / 146
2.) Stopable / 141
3.) BlazenHawks / 139
4.) Deus Legend / 138
5.) JohnnyX77 / 129
6.) ScottRocketOrian / 127
7.) Dakota 2147 / 89
8.) x SeanZ x / 45
9.) lakerbrim / 8

Here's the Week 17 schedule. Please have your picks in prior to the kickoff of the particular game you're choosing for:

*Panthers @ Falcons (Falcons favored by 14.5 points)

*Titans @ Colts (Colts favored by 9.5)

Steelers @ Browns

Vikings @ Lions

*Bears @ Packers (Packers favored by 10)

Raiders @ Chiefs

Dolphins @ Patriots

*Buccaneers @ Saints (Saints favored by 7.5 points)

Bills @ N.Y. Jets

*Bengals @ Ravens (Ravens favored by 9.5 points)

Cowboys @ Eagles

Jaguars @ Texans

N.Y. Giants @ Redskins

Chargers @ Broncos

Cardinals @ 49ers

Rams @ Seahawks (Sunday Night Wild Wild West Shootout)

http://www.footballlocks.com/nfl_point_spreads.shtml

Next week I will count up those divisional picks, which will can really help some of us. Thanks everyone, and good luck!

NFL Picks: Week 15 Results / Week 16 Picks

Welcome back to NFL Picks.

Here were the standout picks from Week 15:

• Everybody got Dallas, Oakland, New England and Chicago correct in those four games. 
• Everybody got Arizona, Cleveland and Houston wrong in those three games.
• Jerhawk was the only one to pick San Francisco and Jacksonville, but got them wrong.
• Deus Legend was the only one to choose the New York Giants incorrectly.
• Stopable and ScottRocketOrian were the only ones to choose the Kansas City Chiefs correctly.

The only successful 2-point conversion this week was the N.Y. Jets upsetting the Pittsburgh Steelers. Those who got 2 points: Deus Legend, Stopable, ScottRocketOrian.

Here were the results from Week 15:

1.) Stopable / 13
T2.) Deus Legend / 10
T2.) BlazenHawks / 10
T2.) JohnnyX77 / 10
T2.) ScottRocketOrian / 10
6.) Jerhawk / 7

Now for the overall PowerRankings, presented this week by Chevron.

1.) Jerhawk / 136
2.) Stopable / 132
3.) BlazenHawks / 130
4.) Deus Legend / 129
5.) ScottRocketOrian / 120
6.) JohnnyX77 / 118
7.) Dakota 2147 / 89
8.) x SeanZ x / 45
9.) lakerbrim / 8

Here's the Week 16 schedule. Please have your picks in prior to the kickoff of the particular game you're choosing for:

*Panthers @ Steelers (Thursday Night)(Steelers favored by 13.5 points)

Cowboys @ Cardinals (Saturday/Christmas)

Ravens @ Browns

N.Y. Jets @ Bears

*Patriots @ Bills (Patriots favored by 8 points)

Seahawks @ Buccaneers

49ers @ Rams

Lions @ Dolphins

*Redskins @ Jaguars (Jaguars favored by 7.5 points)

Titans @ Chiefs

Colts @ Raiders

Texans @ Broncos

N.Y. Giants @ Packers

*Chargers @ Bengals (Chargers favored by 7.5)

*Vikings @ Eagles (Sunday Night Flex Game)(Eagles favored by 11.5)

Saints @ Falcons (Monday Night War)

Thanks everyone, and good luck!

NFL Picks: Week 14 Results / Week 15 Picks

Welcome back to NFL Picks.

Here were the standout picks from Week 14:

• Everybody who picked for the Thursday Night game got the Indianapolis Colts correct.
• JohnnyX77 was the only one to choose the Chicago Bears incorrectly. However, JohnnyX77 was also the only one to pick the Buffalo Bills and got it correct.
• Dakota 2147 was the only one to pick the Redskins and Panthers, but got them both wrong.
• Jerhawk was the only one to choose the Detroit Lions correctly. However, Jerhawk was the only one to choose the Houston Texans and got it wrong.
• Deus Legend was the lone cowboy in picking Dallas, but got it wrong.

The only successful 2-point conversion this week was the Miami Dolphins upsetting the N.Y. Jets. Those who got 2 points for that game: Stopable, Dakota 2147 and ScottRocketOrian.

Here were the results from Week 14:

1.) Jerhawk / 12
T2.) Stopable / 11
T2.) JohnnyX77 / 11
T4.) BlazenHawks / 10
T4.) ScottRocketOrian / 10
6.) Deus Legend / 9
7.) Dakota 2147 / 5

Now for the overall PowerRankings, presented this week by Tron: Legacy.

1.) Jerhawk / 129
2.) BlazenHawks / 120
T3.) Deus Legend / 119
T3.) Stopable / 119
5.) ScottRocketOrian / 110
6.) JohnnyX77 / 108
7.) Dakota 2147 / 89
8.) x SeanZ x / 45
9.) lakerbrim / 8

Here's the Week 15 schedule. Please have your picks in prior to the kickoff of that particular game you're choosing for:

*49ers @ Chargers (Thursday Night)(Chargers favored by 8.5)

Redskins @ Cowboys

Bills @ Dolphins

Saints @ Ravens

Cardinals @ Panthers

Jaguars @ Colts

Browns @ Bengals

Texans @ Titans

Lions @ Buccaneers

Eagles @ N.Y. Giants

Chiefs @ Rams

*Falcons @ Seahawks (Game of the Year)(Falcons favored by 6 points)

*Broncos @ Raiders (Raiders favored by 6.5 points)

*N.Y. Jets @ Steelers (Steelers favored by 6 points)

*Packers @ Patriots (Sunday Night)(Patriots favored by 10 points)

Bears @ Vikings (Monday Night)

Here's another opportunity for bonus points. We will be picking for the five major BCS Bowl games here on NFL Picks. These games won't be played for a few weeks, but if you guys want to pick for these from now until those game are played, they're worth 1 point each.

Rose Bowl (Jan. 1st): TCU vs. Wisconsin

Fiesta Bowl (Jan. 1st): Oklahoma vs. Connecticut

Orange Bowl (Jan. 3rd): Virginia Tech vs. Stanford

Sugar Bowl (Jan. 4th): Arkansas vs. Ohio State

BCS Championship Game (Jan. 10th): Auburn vs. Oregon

Thanks everyone, and good luck!

NFL Picks: Week 13 Results / Week 14 Picks

Hello everyone, and welcome back to NFL Picks.

Here were the standout picks from Week 13:

• Everyone got the Minnesota Vikings correct.
• Jerhawk and BlazenHawks were the only ones to choose the Carolina Panthers incorrect.
• Dakota 2147 was the only one to choose the Lions and 49ers, but got them both wrong.
• Jerhawk and JohnnyX77 were the only ones to choose the Browns correctly.
• Jerhawk got the first two point conversion of the season by picking the Oakland Raiders correctly. 

The Raiders were the only successful 2-point conversion this week, as well as the first of the season.


Here were the results from Week 13 alone. Jerhawk set a new record for points in a week:

1.) Jerhawk / 15
2.) JohnnyX77 / 14
T3.) Deus Legend / 10
T3.) Stopable / 10
5.) ScottRocketOrian / 9
6.) BlazenHawks / 8
7.) Dakota 2147 / 6

Now for the overall PowerRankings, presented this week by Wells Fargo:

1.) Jerhawk / 117
T2.) Deus Legend / 110
T2.) BlazenHawks / 110
4.) Stopable / 108
5.) ScottRocketOrian / 100
6.) JohnnyX77 / 97
7.) Dakota 2147 / 84
8.) x SeanZ x / 45
9.) lakerbrim / 8

The Week 14 schedule. Please have your picks in before the kickoff of the particular game you're choosing for:

Colts @ Titans (Thursday Night)

Patriots @ Bears

Packers @ Lions

Raiders @ Jaguars

Buccaneers @ Redskins

*Falcons @ Panthers (The Falcons are favored by 7.5)

N.Y. Giants @ Vikings

Browns @ Bills

*Bengals @ Steelers (The Steelers are favored by 9)

Seahawks @ 49ers

*Rams @ Saints (The Saints are favored by 9)

*Chiefs @ Chargers (The Chargers are favored by 7)

*Dolphins @ N.Y. Jets (The Jets are favored by 6.5)

Broncos @ Cardinals

Eagles @ Cowboys (Sunday Night)

Ravens @ Texans (Monday Night)

http://www.footballlocks.com/nfl_point_spreads.shtml
Thanks everyone, and good luck!

NFL Picks: Week 12 Results / Week 13 Picks

Welcome back to NFL Picks.

Here were the standout picks from Week 12 alone:

• Everybody got the Green Bay Packers wrong after their loss to the Atlanta Falcons.
• Jerhawk was the only one to pick the Cowboys and Bills in their respective games, and got them both wrong.
• Dakota 2147 was the only one to pick the Detroit Lions incorrectly.
• Deus Legend was the only one to pick the Chicago Bears and got it correct.
• JohnnyX77 was the only one to choose the Cardinals incorrectly.

None of the 2 point conversion games were successful this week.

The results from Week 12:

1.) Deus Legend / 13
2.) BlazenHawks / 10
T3.) JohnnyX77 / 9
T3.) Jerhawk / 9
T5.) ScottRocketOrian / 8
T5.) Stopable / 8
7.) Dakota 2147 / 6

Now for the overall PowerRankings, presented this week by John Deere Snow Blowers:

T1.) Jerhawk / 102
T1.) BlazenHawks / 102
3.) Deus Legend / 100
4.) Stopable / 98
5.) ScottRocketOrian / 91
6.) JohnnyX77 / 83
7.) Dakota 2147 / 78
8.) x SeanZ x / 45
9.) lakerbrim / 8

The Week 13 schedule. Please have your picks in before kickoff of the particular game you're choosing for:

*Texans @ Eagles (Thursday Night)(Eagles favored by 8 points)

Bears @ Lions

*Saints @ Bengals (New Orleans favored by 6.5)

Jaguars @ Titans

Falcons @ Buccaneers

Redskins @ N.Y. Giants

Bills @ Vikings

*49ers @ Packers (Packers favored by 10)

*Broncos @ Chiefs (Chiefs favored by 8.5)

Browns @ Dolphins

*Raiders @ Chargers (San Diego favored by 13)

Rams @ Cardinals

Panthers @ Seahawks

Cowboys @ Colts

Steelers @ Ravens (Sunday Night Brawl)

N.Y. Jets @ Patriots (Monday Night Fight)

http://www.footballlocks.com/nfl_point_spreads.shtml
Thanks everyone, and good luck!

NFL Picks: Week 11 Results / Week 12 Picks

Hello, and welcome back to NFL Picks.

Here were the standout picks from Week 11:

• Everyone got the N.Y. Jets correct.
• Deus Legend was the only one to pick the Lions and Cardinals, but got them wrong.
• BlazenHawks was the only one to choose the Chicago Bears correctly.
• ScottRocketOrian was the only one to go for the 2 point conversions with the Panthers and Seahawks, but got them both wrong.
• Jerhawk was the only one to go for 2 point with the Raiders, but got it wrong.
• Stopable and JohnnyX77 were the only ones to pick the mighty Buffalo Bills, and got it correct!

None of the 2 point conversion games were successful this week.

Here were the results from Week 11 alone. It was a solid week for everyone, especially JohnnyX77 who tied our record high of 14 in a week:

1.) JohnnyX77 / 14
2.) Stopable / 13
3.) BlazenHawks / 11
4.) ScottRocketOrian / 10
T5.) Deus Legend / 9
T5.) Jerhawk / 9
7.) Dakota 2147 / 8

Now for our overall PowerRankings, presented this week by the National Wildlife Foundation. Help Protect Wildlife:

1.) Jerhawk / 93
2.) BlazenHawks / 92
3.) Stopable / 90
4.) Deus Legend / 87
5.) ScottRocketOrian / 83
6.) JohnnyX77 / 74
7.) Dakota 2147 / 72
8.) x SeanZ x / 45
9.) lakerbrim / 8

Here's the Week 12 schedule. Three games will be played on Thursday, which is Thanksgiving, so make sure to get those in. Please have your picks in prior to the kickoff of the particular game you're choosing for:

*Patriots @ Lions (Thanksgiving early afternoon)(Patriots favored by 6.5)

Saints @ Cowboys (Thanksgiving late afternoon)

Bengals @ Jets (Thanksgiving evening)

*Panthers @ Browns (Browns favored by 11)

Jaguars @ Giants

Eagles @ Bears

*Steelers @ Bills (Steelers favored by 6.5)

Packers @ Falcons (Former Favre Bowl / Game of the Week)

*Buccaneers @ Ravens (Ravens favored by 7.5)

*Titans @ Texans (Texans favored by 6.5)

Vikings @ Redskins

Chiefs @ Seahawks

Dolphins @ Raiders

Rams @ Broncos

Chargers @ Colts (Sunday Night)

49ers @ Cardinals (Monday Night Epic Showdown)

http://www.footballlocks.com/nfl_point_spreads.shtml

Thanks everyone, and have a happy Thanksgiving.

NFL Picks: Week 10 Results / Week 11 Picks

Welcome back to NFL Picks.

Here were the standout picks from Week 11:

• Everybody got the Bucs, Colts and Eagles correct in their respective games.
• Everybody got the Chiefs and Giants wrong in their games.
• Deus Legend was the only one to pick the Ravens and got it wrong.
• JohnnyX77 was the only one to choose the Browns, but got that incorrect.
• Stopable was the only one to pick the 49ers correctly, electing not to go for the 2 point conversion.
• Jerhawk and BlazenHawks were the only ones to pick against their Seahawks, and got it wrong.

None of the 2 point conversions were converted this week. The Cowboys were the only underdog team to win, but nobody chose them.

The results from Week 11. It was a rough week for the leaders:

1.) ScottRocketOrian / 10
2.) Stopable / 9
T3.) Jerhawk / 6
T3.) Deus Legend / 6
T3.) BlazenHawks / 6
T3.) JohnnyX77 / 6

Now for the overall PowerRankings, presented this week by Fisher Price: Play, Laugh, Grow:

1.) Jerhawk / 84
2.) BlazenHawks / 81
3.) Deus Legend / 78
4.) Stopable / 77
5.) ScottRocketOrian / 73
6.) Dakota 2147 / 64
7.) JohnnyX77 / 62
8.) x SeanZ x / 45
9.) lakerbrim / 8

The Week 11 schedule. The * symbol means that game is a 2 Point conversion. There are no teams on a bye week for the remainder of the season. Please have your picks in before the kickoff of the particular game you're choosing for. Remember, there's a Thursday Night game this week:

Bears @ Dolphins (Thursday Night)

Lions @ Cowboys

*Cardinals @ Chiefs (Chiefs favored by 8)

Packers @ Vikings

*Ravens @ Panthers (Ravens favored by 10)

Browns @ Jaguars

*Raiders @ Steelers (Steelers favored by 7)

Bills @ Bengals

Redskins @ Titans

Texans @ Jets

Falcons @ Rams

Buccaneers @ 49ers

*Seahawks @ Saints (Saints favored by 11.5)

Colts @ Patriots

Giants @ Eagles (Sunday Night)

*Broncos @ Chargers (Monday Night)(Chargers favored by 10)

http://www.footballlocks.com/nfl_point_spreads.shtml

Thanks everyone, and good luck!

NFL Picks: Week 9 Results / Week 10 Picks (The Turning Point)

Hello, and welcome back to NFL Picks. We're halfway through the season, which means this is the week where we can change our Super Bowl picks, as well as the beginning of the 2-Point Conversions.

Here were the standout picks from Week 9 alone:

• Everyone who picked got the Saints, Packers and Steelers correct in their games.
• ScottRocketOrian was the lone wolf in picking the Cleveland Browns over the Pats, and got it correct.
• ScottRocketOrian was the only one to pick the Seahawks, but got it wrong.
• JohnnyX77 was the only one to choose the Oakland Raiders correctly.
• JohnnyX77 was the only one to pick the Buffalo Bills and the Detroit Lions, but got them both wrong.

The results from Week 9:

1.) BlazenHawks / 10
T2.) Deus Legend / 9
T2.) ScottRocketOrian / 9
4.) Jerhawk / 8
T5.) Stopable / 7
T5.) JohnnyX77 / 7
7.) Dakota 2147 / 1

Now for the overall PowerRankings, presented this week by Wendy's. You know when it's real:

1.) Jerhawk / 78
2.) BlazenHawks / 75
3.) Deus Legend / 72
4.) Stopable / 68
5.) Dakota 2147 / 64
6.) ScottRocketOrian / 63
7.) JohnnyX77 / 56
8.) x SeanZ x / 45
9.) lakerbrim / 8

This week is the only opportunity for us to change our Superbowl picks if we want to. Our current selections that we made at the beginning of the season are worth 10 bonus points, but if you decide to change, it will only be worth 5 bonus points if you get that team correct. Here's a reminder of the teams we chose to win the Superbowl at the beginning of the season:

Jerhawk: Indianapolis Colts (5-3)
Deus Legend, BlazenHawks and Stopable: Baltimore Ravens (6-2)
JohnnyX77 and lakerbrim: Green Bay Packers (6-3)
Dakota 2147: Washington Redskins (4-4)
ScottRocketOrian: Seattle Seahawks (4-4)
x SeanZ x: New York Jets (6-2)

Here's the divisional winners that we chose to win at the beginning of the season as well. These are worth 3 points for each division that we get correct which will be added on at the end of the regular season. These picks can't be changed, but I think it's a nice reminder of how unpredictable the NFL is:

NFC West:
T1.) Seattle Seahawks (4-4): ScottRocket Orian and Dakota 2147
T1.) St. Louis Rams (4-4): Nobody
4.) San Francisco 49ers (2-6): Everybody except ScottRocketOrian and Dakota 2147
NFC North:
1.) Green Bay Packers (6-3): Everybody except SRO, Dakota and x SeanZ x
3.) Minnesota Vikings (3-5): SRO, Dakota and x SeanZ x
NFC South:
1.) Atlanta Falcons (6-2): Jerhawk, BlazenHawks, Deus Legend, lakerbrim
2.) New Orleans Saints (6-3): Stopable, JohnnyX77, Dakota 2147, SRO, x SeanZ x
NFC East:
1.) New York Giants (6-2): ScottRocketOrian
3.) Washington Redskins (4-4): BlazenHawks, Stopable, JohnnyX77, Dakota 2147, lakerbrim
4.) Dallas Cowboys (1-7): Jerhawk, Deus Legend, x SeanZ x
AFC West:
1.) Kansas City Chiefs (5-3): Nobody
2.) Oakland Raiders (5-4): Jerhawk and BlazenHawks
3.) San Diego Chargers (4-5): Deus Legend, Stopable, JohnnyX77, SRO
4.) Denver Broncos (2-6): Dakota 2147, x SeanZ x
AFC North:
T1.) Baltimore Ravens (6-2): Jerhawk, Deus Legend, BlazenHawks, Stopable, lakerbrim
T1.) Pittsburgh Steelers (6-2): Dakota 2147
4.) Cincinnati Bengals (2-6): JohnnyX77, ScottRocketOrian
AFC South:
T1.) Indianapolis Colts (5-3): Everybody except JohnnyX77 and x SeanZ x
T1.) Tennessee Titans (5-3): x SeanZ x
T3.) Houston Texans (4-4): JohnnyX77
AFC East:
T1.) New York Jets (6-2): Stopable, x SeanZ x
T1.) New England Patriots (6-2): Jerhawk, Deus Legend, BlazenHawks, JohnnyX77, lakerbrim
3.) Miami Dolphins (4-4): Dakota 2147, ScottRocketOrian
4.) Buffalo Bills (0-8): Thankfully nobody

The Week 10 schedule. This week, we'll start up the 2 point conversion games. These games will be labeled with the * next to it. If you pick the underdog in these games and that team wins, you'll receive 2 points. If you pick the underdog and they lose, you'll get zero. If you choose the favorite and get it correct, you'll still get one point.

Please have your picks in before the kickoff of the particular game you're choosing for. Remember, there's a Thursday night game this week.

Ravens @ Falcons (Thursday Night)

Vikings @ Bears

N.Y. Jets @ Browns

*Panthers @ Buccaneers (The Bucs are favored by 6.5)

Titans @ Dolphins

*Bengals @ Colts (The Colts are favored by 7.5)

Lions @ Bills

Texans @ Jaguars

Chiefs @ Broncos

*Rams @ 49ers (The 49ers are favored by 6)

*Cowboys @ Giants (The Giants are favored by 14)

Seahawks @ Cardinals

Patriots @ Steelers (Sunday Night)

Eagles @ Redskins (Monday Night)


http://www.footballlocks.com/nfl_point_spreads.shtml

Thanks everyone, and good luck!

Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit Review

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Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit is pure over-the-top driving entertainment. The cars and environments are gorgeous, the crashes are spectacular, and the new Autolog feature breathes new life into the time-honored tradition of video game competition among friends. The single-player races can become somewhat repetitive and there are some presentation issues, but overall, Hot Pursuit is a blast. If you’re looking for a high-octane racer that grabs on tight but doesn’t take itself too seriously, give this one a shot.

 

IGN Ratings for Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit (X360)

 

Rating	Description
out of 10
8.5	Presentation The menus aren’t exactly beautiful, but they get the job done. A few gripes here and there, too. No cockpit view? Sadface.
9.0	Graphics I’ve never seen better-looking environments in a racing game. The scenery shines, the cars are beautiful and everything runs smoothly.
9.0	Sound Excellent. The engine notes are spot-on, and hearing certain cars is bound to give you chills. Rain, thunder and environment sound are dramatic. Soundtrack is better than I expected.
9.0	Gameplay The cars are a blast to drive, the crashes never get old, and the races truly come to life. Hot Pursuit just feels good in your hands.
8.5	Lasting Appeal The career mode gets a bit repetitive after a while, but the brilliant Autolog, online multiplayer and the sheer enjoyment of driving and crashing offset it.
9.0 OVERALL	Outstanding (out of 10)

Canceled NBA Elite 11 Was Anything But Elite

The video game industry is a big business. Make that a huge business. Millions of dollars are spent developing games, and millions more are spent marketing them to the masses. NBA Elite 11, a basketball game from EA Sports, is unusual in that it's been developed and marketed, but it will never see the inside of a console. Although EA initially simply delayed its October 5 release, they've now

Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit Crash and Seacrest County

Watch some of the crashes NFS has to offer. And yes, these are with FULL Licensed cars not fake ones! Also in the second video is the games Seacrest County, featuring every type of landscape there is to race in. This game looks amazing. I haven't been excited about a NFS game since Underground. This game takes the series back to its roots and it all plays out amazingly. Try out the demo for this game and you'll be pulled right into to the fun. This game is coming November 16th!

NFL Picks: Week 8 Results / Week 9 Picks

Hello, and welcome back to NFL Picks.

Here were the standout picks from Week 8:

• Everybody got Kansas City correct.
• Everybody got the Steelers, Jets and Cowboys wrong in their respective games.
• Deus Legend was the only one to pick the San Francisco 49ers, and got it correct.
• BlazenHawks was the only one to choose the San Diego Chargers correctly.
• Dakota 2147 was the only one to pick the Minnesota Vikings, but got it incorrect.

The results from Week 8 alone. Not too many people picked this week:

T1.) Deus Legend / 7
T1.) BlazenHawks / 7
T1.) Jerhawk / 7
T4.) Stopable / 5
T4.) ScottRocketOrian / 5
6.) Dakota 2147 / 4

Now for the overall PowerRankings, presented this week by Chevrolet:

1.) Jerhawk / 70
2.) BlazenHawks / 65
T3.) Deus Legend / 63
T3.) Dakota 2147 / 63
5.) Stopable / 61
6.) ScottRocketOrian / 56
7.) JohnnyX77 / 49
8.) x SeanZ x / 45
9.) lakerbrim / 8

Next week we will start the 2 point conversions again, where if you pick the underdog team and get it right you get double the points. I'll also show you guys how those divisional picks and Superbowl picks are doing that we made way back at the beginning of the season.

Here's the Week 9 schedule. As always: Please have your picks in before kickoff of the particular game you're choosing for.

Bears @ Bills

Buccaneers @ Falcons

Dolphins @ Ravens

Saints @ Panthers

Patriots @ Browns

Chargers @ Texans

Jets @ Lions

Cardinals @ Vikings

Giants @ Seahawks

Chiefs @ Raiders

Colts @ Eagles

Cowboys @ Packers (Sunday Night America's Game)

Steelers @ Bengals (Monday Night)

Thanks everyone, and good luck!

Kinect Unboxing Video

Here is a unboxing video of John E's and Blazens favorite new toy.

NFL Picks: Week 7 Results / Week 8 Picks

Hello, and welcome back to NFL Picks.

Here were the standout picks from Week 7:

• Everybody got the Ravens correct after their overtime win vs. the Bills.
• Everyone got the Saints and Broncos wrong after they were both blown out in upset losses.
• ScottRocketOrian was the lone wolf in picking the Miami Dolphins to take down the Steelers, but got it wrong.
• Stopable was the only one to pick the Titans correct after they defeated his team, the Eagles.
• Stopable was the only one to choose the San Diego Chargers incorrectly after they lost to the Patriots.
• Stopable and Jerhawk were the only ones to pick Tampa Bay correctly.

The results from Week 7 alone:

1.) Jerhawk / 10
T2.) Stopable / 8
T2.) JohnnyX77 / 8
T2.) x SeanZ x / 8
T5.) BlazenHawks / 6
T5.) Dakota 2147 / 6
T7.) Deus Legend / 5
T7.) ScottRocketOrian / 5

Now for the overall PowerRankings, presented this week by Rock Band 3.

1.) Jerhawk / 63
2.) Dakota 2147 / 59
3.) BlazenHawks / 58
T4.) Deus Legend / 56
T4.) Stopable / 56
6.) ScottRocketOrian / 51
7.) JohnnyX77 / 49
8.) x SeanZ x / 45
9.) lakerbrim / 8

The Week 8 schedule. Please have your picks in before the kickoff of the particular game you're choosing for:

Redskins @ Lions

Bills @ Chiefs

Broncos @ 49ers (London)

Dolphins @ Bengals

Packers @ Jets (Former Favre bowl)

Panthers @ Rams

Jaguars @ Cowboys

Titans @ Chargers

Buccaneers @ Cardinals

Vikings @ Patriots (Randy Moss bowl)

Seahawks @ Raiders

Steelers @ Saints (Sunday Night)

Texans @ Colts (Monday Night)

Thanks everyone, and have a happy Halloween

NFL Picks: Week 6 Results / Week 7 Picks

Welcome back to NFL Picks.

Here were the standout picks from Week 6 alone:

• Everyone got the San Diego Chargers wrong after their loss to St. Louis.
• Everyone picked the N.Y. Giants correctly in their win against the Lions.
• JohnnyX77 was the only one to pick the Tampa Bay Bucs incorrectly.
• ScottRocketOrian was the only one to pick the Cleveland Browns, Dallas Cowboys and Jacksonville Jaguars in their respective games. Unfortunately, all three were wrong.

The results from Week 6:

1.) Dakota 2147 / 12
T2.) Deus Legend / 10
T2.) BlazenHawks / 10
4.) ScottRocketOrian / 9
T5.) Jerhawk / 8
T5.) Stopable / 8
T5.) JohnnyX77 / 8

Now for the overall PowerRankings, presented this week by IBM. Building a smarter planet:

T1.) Jerhawk / 53
T1.) Dakota 2147 / 53
3.) BlazenHawks / 52
4.) Deus Legend / 51
5.) Stopable / 48
6.) ScottRocketOrian / 46
7.) JohnnyX77 / 41
8.) x SeanZ x / 37
9.) lakerbrim / 8

The Week 7 schedule. Please have your picks in before the kickoff of the particular game you're choosing for:

Bengals @ Falcons

Bills @ Ravens

49ers @ Panthers

Redskins @ Bears

Steelers @ Dolphins

Eagles @ Titans

Rams @ Buccaneers

Browns @ Saints

Jaguars @ Chiefs

Cardinals @ Seahawks

Patriots @ Chargers

Raiders @ Broncos

Vikings @ Packers (Sunday Night Favre Fest)

N.Y. Giants @ Cowboys (Monday Night)

Thanks everyone, and good luck!

Halo Reach Map Pack Coming Soon

Microsoft announced the Noble Map Pack will arrive on Xbox Live starting November 30, 2010. The pack includes three all-new multiplayer maps, Anchor 9, Tempest, and Breakpoint. Additional achievements totaling 250 gamerscore points are also being added.

The pack will cost 800 Microsoft Points ($10).

Here's a detailed list of the maps per Microsof after the break...

WWE SVR 2011 Road to Wrestlemania Mode

This game is also known as Beat Jerhawk Down 2011. We haven't posted much on this game but here is a video of the big feature of the game.

NFL Picks: Week 5 Results / Week 6 Picks

Welcome back to NFL Picks!

Here's those standout picks from Week 5:

• Everyone got the New Orleans Saints and San Diego Chargers wrong in their respective games.
• Jerhawk was the only one to pick the New York Giants correctly.
• Jerhawk and Dakota 2147 were the only ones to pick the Buffalo Bills incorrectly.
• Deus Legend was the only one to pick the Cleveland Browns wrong after they lost to his own Atlanta Falcons.
• Jerhawk and ScottRocketOrian were the lone wolves in picking Tampa Bay over Cincinnati and got it correct.
• ScottRocketOrian was the only one to get the Denver Broncos wrong.
• JohnnyX77 and Dakota 2147 were the only guys to get the Philadelphia Eagles correct.

The results from Week 5 alone:

1.) Jerhawk / 8
T2.) Stopable / 6
T2.) JohnnyX77 / 6
T2.) ScottRocketOrian / 6
T2.) x SeanZ x / 6
T6.) Deus Legend / 5
T6.) BlazenHawks / 5
T6.) Dakota 2147 / 5

Now for our overall PowerRankings, presented this week by this amazing Indian film:



1.) Jerhawk / 45
2.) BlazenHawks / 42
T3.) Deus Legend / 41
T3.) Dakota 2147 / 41
5.) Stopable / 40
T6.) ScottRocketOrian / 37
T6.) x SeanZ x / 37
8.) JohnnyX77 / 33
9.) lakerbrim / 8

The Week 6 schedule. Please have your picks in by the kickoff of the particular game you're choosing for:

Seahawks @ Bears

Dolphins @ Packers

Chiefs @ Texans

Browns @ Steelers

Saints @ Buccaneers

Lions @ Giants

Falcons @ Eagles (Deus Legend vs. Stopable)

Chargers @ Rams

Ravens @ Patriots

Raiders @ 49ers (Battle of the Bay)

Jets @ Broncos

Cowboys @ Vikings

Colts @ Redskins (Sunday Night)

Titans @ Jaguars (Monday Night)

Gears of War 3 Multiplayer Preview

It may have been delayed but, Epic still knows how to show off.

NFL Picks: Week 4 Results / Week 5 Picks

Hello everyone, and welcome back to NFL Picks. We're already one quarter of the way through the season, believe it or not.

Here's the standout picks from Week 4:

• Everybody got the Green Bay Packers, New Orleans Saints, Houston Texans and San Diego Chargers correct in their respective games.
• Everybody got the Indianapolis Colts wrong thanks to Josh Scobee and the Jaguars.
• ScottRocketOrian was the lone wolf picking the Cleveland Browns in the dog pound over the Bengals, and was the only one to get it correct.
• Jerhawk and x SeanZ x were the only ones to get the Denver Broncos correct.
• BlazenHawks was the only one to get the Buffalo Bills wrong.
• Dakota 2147 was the only person to choose the Washington Redskins correctly.

The results from Week 4 alone:

T1.) Jerhawk / 9
T1.) Deus Legend / 9
T1.) Stopable / 9
T1.) x SeanZ x / 9
T5.) BlazenHawks / 8
T5.) Dakota 2147 / 8
7.) ScottRocketOrian / 7
8.) JohnnyX77 / 5

Now for the overall standings, presented this week by Nissan. Get it and drive one:

T1.) BlazenHawks / 37
T1.) Jerhawk / 37
T3.) Deus Legend / 36
T3.) Dakota 2147 / 36
5.) Stopable / 34
T6.) ScottRocketOrian / 31
T6.) x SeanZ x / 31
8.) JohnnyX77 / 27
9.) lakerbrim / 8

The Week 5 schedule. Please have your picks before the kickoff of the game you're picking for:

Giants @ Texans

Jaguars @ Bills

Bears @ Panthers

Falcons @ Browns

Buccaneers @ Bengals

Chiefs @ Colts

Broncos @ Ravens

Rams @ Lions (Battle of the Underdogs)

Packers @ Redskins

Saints @ Cardinals

Titans @ Cowboys

Chargers @ Raiders

Eagles @ 49ers (Sunday Night)

Vikings @ Jets (Monday Night Favreball)

Thanks everyone.

NBA 2k11 Review

>

NBA 2K11 is a love letter to basketball fans. If you don't follow hoops, a lot of the subtleties will be lost on you. And if you are looking for a loose, fun, crazy dunkfest experience like NBA Jam, you're going to get hosed. But if you are serious about basketball, this will fill a long-standing void in your hoops-loving heart. This is the NBA. No one else has come close to representing it in such great and accurate detail as this.
Honestly, the stuff with Michael Jordan is reason enough to pick up NBA 2K11. The fact that 2K Sports did so much more with this game and improved it so greatly over last year's title is stunning. This isn't just the best basketball game ever; it's the best sports game of this generation.

IGN Ratings for NBA 2K11 (X360)

Rating	Description
out of 10	Click here for ratings guide
10	Presentation Unparalleled recreation of the NBA. The Jordan Challenges bring historic moments to life with incredible detail. Pure awesome.
8.5	Graphics Great animations, it runs smoothly in every mode, and many of the player faces look solid. A definite ding for botching Kobe and a few other stars.
9.0	Sound The custom commentary for the Jordan games is fantastic. Even regular season games are solid, though there's some repetitive dialogue. The soundtrack is sweet.
9.0	Gameplay Just about nailed it perfectly. A few bugs and AI blips, plus an overly aggressive defense are the only issues.
10	Lasting Appeal The Jordan stuff could be a game in itself. Then you get an awesome franchise mode, the slow, but rewarding My Player mode and solid online play.
9.5 OVERALL	Incredible (out of 10)

 [IGN]

Gears of War 3 Delayed

Microsoft has announced today that Gears of War 3 will be moving from its April 2011 launch window to Holiday 2011. Hopefully they will have the game polished and ready for another locust smashing.

BREAKING NEWS: NBA Elite 11 Delayed til 2011

Peter Moore just confirmed NBA Elite 11's delay on his blog:

Over the past three years, EA SPORTS development teams have had a laser focus on creating titles packed with innovation and unsurpassed quality. The acclaim from fans and critics on most of our titles the past few years makes us proud and it also motivates us to keep getting better. This year, we set extremely ambitious goals for our new franchise, NBA ELITE. We are creating a game that will introduce several breakthrough features that have been missing from the basketball genre. Unfortunately, NBA ELITE 11 is not yet ready and we have made a decision to delay next month’s launch. We are going to keep working until we’re certain we can deliver a breakthrough basketball experience.

NFL Picks: Week 3 Results / Week 4 Picks

Welcome back to NFL Picks!

Here were the standout picks from Week 3:

• Everybody picked the Baltimore Ravens and the New England Patriots and got them both correct. However, everyone picked the Washington Redskins and got it wrong.
• Jerhawk was the only one to get the Atlanta Falcons correct.
• ScottRocketOrian was the only one to pick the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Denver Broncos in their games, but got them both wrong.
• JohnnyX77 and ScottRocketOrian were the only ones to pick the Arizona Cardinals and Chicago Bears and got them both correct.
• JohnnyX77 and ScottRocketOrian were the only ones to get the Miami Dolphins and the N.Y. Giants wrong.

Here are the results from Week 3 alone:

1.) Dakota 2147 / 12
2.) Jerhawk / 10
T3.) Deus Legend / 9
T3.) BlazenHawks / 9
T3.) JohnnyX77 / 9
6.) Stopable / 8
7.) ScottRocketOrian / 7
8.) x SeanZ x / 3

Now for our overall standings, presented this week by Capital One. What's in your pocket?

1.) BlazenHawks / 29
T2.) Jerhawk / 28
T2.) Dakota 2147 / 28
4.) Deus Legend / 27
5.) Stopable / 25
6.) ScottRocketOrian / 24
T7.) JohnnyX77 / 22
T7.) x SeanZ x / 22
9.) lakerbrim / 8

The Week 4 scheduled games. Please have your picks in by kickoff of the game you're choosing for:

49ers @ Falcons

Jets @ Bills

Bengals @ Browns

Lions @ Packers

Panthers @ Saints

Ravens @ Steelers

Broncos @ Titans

Seahawks @ Rams

Texans @ Raiders

Colts @ Jaguars

Cardinals @ Chargers

Redskins @ Eagles

Bears @ Giants (Sunday Night)

Patriots @ Dolphins (Monday Night)

Some team's bye weeks begin this week, so our scores won't be as high as they were in the beginning of the season. Thanks everyone, and good luck!

Need For Speed is BACK!

This game seems pretty cool. Its made by Criterion Games(Makers of Burnout). I might check it out when it comes later this year.

NBA 2k11 Gameplay

This game is shaping up nicely. It'll be here October 5th!

NFL Picks: Week 2 Results / Week 3 Picks

Hello everyone, and welcome back to NFL Picks.

Here were the standout picks from Week 2:

• Everybody chose the Kansas City Chiefs, Green Bay Packers and New Orleans Saints in their respective games, and got them all correct.
• ScottRocketOrian and x SeanZ x were the only ones to pick the Tampa Bay Buccaneers correctly.
• JohnnyX77 was the only one to pick the Detroit Lions and got it wrong. However, JohnnyX77 was the only one to choose the Cincinnati Bengals, and got that one correct.
• Jerhawk was the only one to pick the Chicago Bears and got it correct.
• Deus Legend and BlazenHawks were the only two to select the Oakland Raiders correctly.
• x SeanZ x was the lone wolf picking the Miami Dolphins and got it correct.
• ScottRocketOrian was the only person to get the N.Y. Giants wrong.

The results from Week 2 alone:

1.) x SeanZ x / 11
2.) Jerhawk / 10
T3.) Deus Legend / 9
T3.) BlazenHawks / 9
T3.) ScottRocketOrian / 9
6.) Stopable / 8
T7.) JohnnyX77 / 7
T7.) Dakota 2147 / 7

Now for our overall standings, presented this week by Verizon. The official mobile sponsor of the NFL:

1.) BlazenHawks / 20
2.) x SeanZ x / 19
T3.) Jerhawk / 18
T3.) Deus Legend / 18
T5.) Stopable / 17
T5.) ScottRocketOrian / 17
7.) Dakota 2147 / 16
8.) JohnnyX77 / 13
9.) lakerbrim / 8

The Week 3 schedule. Please have your picks in by kickoff of the game you're picking. You guys have been doing a great job of that so far this year:

Browns @ Ravens

Bengals @ Panthers

Cowboys @ Texans

Steelers @ Buccaneers

Titans @ Giants

Falcons @ Saints

Bills @ Patriots

Lions @ Vikings

49ers @ Chiefs

Redskins @ Rams

Eagles @ Jaguars

Chargers @ Seahawks

Colts @ Broncos

Raiders @ Cardinals

Jets @ Dolphins

Packers @ Bears

NFL Picks: Week 1 Results / Week 2 Picks

Welcome back to NFL Picks. Week 1 is in the books, as well as the results from our picks we made. Here are the standout picks from Week 1:

• Everybody chose the Green Bay Packers, and got it correct.
• BlazenHawks and JohnnyX77 were the only ones to pick the Houston Texans, and got it right.
• BlazenHawks was the lone wolf in picking the Oakland Raiders, and got it wrong.
• Dakota 21 47 and ScottRocketOrian were the only ones to pick the Seattle Seahawks, and got it correct.
• BlazenHawks was the only man to choose the Kansas City Chiefs, and was rewarded with a correct pick.

Our results from Week 1, as well as our overall standings, presented by Halo: Reach

1.) BlazenHawks / 11
T2.) Deus Legend / 9
T2.) Stopable / 9
T2.) Dakota 21 47 / 9
T5.) Jerhawk / 8
T5.) lakerbrim / 8
T5.) ScottRocketOrian / 8
T5.) z SeanZ x / 8
9.) JohnnyX77 / 6

The schedule for the Week 2 games. Please have your picks in by kickoff of the game you're picking for:

Cardinals @ Falcons

Buccaneers @ Panthers

Chiefs @ Browns

Eagles @ Lions

Steelers @ Titans

Dolphins @ Vikings

Ravens @ Bengals

Bears @ Cowboys

Bills @ Packers

Rams @ Raiders

Seahawks @ Broncos

Jaguars @ Chargers

Patriots @ Jets

Texans @ Redskins

Giants @ Colts (Sunday Night Brother Brawl)

Saints @ 49ers (Monday Night)

I'll leave you guys with this player comparison. Seahawks backup Quarterback Charlie Whitehurst (left) and Johnny Depp (right).

Xbox 360 Kinect/Fall Update Dashboard Preview

Halo Reach Review

GameTrailers.com Review

IGN Review

Halo: Reach is a fantastic package, with several core components that on their own can outclass many other games. The campaign is excellent, backed by solid storytelling and a powerful audio-visual experience. The competitive multiplayer is familiar, yet brand new with a lot more options and a faster pacing. And the cooperative Firefight arcade mode has finally met its potential. Whether you like playing with friends like me or you're more of a lone wolf, Halo: Reach has evolved to the point where it'll make everyone happy. It's a fitting end to Bungie's involvement with the franchise, one that both references the past and injects new life into a tried and true formula. Newcomers and Halo fans alike will find plenty to love in Halo: Reach. Even if you've grown tired of the Halo formula through the years, I'd still recommend this game to you. It's just that good.

IGN Ratings for Halo: Reach (X360)

Rating	Description
out of 10
10	Presentation A package that all other developers can look to as the definition of complete.
9.5	Graphics A few stutters here or there can't stop this from being an incredible looking game.
10	Sound Once again, a masterful soundtrack.
9.5	Gameplay Familiar, and yet brand new. These are some of the best first-person shooting mechanics around.
9.5	Lasting Appeal Little things like more maps or a better way to hop into custom games could extend the long life even further. Even so, there's a ton of content here.
9.5 OVERALL	Incredible (out of 10)

[IGN]

Halo Reach Live Action

Here is a live action video for the upcoming Halo reach!

Halo Reach Firefight Footage

Firefight looks fun and it seems the covenant actually puts up a good fight. Can't wait to play this!!!

NCAA 11 Highlights

EA Sports: NCAA Football 11 Video

First one is Oregon (me) vs Oregon State (cpu) I threw a INT after my WR drop the catch and the OSU CB picked it than my QB was so PIST that he hit the guy so hard he fumbled and my RB pick it up for a TD.

EA Sports: NCAA Football 11 Video

This one is Oregon state (Me) vs Stanford (CPU) I just threw the ball up there and Jordan Bishop came and caught it after the CB tipped it.

NBA 2k11 Gameplay

The first video is the Chicago Bulls vs the Portland Trailblazers in the 1992 NBA finals.



The next one is the Phoenix Suns vs the Miami heat



And the last one is the Orlando magic vs Denver Nuggets

NFL Picks: Week 1

Hello everyone, and welcome to NFL Picks! I made a post awhile back asking if anyone was interested in participating in this year's contest, and here's who we have signed up so far:


Jerhawk
BlazenHawks
Deus Legend
Stopable
JohnnyX77
Dakota 21 47
lakerbrim
ScottRocketOrian (Jerhawk's Dad)
x SeanZ x

Our previous winners over the first two seasons of NFL Picks:

Jerhawk (year 1)
KnightnBattle10 (year 2)

If you would like to play this season, there's still plenty of time left. Just post a comment on this post with your Xbox gamertag or a name you would like to be called. For the rules to how we do this, just scroll down to the previous NFL Picks post.

For those of you playing, this is the week where the majority of bonus points can be earned. We will be picking our division winners for each and every division. If you pick the correct division winner of a particular division, you will receive three bonus points that you'll get at the end of the regular season.

Also, Week 1 is your chance to pick a Super Bowl winner. If the team that you choose to win the Super Bowl beats the 1 out of 32 odds to hoist the Lombardi Trophy at the end of the season, you will get ten bonus points. There will be an opportunity to change your Super Bowl pick in Week 10 if your team isn't performing as well as you hoped, which would result in only a 5 point bonus if you get that right.

We will also be picking for the Week 1 scheduled games. You have from now until the kickoff of the particular game you're choosing for to have your pick count for one point each. Here's the Week 1 schedule:

Vikings @ Saints (Thursday Night Kickoff Special)

Dolphins @ Bills

Colts @ Texans

Lions @ Bears

Falcons @ Steelers

Browns @ Buccaneers

Bengals @ Patriots

Broncos @ Jaguars

Raiders @ Titans

Panthers @ Giants

49ers @ Seahawks

Cardinals @ Rams

Packers @ Eagles

Cowboys @ Redskins (Sunday Night)

Ravens @ Jets (Monday Night Part 1)

Chargers @ Chiefs (Monday Night Part 2)

Please make your picks in order too, it makes it easier for me to put it into the excel spreasheet.

So, if you're confused, here's your three tasks from now until the kickoff of the Week 1 games:

1.) Make your Week 1 scheduled picks. Please have them in before the kickoff of the game you're picking for

2.) Make your divisional winners picks. Please have those in by the kickoff of the Thursday kickoff game

3.) Make your Super Bowl pick. Please have that in by kickoff the the Thursday kickoff game.

Thanks everyone, and have fun!

Call of Duty: Black Ops Multiplayer Videos

NBA 2K11 My Player Mode Detailed

Here is the NBA 2K Blog on the My player. Read on after the break.

NBA 2K11 My Player Mode

More my player info in post below.

Halo Reach Multiplayer Footage

NBA Elite 11 Game Play Footage

I was going to give this game a chance, but this really isn't cutting it. Looks like XBLN will be going with 2k11 this year. This looks like EA should have done all of this with NBA Live 06 and built on it. It's going to be hard to make a whole new game mid-generation like this. But maybe in a year or two they can get the everything decent. The graphics need a major overhaul in this game. Though graphics mean nothing over gameplay, these look like Xbox 1 caliber graphics. Commentary is kind of bland and seems like the Madden commentary which is also bad. Seems to be a somewhat disappointing sports year for EA. NHL and FIFA are always the strong points for EA every year. Madden was decent for 09 and 10, 11 was sort of a step back. NCAA Football 11 was actually pretty good this year. Maybe next year EA for NBA Elite 12!

[OS]

Around the Hawk: Rock Band 3 Setlist

While most of us may be bored of the music game genre, there are still some out there who are anticipating the release of Rock Band 3 on October 26th in North America. The game has a new in-depth career mode, new instruments, and of course an amazing 83 song setlist:

Halo Reach Video Preview

Looks Great, can't wait to play the Campaign and Firefight.

New Xbox 360 Controller Coming November 9th

Major Nelson just went live with a YouTube video detailing the new piece. The new D-pad is a trick new patented design it's a disc in the normal configuration, but a quick twist raises the crossbars about a quarter-inch, making it eminently more usable. The analog sticks have also been tweaked to be slightly more concave, and the ABXY buttons are now translucent monochrome instead of colored. The new matte silver controller will only come bundled with the Play and Charge kit for $64.99 and will be release November 9th.

MS Jacking Up Xbox Live Prices in November

Microsoft's Major Nelson just announced that Xbox Live Gold will be getting more expensive in the US, UK, Canada, and Mexico starting November 1. A single month will go from $7.99 to $9.99, three months will go from $19.99 to $24.99, and the yearly sub will now be $59.99, up from $49.99. Get your Year subscriptions NOW!

Save 30% on LIVE through MS for $39.99. Offer ends October 31, 2010. Offer is Here!

Halo Reach Firefight Montage

Around the Hawk: Madden '11 Patch Details

Jerhawk's take: At least this is a step in the right direction. Ian and the team are listening to the complaints out there, and I'm sure there's a lot of them. Rightfully so. There are several issues with this game, and this patch seems to address the majority of them. Here's the official link.

Quick update for Madden fans

by Ian Cummings 08/21/10 10:41 AM

First off, you may or may not have noticed some news that was recently propped to your consoles regarding online quitters. The number one issue that we heard loud and clear out of the community was that rampant quitting had become a major problem in the online experience, both in ranked games and Madden Ultimate Team games. Well we were able to work on this over the last week and then deploy some quick fixes to the server to help deter this practice. The fixes were as follows:

1. Any quitter / disconnecter in a ranked game will automatically be given a loss. The victim will automatically be given a win.

2. We are currently monitoring the leaderboards and planning on zero’ing out the stats of any accounts found to be using quitting tactics (via high DNF / win percentages and game logs). This monitoring will be standard practice moving forward as well, as we have built in notifications to our server team that will automatically zero out any folks caught “boosting”, or using one account to quit immediately and award a win.

3. In a Madden Ultimate Team game, a person quitting will have a game burned off of his contracts for the players in the game to discourage this practice. The victim will always receive coins, prorated based on the percentage complete of the game (i.e. if it’s the 1st quarter, he’ll only get ¼ of the coins he would have gotten if he were to finish, if it’s at the end of the game, he’ll get ~90%, etc). The same note applies as above on anyone caught “boosting” after this fix is rolled out – they will be punished with bans, contract removals, or any other tactics we see fit.

4. We also found an issue where PDLC OTP boosts were being subtracted incorrectly. Anyone that had this happen has had their boost coin purchase refunded.

One thing I should note is that there is a bit of a trade-off with stats with the auto-loss / auto-win implementation. Since we wanted to roll this out as quickly as possible, there is one thing to be aware of in that average stats will take a hit when a quit occurs. What I mean by this is that if you have played 3 games and are averaging 100 rush yards per game, if a quit occurs, your rush average will drop down to 75 since you have a 4^th game with zero stats. We will look into addressing this down the line but we wanted to get the fix out for the quitters as soon as possible.

Moving forward, we are working on addressing some of the most common feedback in upcoming title updates. You all already know that we are planning on releasing an update to enable old-school pre-play controls right around the start of the NFL season, which also will include the brand new Madden Moments LIVE feature where you can replay the top games from each week. In that update we will also have numerous art, gameplay, and stability fixes included as well. Along with that, we have also planned a second update to come towards the end of September. Below is a list of the top priority issues we seem to be hearing the most about that we are looking at:

- Fixing a bug to allow friend invites to ranked games

- Generally making pass defense more effective

- Reducing number of broken tackles

- Fixing user blitz exploit(s)

- Tuning injuries

- Tuning CPU & GameFlow play-calling logic

- Improving play action blocking

- Improving kick return blocking

- Improving online connectivity issues with kick meter lag, media streaming, etc.

- Random stability improvements

Hopefully this should give you a glimpse of our current priorities and our continued commitment to keeping Madden NFL 11 relevant and giving you an enjoyable experience over the entire year. We continue to listen for any and all top issues, and the list above is by no means all inclusive or locked so feel free to drop by the EA Forums to provide any feedback on things you want fixed.

Lastly, thanks to all of you for buying and playing Madden NFL 11…see you on the gridiron!