Gamertell

Tech and computer retail store Micro Center has a whole bunch of stuff on sale starting Black Friday (November 27, 2008) through the whole weekend. It begins at 8 a.m. on Friday and ends 6 p.m. Sunday, November 30, 2008.

Sale items include Acer PCs for $299, 22 in. flat screen monitors for $199, 1GB MP3 player for $0.99, a min tripod for $0.99, cameras,  computers, printers,,  RAM, video recorders, hard drives and more. Some deals may also be availabel on the web site, though not likely the one-day in-store sale items.

I’ll stick to the game deals for now:

• Friday only, $50 gift card for any Xbox 360 console purchase (Xbox 360 Arcade for $199,  Pro for $299 and Elite for $399)
• Friday only, World of Warcraft for $39.99 and Battle Chest for $19.99 (reg. $39.99)
• Friday only, free $10 gift card with full-price ($59.99) purchase of Fable II, Halo 3 or Gears of War for Xbox 360.
• Two DS bundles, the Cobalt blue with Flash Focus for $139.99 and the Crimson red DS with Mario Party DS for $149.99.
• Build Your Own Wii Bundle for…

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According to Microsoft’s press release, Xbox Live service has “...7,000 pieces of gaming and entertainment content and counting” with content currently provided by 15 entertainment partners including MTV, Comedy Central and VH1 (which all happen to be owned by Viacom).

Xbox Live is a download service available to Xbox and Xbox 360 game system owners. While some downloads are free, may require Microsoft Points which can be purchase in retail stores, online or through the Xbox Live service at a rate of US$1.25 per 100 points. The Xbox Live service on the original Xbox console requires an annual subscription while the Xbox 360 does not. The Silver Level is free while the Gold level requires a membership fee (in addition to microtransaction fees).

Here are a few of the announcements from Microsoft concerning TV and movie updates on Xbox Live for June 2007:

Country Music Television - On June 6, 2007, country music fans will be able to TV shows from CMT including first seasons shows “Comedy Stage,“ “Foxworthy’s Big Night Out” and “Prankville.“ More series and episodes rolling out this summer.

Logo - On June 11, 2007, Xbox 360 will become the first gaming console to offer content from Logo, the network for the lesbian, gay, bi-sexual and transgender audience from MTV Networks. Xbox LIVE will offer Logo shows including “Wisecrack,“ “The Big Gay Sketch Show,“ “Noah’s Arc,“ “Curl Girls” and “Real Momentum Documentaries.“

FUNimation - Beginning June 12, 2007, the epic adventure series “Samurai 7,“ adapted from Akira Kurosawa’s legendry film “Seven Samurai,“ is coming to Xbox LIVE Marketplace. Also coming from FUNimation: “Trinity Blood,“ “Gunslinger Girl,“ and “Basilisk.“

Geneon Entertainment - On June 12, 2007, Die-hard fans and those new to the genre alike will enjoy the U.S. HD debut of the anime classic “Akira,“ available exclusively from Geneon on Xbox LIVE Marketplace. Also available from Geneon Entertainment at launch: “Gun Sword,“ “Last Exile,“ “Gankutsuou: The Count of Monte Cristo” and “Lupin the 3rd.“

A few new films coming to Xbox Live in June 2007 include:

• Team America World Police (HD)
• Dreamgirls
• Letters from Iwo Jima
• Shooter
• Black Snake Moan
• Pan’s Labyrinth

(Descriptions from Microsoft’s press release)

Though I’m not quire certain about 7000 individual items available for download (though if you count individual weapons, maps and pairs of socks for every game, it might be possible) Xbox Live does still offer the best download service of the 3 newest gen consoles. The others may catch up in terms of volume any time soon, but do offer their own brands of quality.

Site [Xbox Live Marketplace]

• Apple App Store gaming update for the week of November 24-30, 2008
• MP3 becomes official king of music
• Amazon offers RPG bargain buys in honor of Cyber Monday 2008

Added to the Playstation Store this week, available for download through the PS3:

MLB 07 Show Turorials (Free) - Three videos. The best-selling baseball franchise is back! This season we’re proud to introduce a slew of new features including: Road To The Show, Adaptive Pitching Intelligence, Online League Play, Real Time Roster Updates and unique Umpire Personalities. MLB 07 The Show.

Added to the Playstation Store this week, available for download through the PS3:

Joust ($4.99) - The arcade legend makes way to the PS3 via the Playstation Store. available for only $4.99, this button mashing classic will have you hopping, flapping and bouncing off other flying ostriches (or whatever giant foul they might be).

Three free downloads, including:

Gran Turismo HD Concept v1.2 free downloadable driving game with HD graphics. This is an update of previous download with a new Drift Trial mode.

A game trailer for Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune, an adventure game coming for the PS3. Release date was not listed - likely late 2007 - but the game will be developed by Naughty Dog. The trailer is available in both SD (standard definition) and 720p HD.

A game trailer for racing game Championship Sprint. The trailer is available in SD and 720p and 1080p HD. The game’s release date is not listed - late 2007 - but it will naturally be available for PS3. It’s being released by SOE (Sony Online Entertainment) and Midway.

Site [Playstation Store]

• Rumor: Street Fighter costumes might be available in LittleBigPlanet
• Apple App Store gaming update for the week of November 24-30, 2008
• Reuters no longer desires a Second Life, abandoning its virtual branch