by:	February 03, 2008

Goldeneye 007 = “Bean Project”
So a few weeks ago Xbox Evolved reported on rumors of Goldeneye 007 coming to Xbox Live Arcade courtesy of Rareware. Since then, there have been enough petitions and sites out there doing follow-ups that we believe the rumor earned even more research and limelight. First, I must apologize that we were slightly “misinformed” on the terms of how the title will be released, but nonetheless we guarantee that it does not only exist in one form, but at least two.

No, I’m not talking about a version for Wii’s counterpart to Live Arcade, I am talking about a completely different FPS created by Rareware using the same engine, and many of the same elements. One of our sources has revealed to us a few screenshots of the upcoming game, and the icon that you see for the game’s info in the dashboard is that of the PDZ Joanna Dark for placeholder purposes, but the games title is not Goldeneye 007; it is instead “Bean Project”. The source wouldn’t give much reason for this, but he advised it would be in our best interest not to post the screens online; instead we are opting to take them as what they are. They appear to be 100% legitimate, with the game looking very similar to Goldeneye, although some models, and other parts of the game are a bit different. The achievements for the game seem to fit also, one is for becoming a ‘00’ agent, another for ‘007’ and another for the now infamous silo mission.

So why is Rareware doing this? Well essentially, if talks between Nintendo and Microsoft boil over, then they will continue with this. For now, Microsoft and Rareware are offering to allow Goldeneye 007 on Wii while the game goes on XBLA with no legal ramifications to either side with the catch that Rareware will have nothing to do with the porting of the game to the Nintendo Wii, instead Nintendo may outsource one of the many new “Wiiware” developers that are developing original titles for the console set to be released later this year. Microsoft and Nintendo have failed to comment on the matter, however an Activision rep did put in his two cents:

”We have nothing to do with a Goldeneye 007 game, I would think that is Nintendo and Microsoft’s deal.”

We will have more on this story, and hopefully we can be playing Goldeneye 007 on 360 later this year.

HD DVD Player Dropped? Blu-Ray Here We Come?
This entire issue with HD DVD essentially dying becoming an outcast may be prompting Microsoft to silently phase out their own HD DVD player offering, which is also the best selling player worldwide. GameStop, the biggest videogame retailer in North America has let us know that not only have they not been taking orders for new HD DVD players for over a month, but that Microsoft may not be producing anymore as they try to clear them out of their own stock. What is more interesting is the trade-in value for the HD DVD add-on at GameStop has dropped drastically from a $60-90 trade-in value depending on region and demand, to $30 by January. Typically, GameStop does this because the demand is very low, and they are trying to keep low stock of an item. Xbox Evolved staff’s own sources and friends across the United States cites that many other stores “seem” that they may be trying to clear out the HD DVD player from stock including Circuit City and Best Buy, although these sources are less reliable than the ones for GameStop.

In its place, our source close to Microsoft, and even one close to Sony has indicated that Microsoft and Sony may be making deals. The deal would consist of Sony letting studios and content publishers the option of using Microsoft’s HD-i technology in Blu-Ray (something that Microsoft frontman Jeff Bell has even suggested), and Sony will release some of it’s back catalog of movies on Xbox Live Marketplace, with most major new releases however probably not showing up on XBLM for quite sometime until after video release. In return, Microsoft will loosen its terms and allow for my compatibility with Blu-Ray on Vista, and will agree to officially license a third-party Blu-Ray add-on, that could have similar functionality and integration as the HD DVD player add-on has. Maybe we weren’t to far off in our Blu-Ray editorial after all?

Xbox 360 Price Drops Abound
Recently, a few sites have been reporting and suggesting that the Xbox 360 Elite console has been disappearing from store shelves only to not be restocked. A similar situation happened before the Xbox 360 Arcade pack replaced the Xbox 360 Core package, and it is looking likely that a new Elite unit with a bigger HD and perhaps even wi-fi built-in will be released soon for slightly cheaper than the current Elite. Not only that, but we believe that the Xbox 360 and Xbox 360 Arcade pack will drop to $300, and $250 respectively, perhaps with each getting a boost in hard disk space. We also have found indications that all of Microsoft’s accessories will drop in price, with the Wireless controller particularly dropping down to $40 from $50 and/or being packed with the recharge kit, with the wired controller being completely phased out (or at least the Xbox 360 branded with PC controllers still being sold). This is likely to combat any kind of buzz the upcoming PlayStation DualShock 3 controller may have and Sony PlayStation 3’s impending price drops and spec boost. Expect to see something around or a little bit after Grand Theft Auto IV is released at the end of April.

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