The Left 4 Dead 2 announcement at the Microsoft press conference gobsmacked us this morning (didn't they just release Left 4 Dead like last November? What is this, Madden?), but apparently the sneaky folks at Rock Paper Shotgun weren't surprised: they've already seen the game in action. We're hoping to see it this week ourselves, but until then, here's a few juicy zombie tidbits to hold you over: the game takes place in the Southern United States, and the five campaigns will take you on a Southern odyssey from Savannah to New Orleans. There are four new characters also: a rough high school coach who's used to taking charge, a female cable news reporter, a rustic Southern mechanic type, and a Sawyer-style con man. The characters keep the snappy dialogue, and the campaigns will tell an overarching story as you move through them.

Remember back in March when an ESRB listing hinted at a possible Xbox Live/PSN release for FPS progenitor Wolfenstein 3D? Yeah, that's totally happening. A splash page for the game has appeared on Xbox.com, which is just a hair short of full confirmation, but it still seems like a pretty safe bet.

We're not sure if it'll have some extra graphical polish, but if something in that above image doesn't trigger something deep and primal within you, you're in need of more assistance than we can provide.

[Via GamerBytes]

[Update 2: The results are in, check them all out right here.]

Considering the Red Ring of Death (to put it kindly) debacle, we're going to be extremely careful with what we say here. We're starting to see and receive numerous reports from readers, friends and in forums like this of Xbox 360s becoming the victims of an error labeled by the console as "E74." We've received only a few of these reports (two in '07; one in '08) prior to the recent barrage of complaints. When contacted, a Microsoft rep told Joystiq she wasn't familiar with the problem (the company is currently looking into it), so here's what we've been able to piece together by ourselves:

The E74 error seems to be related to video problems. It's occasionally caused by a faulty AV cord, but more often than not, the solder on the ANA/HANA (in HDMI models) scaling chip has come loose. In fact, many have reported creating a temporary fix by wrapping pennies in electrical tape and weighing the ANA/HANA down. (For the record, we're not suggesting you do that.) Before the error, the system usually starts showing graphical problems like lines across the screen or snow. It's accompanied by one red light in the lower right-hand quadrant.

So, we've got a poll right after the break where you can weigh in with your own experience. Also, if you've got more details, we'd love it if you would email us here.

[Update 1: Our friends at Negative Gamer just sent this interesting Google Trends result our way. As you can see, E74 was basically a non-issue until August of 2008. Interesting ...]

On March 2, Microsoft will no longer offer repair support to users of the original Xbox console. Owners who (somehow) still have an Xbox console under warranty from Microsoft will be able to participate in an upgrade offer to an Xbox 360 -- terms of which are not detailed online. Microsoft recently ended support for the big black box in Japan. Pour out a portion of that Forty folks, the Xbox is no longer supported by Microsoft. Sure, most will tell you Microsoft stopped supporting the original beast on November 22, 2005, but those people would be ... no, they'd be completely right.

[Thanks, Mustapha]

Looks like our garlic necklace failed us (wait, that's vampires), because Rare's Grabbed by the Ghoulies just hobbled its way to the Xbox Live Marketplace as another iffy Xbox Original. This not so great tale of ghouls is available for 1200 Microsoft points ($15), 3GB of hard drive space and a pound of flesh (pound of flesh optional).

Per Rare's own helpful and admittedly humorous sales pitch, "if you like Halo, pretend that the main character is Master Chief and the hilarious DJ Mummy is a terrifying Covenant alien." Actually, with that tip in mind, we're leaning towards a Ghoulies purchase. Proof that an extremely inventive imagination can make any game feel like an epic blockbuster.

[Via Rare]

While Sony is avoiding any cuts to its games division, Microsoft is taking a very different approach. Details are still trickling in, but it appears significant changes are being made to Microsoft's Entertainment and Devices (E&D) division as part of the previously announced plans to axe 5,000 jobs. ZDnet's Mary Jo Foley has heard the E&D division will represent "the bulk" of Microsoft's immediate cuts.

Already, one of their internal studios, ACES, is confirmed shut down. The studio was responsible for the Flight Simulator series. Dean Takahashi from Venture Beat has also learned that 30 percent of the company's video game testers have been laid off. It appears this may be just the beginning of a larger shakedown for the Xbox and PC gaming parts of Microsoft. Takahashi also notes that "the game group is expected to undergo a management restructuring" next week.

Microsoft has yet to release an official comment. Stay tuned as we'll keep a close eye on this situation.

[Via GameDaily]

In order to release Xbox 360 before its competitors, Microsoft killed the original Xbox at just four years old. November 2009 marks the four year anniversary of Xbox 360, but don't expect the system to become obsolete just yet. Microsoft's Robbie Bach told the San Jose Mercury News that the current generation will last longer than before. "The life cycle for this generation of consoles -- and I'm not just talking about Xbox, I'd include Wii and PS3 as well -- is probably going to be a little longer than previous generations."

The weakening economy will most likely delay the arrival of a new generation even further. "When you look at consumers, they are going to be more value-conscious," Bach said. A next-generation console released any time soon would be prohibitively expensive and no company wants to repeat the same mistake Sony made.Perhaps the "ten year" mantra won't necessarily be a PlayStation-exclusive PR bullet point.

The surprising success of Wii will undoubtedly make Microsoft refocus their next-gen efforts. Nintendo managed to claim the top spot of the console wars, in spite of having significantly less powerful tech. "Just coming up with something that's faster and prettier isn't going to be sufficient," Bach adds.

[Via Edge]

The console wars have gotten real. The PlayStation.Blog is looking for a capable Street Fighter to take on Team Evil Xbox in a fight for console supremacy. CES, which begins this week, will play host to this intriguing event which pits Professor PlayStation's team of PS3 wizards versus Major Nelson's Xbox soldiers. Think you're ready to represent?

If you're in the Las Vegas area this Saturday, you'll have a chance to represent PS3 gamers everywhere. Only 20 players can represent PlayStation in this truly extraordinary showdown. Shoot an email to iwannaplaystreetfighteriv@gmail.com with your name, PSN ID, and why you think you should have a chance to compete. You must be 18 years or older. Good luck. Make us proud.

GameStop will no longer accept trade-ins on original Xbox games, systems, or accessories beginning Febuary 9, 2009. Although GameStop corporate wouldn't verify this information during its "quiet period" leading to Thursday's holiday sales report, several local shops confirmed the policy when we called. Employees were unaware if something similar would be implemented for PS2 or GameCube in the near future.

Those looking to unload their original Xbox and dozens of games for the whopping sum of $12.87 (that's just a guess), should head on down to GameStop before the deadline.

[Thanks, Jake]

In economic times this tough, the only businesses thriving are the ones that make apple-selling carts and the Hobo Name Registry (sorry, Cleats Onionpocket is already taken). So, it should come as little surprise that Fudzilla is reporting on Microsoft's plan to lay off 15,000 of its 90,000 workers, or around 17 percent of its staff. If you'd like to know more about the reasoning behind and causes of the cuts, we'd recommend this recent Marketwatch article.

The site says it doesn't know where the hits will come, but assumes that the well-performing Xbox division will likely be spared. Sadly, the first casualty of the layoffs is apparently the guy who pushes the button everyday to make Zunes work.

Our hearts were briefly aflutter this morning upon seeing news of a Steel Battalion port for the Wii. Could it be? Were we about to get a second chance at buying that insane 40-button, $200 controller/dashboard that shipped with the Xbox original? Well, no, we weren't -- and for two reasons. Reason one: Capcom was planning to develop the game with support for the Wii Remote, the Nunchuk, the Wii Wheel, and the Balance Board, and sell it for a mere $45, sans amazing controller. Reason two: the story isn't actually real.

That's right: this was all a prank by Spanish site Vandal.net, which has now posted a disclaimer at the top of its article stating that the story was merely "a joke similar to the English April Fool's Day." Gutted. On the bright side, some sites are still reporting this as the real deal, which makes us feel a bit less stupid for believing it in the first place.

[Via Balance Board Blog]

That Combustible map pack didn't seem to ignite much passion into Gears of War 2, as the shoe-in for Best Shooter Involving a Chain Saw-infused Rifle Award remains numero quartro on the Xbox Live activity chart for last week. The game was also 4th place the week prior, and 3rd place for two consecutive weeks before that. Far from being a bad position, but it's certainly not dominating the service like its predecessor.

Staying strong at top is Halo 3, followed by the Call of Duty: World at War and CoD4, respectively. The promotional Dash of Destruction managed to take 6th place, and somehow bumped Fallout 3 from 8th to oblivion. Full list after the break.

[Via Xbox 360 Fanboy]

After the dreary all-night study benders, frantic cramming, and endless writing that coalesce to produce the torturous period that is college finals, gamers around the country find time to kick back, relax, and play through the dreaded backlog that resulted from the flood of titles released during the holiday season. After playing through the wonderful Mirror's Edge, I set my sights on an older title I'd had sitting around for several months (thanks to the Xbox 360's spotty backwards compatibility). That game was Oddworld: Stranger's Wrath.

Released towards the end of the Xbox's life cycle in 2005, Stranger's Wrath was also the last game created by Oddworld Inhabitants before the studio shifted focus to creating cinematic movies. And it's a shame, because Stranger's Wrath succeeds at everything it attempts. It's fun, inventive, and as full of life as every other Oddworld creation. Follow along with Stranger (in both first and third person!) as he tracks down bounties in the Odd version of the Old West in this week's Born for Wii.

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Gallery: Born for Wii: Stranger's Wrrath

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Every week, Born for Wii digs into gaming's sordid past to unearth a new treasure fit for revival on the Nintendo Wii. Be sure to check out last week's entry in the series, Marvel vs. Capcom 2, and for more great titles that deserve your attention, take a look at Virtually Overlooked.

Those Orange County cops, notorious gamers and are always trying to get their hands on the coolest gaming goods. So it should come as no surprise that after a routine traffic stop, an Orange County police officer took a man's Xbox 360 that was sitting in the car's back seat. Took everything, because he figured the Xbox was stolen and wanted receipt proof. In the end, it wasn't stolen (the dude has a receipt to prove it) and the Xbox has "magically" disappeared.

Our Orange County officer probably just needed his gaming fix, but he should know that you DO NOT mess with another man's Xbox ... ever.

[Thanks, to everyone who sent this in]