Late Night Consoling

Today, a year after Xbox 360 launched in North America, Xbox Live Marketplace has been updated with the television and movie content first announced earlier this month. Microsoft also announced a tiered pricing scheme that takes into account whether user chooses high definition or standard definition content, as well as, in the case of movies, whether the film was of recent release or a classic. Television shows run 240 Microsoft Points ($3) in HD and 160 Microsoft Points ($2) in SD. New release films, which are downloaded on a rental basis, run 480 Microsoft Points ($6) in HD and 320 Microsoft Points in SD ($4), while classic films run 360 Microsoft Points ($4.50) in HD and 240 Microsoft Points ($3) in SD. Paying for HD content also confers access to the same item's SD version. Movie rentals last two weeks, until they are first played; they will expire 24 hours after that point.

Currently, 48 movies and content from 47 television series are available for rental and purchase, though most is offered in standard definition only. Microsoft has announced its intention to add more content on a regular basis, with content from television shows frequently being added very soon after it airs. Movies up for rental include such diverse fare as Chinatown, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, Star Trek VII: Generations, The Untouchables, Dreams (Akira Kurosawa's Yume), V for Vendetta (available in HD), and Unforgiven (available in HD). Television content is unsurprisingly a little more focused on recent material, with series such as South Park, CSI, Pimp My Ride, Aqua Teen Hunger Force, Harvey Birdman: Attorney at Law, and Chappelle's Show, but the original Star Trek also makes an appearance.

Microsoft Japan revealed this week that two PlayStation 3 games being published by Koei, Bladestorm: The Hundred Years' War and Fatal Inertia, will be getting Xbox 360 versions as well, becoming the latest additions to a growing list of formerly exclusive PS3 titles going multiplatform, albeit frequently reaching shelves after their PS3 counterparts. Both games were announced as PS3 exclusives during last year's Tokyo Game Show. Fatal Inertia, a high-speed futuristic racer, is being developed by Koei Canada, and was originally intended as a PS3 launch title, but is now intended to ship early next year. Bladestorm is being handled by Omega Force, the studio behind the extensive Dynasty Warriors series of games, and was also originally planned for launch. Koei representatives have indicated in the past that both games are expected to make it to North America, and on Xbox 360 this would seem even more likely, but formal announcements on the matter have yet to be made.

The next film adaptation of J.K. Rowling's bestselling fantasy novel series, corresponding to the book Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, will be in theaters in July 2007. Electronic Arts announced today that, as it has done for the prior movies, it will publish a multiplatform video game based on Order of the Phoenix simultaneously with the theatrical release. With Order of the Phoenix, the series is making the leap over to the three current generation consoles, but the game will also appear on the long lasting PlayStation 2 as well as current handhelds and PC. Like the film and book, the game tells the story of protagonist Harry Potter's fifth year at Hogwarts, during which time he and his acquaintances almost certainly do various things related to magic. - Screenshots.

EA plans to release EA UK Studio's Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix for PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii, Nintendo DS, PSP, Game Boy Advance, and PC in July 2007.

Capcom recently announced that a multiplayer demo of its upcoming third person sci-fi action game Lost Planet would be available on November 23, Thanksgiving Day here in the United States. However, it seems that the demo has gone up a little eary--at least, in the United Kingdom. Brits with Xbox Live, or other people who somehow find themselves with a UK-registered account, should be able to download the 16-player sample via Xbox Live Marketplace. It was still available at time of writing.