The upcoming update for Gears of War 2 is set to dish out a few new achievements for avid players and gamerscore collectors, seven to be precise. Each of the new achievements will be multiplayer based, focused on winning matches on the Flashback and Combustible map packs, with a total of 175G up for grabs. These new achievements can be seen in the list for Gears of War 2 now.

Halo 3: ODST is set to take a much more stealthy approach, rather than the rag tag run and gun approach you see most players taking in previous Halo games. The combat also has taken a fairly different approach to Halo 3, in a more tactical fashion.

"The silenced SMG is just one of the tweaks to the Halo 3 sandbox that make ODST a stealthier experience -- one that, at least in the open environment of nighttime New Mombasa, rewards a more measured approach to combat."

"As a non-Spartan, you'll need to be careful about the fights you pick, especially when you're on your own."

"Brutes in ODST are much more interested in self-preservation than they were in Halo 3 which makes for terrific, multi-layered encounters."

"You need to think before you engage -- decide how you want to take apart an encounter before diving in or you'll get into trouble pretty quick, especially on higher difficulty levels."

Gears of War may be fun games, but they are also well known for the vast amount of glitches and exploits available to those who find them and learn them. However, those great guys at EPIC have been working very hard on an update for the game that addresses a lot of these issues, and attempts to fix them.

The patch "will address bugs and exploits as well as add some new achievements related to downloadable content", and "all indicators are it will go live within January".

"We're fixing a whole bunch of online exploits. For example we've fixed the ability to wield an invisible shield, melee through some walls, gain infinite Lancer ammo and equip a shield and a two-handed weapon simultaneously plus many more.

We're also making several small changes to improve the overall online gameplay experience. A few of the ones that might interest you are; increased penalties for quitting matches early, adding additional spawn protection against planted grenades and chainsaw attacks, and adding the ability to see the Submission flag carrier destination by using Tac/Com.

We know you folks love achievements so on the achievement side we're adding achievement progress numbers to the War Journal, increasing the frequency of in-game Achievement progression notifications and adding some new Achievements for DLC.

About that shotgun...

We fixed the client side hit detection on the shotgun so that in a high-latency (i.e. "laggy") match, the shotgun will be more reliable. We've also fixed another bug whereby shotgun and boomshot rounds could strike the ground when firing from the hip."

This is a small list of some of the things that will be in the patch, with a more detailed list to be released closer to the release of the patch. EPIC have also said that as soon as this uodate is out the door they will be working on the next update for the game.

Microsoft reports that their Xbox 360 has topped the 28 million mark in sales figures worldwide, following the console's most successful year, according to the corporate giant themselves. Microsoft also states they have increased their lead over Sony's PS3 to 8 million units, which would be more brag worthy if the PS3 didn't arrive a year later.

"Worldwide, a record number of players flocked to our broadest games and entertainment line-up ever, while the New Xbox Experience thrilled millions of fans by making our console even more engaging. And yet, we've only provided a glimpse into the new world of interactive entertainment that we're imagining. The best of Xbox 360 is yet to come."

According to a document that found its way on to the internet, Microsoft may be cutting up to 15 thousand employees from its global work force on January 15th. According to their website, they currently have 92,286 workers already, which is quite a lot of people.

A Microsoft spokesperson said in an e-mail to Edge magazine that the company "does not provide comment on rumor and speculation." Along with an unknown source saying that the figures of the job cuts were "grossly exaggerated."

Whether this is complete rumour or not is yet to be seen.

Lionhead has just recently stated that the up-coming DLC for their smash hit RPG Fable II is going to be delayed until the end of January 2009. Whereas it was originally billed for the end of this month, players must now wait that little bit longer before allowed to explore Knothole island.

"Due to unexpected technical difficulties, the Fable II: Knothole Island expansion will not be available until late January 2009," reads a statement from the developer.

"As a result, the Fable II, Knothole Island Download and Win, originally scheduled to take place December 22 - 23, 2008, has been temporarily suspended. Please check back for updates."

This isn't the first push back from Lionhead. They also delayed the announcement of the DLC in the first place. Let's hope it's worth such a long wait.

Microsoft is really getting in the Christmas spirit now. The additions offer you a free Christmassy theme, and now some free avatar clothes to stock your wardrobe up this winter. This time on offer is more formal wear, to look all fancy.

Male
Blue Tuxedo
Black Tuxedo
Shirt with Cummerbund
Black Trilby
Bowler Hat

Female
Elegant Ball Gown
Little Black Dress
Formal Trouser Suit
Elegant Watch
Red 60's Shades
Strappy High Heels
Platform Shoes

I went and had a little look to see what they looked like, and to be honest I wasn't THAT overly impressed. Maybe it'll be to yours.

With the recent news from EDGE who interviewed a Microsoft employee about Microsoft knowing their console scratches game discs, they have issued a statement to EDGE. A Microsoft representative explained that less than 1% of all Xbox 360 owners have suffered from scratched discs.

"While we have had some users contact us with concerns about scratched discs, it is much less than 1 percent of the total Xbox 360 user base...Xbox 360 is designed so that it will not damage a game disc as long as the console is not moved while the disc is spinning. Too much movement of any game console, not just Xbox 360, can cause scratches on a disc."

Remember Mercenaries 2? That game where you could blow just about everything up and leave a massive path of destruction behind you? I'd forgotten I actually owned that game. The first piece of DLC for Mercenaries 2 is now available on the 360, as apposed to PS3 owners getting it last week. Offering new characters and 4 new game types and being 100% free, it may be worth while popping this one back in.

In a recent interview with Hiroshi Takai, a Square Enix dev who worked on The Last Remnant said he preferred designing games on the Xbox360, and said his experience was a positive one.

"It's been the team's first time working with Xbox 360 and the Unreal Engine. In both cases the experience has been a positive one. In fact, as we've only just finished work on Last Remnant I don't even know what my next project is going to be at Square Enix. However, I'm very much hoping it'll be for Xbox 360 as it's been a lot easier to work with than PlayStation 3."

At the Video Game Awards, Epic thought it was the best time to announce the next Gears of War 2 map pack. Available now to download for a whopping 800 MS points, the pack includes 3 maps; Flood, Gold Rush and Fuel Station.

"Explosive action takes center stage in these three new Gears 2 multiplayer maps: Flood, Gold Rush, and Fuel Station. Flood features a rising flow of Imulsion that drives the fight into close quarters. Infiltrate an Imulsion factory in Gold Rush, where multiple levels and volatile materials guarantee memorable encounters. Fuel Station delivers a dangerous battle around an abandoned refueling facility."

Microsoft has release an Xbox premium theme to help us all get into the festive spirit this christmas. The theme can be found in the Themes and Gamer Pics section of the marketplace, and in the somewhat small list it can be found.

For anyone who hasn't seen a premium theme yet, it's well worth taking a look at what they look like on different areas of the dashboard, and for free, you can't go wrong.

A patch for Fable II is on its way. It's being 'tested and finalised', according to the developer, Lionhead. "We haven't forgotten about the patch that was promised a while ago, the team sends word that the update is coming along nicely." said Sam Van Tilburgh, on Lionhead's blog.

The list of fixes in the patch are;

* The Ritual/Monk's Quest - Fixed the issue with the Abbott becoming unresponsive if you leave Oakfield before he finishes talking. This will fix the problem if you've already hit it, too.
* Rescuing Charlie/Rescue My Baby - after rescuing Charlie, you can now able to interact with objects
* Guild Cave chest - resolves any issues with previously inability to retrieve items unlocked from Limited Collector's Edition, website or Chicken Kickin' game. If you've already hit this bug you should now get your items.
* The Spire (Pt2) - no more issues with ship captain being unresponsive
* The Hero of Skill (Pirate King) - you'll no longer get stuck during Hero of Skill quest (Bloodstone)
* T.O.B.Y./Trouble In Bloodstone - you'll no longer get stuck during T.O.B.Y. quests (Bloodstone)
* Your child - will no longer be chosen as an assassination target
* Furniture Shop in Albion (Bowerstone) will now always have something for sale
* Additional unspecified fixes

Microsoft are currently toasting a record breaking sales month for themselves, in a six-year European history. According to sales data from GfK-ChartTrack, Xbox 360 sales were up 124 percent during November compared to last year, compared to a 43 percent rise in Wii sales, and a very small 3 percent boost for the PS3.

"In the current economic conditions, consumers are more cautious than ever and looking for more value for their entertainment spend," he said. "Xbox 360 delivers that value - we're now the best-value next-gen console on the market and this positive momentum indicates Xbox 360 is offering the right blend of gaming and entertainment experiences at the right price."

Remember the Xbox 360 laptop back at the end of last year? Well, Ben Heck, the mastermind behind the console laptop, has done it again, with an updated version. Now called the 'Xbox 360 Portable', it's sporting a much more chrome style design, internal, swappable HDD, internal wi-fi, no keyboard and dual memory card slots.

Is there anything this guy can't put into a laptop?