Tag: Xbox 360

Microsoft is bringing back the Xbox 360 in buildable form

The Xbox 360 store might be closing, but Microsoft has a new way for you to keep your Xbox nostalgia alive in block form

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The Xbox 360 store might be closing, but Microsoft has a new way for you to keep your Xbox 360 games nostalgia alive in block form. Microsoft announced a new Mega Xbox 360 building set, planned for release on Oct. 8, 2023, and sold through Target.

Pre-orders went live right after the announcement and sold out within hours. There’s no word yet on whether Target will receive additional stock prior to or after the release date, though Target seems to keep a steady stock of its other Mega set, the Hot Wheels ‘77 Pontiac Firebird.

Mega’s Xbox 360 set costs $140.99 and has 1,342 pieces. That includes blueprints for the 360 system, complete with internal parts and wires; a controller with individual pieces for the face buttons and a snazzy Xbox button that sticks out a bit; and a buildable case for Halo 3.

The console section is pretty impressively detailed, with slots for memory sticks, a glowing power ring, brand labels, and even what looks like a motherboard for the base of the inside. Thankfully, you won’t have to worry about blocky thermal paste, since this is probably the only Xbox 360 that won’t go red and die on you.

Meanwhile, Microsoft is gearing up to close the Xbox 360 shop in 2024, though you can still keep playing 360 games you already own on Xbox Series X|S and even your 360 as long as you want.

Written by Josh Broadwell on behalf of GLHF

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Microsoft is removing dozens of Xbox 360 games from the Xbox store

Microsoft is delisting nearly 50 Xbox 360 games from the Xbox 360 store, though thanks to backwards compatibility, they aren’t all lost

Microsoft is delisting nearly 50 Xbox 360 games from the Xbox 360 store on Feb. 7, 2023, though thanks to backward compatibility, they aren’t all lost forever. Xbox made the announcement in a brief support post with a roundup of delisted games for each region. 

In the U.S., Microsoft is removing Assassin’s Creed 3, Assassin’s Creed 4, Dark Souls, Mass Effect 2, and Blue Dragon, alongside The Witcher 2, Prince of Persia, Knights of the Old Republic 2, and Lost Odyssey. If you purchase these from the Xbox 360 store before the February date, you can download the games at any point even after they’re delisted.

Physical copies of the games will also still work on any Xbox console that supports 360 discs. If the game has a backward compatible- or enhanced version available on the Xbox One or Xbox Series X|S stores, those will also remain available for purchase after Feb. 7, 2023.

Microsoft provided no reason why these games will no longer be available and hasn’t yet said whether the eventual plan is to shut down the Xbox 360 store altogether. However, the Xbox 360 is just two years shy of turning 20. Most platform holders shut their legacy servers and stores down after a new console launches, so the fact that the 360 shop is still open at all is something of a surprise.

Written by Josh Broadwell on behalf of GLHF

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Best Xbox 360 games ever

The Xbox 360 is one of the greatest consoles of all time, and these are the best games you could play on it.

The Xbox 360 changed a generation. And not just with the Red Ring of Death, though that’s a different kind of impact. The 360 brought online to the masses – the original Xbox tried, but the 360 truly succeeded.

This console is home to an incredible library of games. Multiplayer classics, single-player masterpieces, priceless puzzlers, fearsome fighters and much more call the Xbox 360 home, and it undoubtedly defined the generation while the PS3 floundered and the Wii did something else entirely. 

The 360 generation is what turned many casual players into hardcore gamers, and while we’re ignoring Kinect games here (oh, we’ll get to you), you can rest assured that the ten games we’ve picked here won’t disappoint you. We’ve limited our options to one game per series and no ports unless it’s a special exception – these are just ten of the best Xbox 360 games of all time. 

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We also have lists of the best backward compatible Xbox Series games, and the best Xbox games ever.

Best Xbox 360 games to play on Series X

Fancy playing some 360 classics? These are the best Xbox 360 games to play on Xbox Series X.

Yes, we buy brand new games consoles to buy brand new games, but it’s well worth revisiting old classics, especially if they’re better than ever on new hardware. Just look at the Xbox 360 library on Xbox Series S and X. Many of the games included in the backwards compatibility list allow players to enjoy the same games they remember, but at higher resolutions and more stable framerates. Yes, the Series X can play original Xbox games, too.

In this list we’ve put together just a few of the excellent Xbox 360 games you can play on Xbox Series S and Series X, with better performance and visuals than you’ll find anywhere else. Enjoy!

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Xbox 360 games will no longer be available from Games with Gold

Microsoft has announced that it will no longer be giving away Xbox 360 games as part of its Xbox Live service Games with Gold from October.

Microsoft has announced that it will no longer be giving away Xbox 360 games as part of its Xbox Live service Games with Gold from October.

Despite adding more Xbox 360 titles to the Xbox Game Pass service, Microsoft will discontinue giving away these older games as part of its Games with Gold and Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription. The company has previously discussed the difficulty of porting its legacy games to its modern consoles. This is due to data collection and preservation as well as licensing issues.

However, it has still added around 100 games from the 360’s library to Xbox Game Pass. These are reportedly all the games the company was able to preserve and port. Any games which have been previously downloaded as part of Games with Gold will not be affected by the changes after October.

Microsoft still intends to share some of its older games after this date. Alongside games made for the Xbox Series X/S, games for Xbox One will still be included in the Xbox Live Gold subscription.

Below is the email sent to users of the Xbox Live service. (Thanks to The Verge.)

“From 1 October 2022, the monthly games provided to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and Xbox Live Gold members via Games with Gold will no longer include Xbox 360 titles.”

“We have reached the limit of our ability to bring Xbox 360 games to the catalog; however, Games with Gold will continue to include exciting Xbox One titles and exclusive savings each month.”

“This will not impact any Xbox 360 games that you downloaded before October 2022. Any Xbox 360 titles that you redeem via Games with Gold before that time are yours to keep on your Xbox account, regardless of whether you continue your subscription.”

In other Xbox news, the list of games being added to Xbox Game Pass in July has been announced with a number of Yakuza games, including fan-favorite Yakuza 0, coming to the subscription service. 

Written by Georgina Young on behalf of GLHF.

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Xbox is selling a red ring of death poster

There are (three red) lights!

Perhaps the most infamous hardware error in gaming history is the Xbox 360’s red ring of death, and Microsoft just put it on a poster.

Power On: The Story of Xbox, a new documentary series, chronicles the 20-year history of Microsoft’s console. Everything from the heights of Halo 2’s launch down to the extreme lows like the launch of the Xbox One. Nothing, however, is quite as bad as the Xbox 360’s infamous red ring of death — which indicated your console wasn’t going to work anymore. 

The fatal error was widespread, resulting in Microsoft offering an extended warranty program that  cost the company over a billion dollars. Now, the legendary three red lights can hang blissfully on your wall for $24.99  here.

You can check out the poster below. Personally, I’m not too keen on reliving adolescent trauma, but whatever floats your boat! 

Power On: The Story of Xbox is already up on YouTube for free. Part 5  all about the red ring of death and how it nearly cost Microsoft’s entire reputation during that console generation.

Power On: The Story of Xbox is already up on YouTube for free. Part 5 all about the red ring of death and how it nearly cost Microsoft’s entire reputation during that console generation. Many industry people credit Xbox boss Phil Spencer for turning the brand around in recent years. Specifically the success of Game Pass. 

Written by Kyle Campbell on behalf of GLHF.

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Redditor owns 2,706 copies of Xbox 360 Burger King game, Sneak King

That’s quite a collection.

The world would be a pretty boring place if we didn’t have eccentric collectors living among us. There are people who collect stamps, coins, leaves – you name it, there’s someone out there who collects it. Despite that, we never would have called this one – there’s a guy who owns 2,706 copies of an Xbox 360 game developed by Burger King. 

Released in 2006, Sneak King puts you in control of Burger King’s mascot, the King. You’re tasked with sneaking around four levels and delivering meals to hungry NPCs. But if they spot you, they lose their appetite. You probably would if you saw a guy creeping around construction sites in that outfit, to be fair.

I have 2,706 copies of the Burger King Xbox 360 Game "Sneak King" from gaming

Look how much floor space this guy has dedicated to an obscure Xbox 360 game. Just incredible.

Internally, the project was a bit of a nightmare. Over 80 people worked on this monstrosity. 

Originally, it was going to be a spy-vs-spy kind of multiplayer game where one player could become the King. This went against Burger King’s rules – no one can become the King, you see. Burger King also said the King could never be in danger, so that’s why it ended up being a single-player stealth game. 

The game was sold in Burger King restaurants alongside value meals, and now they’re localized in this one guy’s house, for some reason. Is anyone else hungry? 

Written by Kirk McKeand on behalf of GLHF.

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Before ‘Dune’, Timothée Chalamet modded Xbox 360 controllers

Dune star Timothée Chalamet admits he used to mod Xbox 360 controllers on YouTube.

Vice hired investigative reporters to discover whether or not a YouTube channel belongs to a young Timothée Chalamet, who plays Paul Atreides in Dune.

The video shows a young boy with a raspy voice, his head obscured from the frame. He’s holding a modded Xbox 360 controller with red and black stripes across its body.

“Here’s a red tiger,” the voice says. “Started it yesterday, finished it today. It looks nice. It looks sexy.”

The voice sounds close to Chalamet’s in Law & Order, which was his first big break as an actor in 2009, just before this YouTube video was uploaded.

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Vice also compared the scar on the finger in the video to the same scar sported by the Dune actor’s ring finger, confirming a match.

Here’s the video in question:

The website also poured through old photos of Chalamet and compared details of the furniture from his childhood, noting that the chair in the video is the same as one from his boyhood Instagram photos.  According to Vice, “It is him.”

This is backed up by YouTuber Nate Hill, who interviewed Chalamet and got confirmation that the channel was his. In the same video, Dune co-star Zendaya confirms that The Sims is more her “vibe”.

An interview confirmation isn’t quite as fun as a forensic investigation, though, is it?

Timothée Chalamet is one of the hottest stars in Hollywood right now. His most recent movie, Dune, opened to $40.1 million in box office revenue in North America.

Comments are turned off on his Xbox 360 controller video, but it now has 285,232 views on YouTube.

Written by Kirk McKeand on behalf of GLHF. 

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