Microsoft Announce 1 vs 100 Will Not Be Returning For A 3rd Season

Microsoft have announced that after two seasons of 1 vs 100, there won't be a third. Microsoft have announced that the team and tech behind 1 vs 100 have moved on to new projects which will be unveiled in the future.

Press Release

After two successful seasons, "1 vs 100" on Xbox LIVE will not be returning for Season 3.

This pioneering show which combined the best of TV experiences and interactive video games was a ground-breaking pilot in an entertainment genre that will continue to grow and evolve. During the Beta season, more than 114,000 people played "1 vs 100" on Xbox LIVE simultaneously, setting an official Guinness world record for the most contestants in a game show.

“When we started on this journey, we knew we were creating an entirely new genre of entertainment that would be a continually evolving concept,” said Dave McCarthy, General Manager, Microsoft Game Studios. “We’re very proud of the ‘1 vs 100’ team and their accomplishments, and are excited to apply what we’ve learned to future programming.”

The “1 vs 100” team is now focusing their skills and applying the technology used to develop “1 vs 100” to new projects that will be unveiled in the future.

Activision Reveal The Artists In DJ Hero 2 And Announce The Game Has Over 80 Tracks

Activision have revealed the artists that are in DJ Hero 2. there are over 100 artists in this game who's songs have been used in over 80 tracks in the game. The artists are:

• 2Pac
• 50 Cent
• Adamski
• Afrika Bambaataa & The Soul Sonic Force
• Armand Van Helden
• A-Trak
• B.o.B.
• Basement Jaxx
• BlakRoc
• Bobby Womack
• Bruno Mars
• Busta Rhymes
• Calvin Harris
• Chamillionaire
• Chic
• Chris Willis
• Clinton Sparks
• Colby O'Donis
• Daft Punk
• Damian Marley
• David Guetta
• Deadmau5
• Deee-Lite
• Dillinja
• Diplo
• Dizzee Rascal
• DJ Shadow
• Donna Summer
• Dr. Dre
• Drake
• Edwin Starr
• Eminem
• Estelle
• Flo Rida
• Gorillaz
• Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five
• Harold Faltermeyer
• House Of Pain
• Iyaz
• Jackson 5
• Janet Jackson
• Justice
• Kanye West
• Kaskade
• Kelis
• Keri Hilson
• Kid Cudi
• Kool & The Gang
• Lady Gaga
• Lil Jon
• Lil Wayne
• LL Cool J
• M.I.A.
• M|A|R|R|S
• Major Lazer
• Malcolm McLaren
• Mase
• Melle Mel & Duke Bootee
• Metallica
• Missy Elliott
• Mos Def
• MSTRKRFT
• N.O.R.E.
• Nas
• Nate Dogg
• Naughty By Nature
• Nelly
• New Boyz
• New Order
• Newcleus
• Nightcrawlers
• Orbital
• Pharoahe Monch
• Pirate Soundsystem
• Pitbull
• Puff Daddy
• Pussycat Dolls
• Rihanna
• Robin S.
• RZA
• Salt N Pepa
• Sam Cooke
• Sam Sparro
• Sean Paul
• Skibadee
• Sneaky Sound System
• Snoop Dogg
• Snow
• Soulja Boy Tell Em
• Sparfunk & D-Code
• Static Major
• Stevie Wonder
• Talib Kweli
• The Chemical Brothers
• The Crystal Method
• The Egg
• The Notorious B.I.G.
• The Prodigy
• Tiesto
• Tiga
• Timbaland
• Tweet
• Walter Murphy
• Warren G
• Wayne Smith
• Will.I.Am
• Yeah Yeah Yeahs
• Young Jeezy

DJ Hero 2 is set to come out this fall on the Playstation 3, Xbox 360, And The Nintendo Wii.

Press Release

SANTA MONICA, Calif., July 15 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- When the party starts this October, budding beat chemists, singing sensations and all of their friends will fire up two turntable controllers and a microphone and experience hits from the biggest names in music as they've never heard them before in Activision Publishing Inc.'s (Nasdaq: ATVI) DJ Hero® 2. Taking the soundtrack to "the most innovative and immersive music experience of 2009"* and recipient of over 20 "Best Music Game" awards to the next level, DJ Hero 2 spins together tracks from over 100 of the biggest artists from around the world – who have combined U.S. full albums sales alone in excess of 375 million** – creating an all-new, unparalleled music experience. Featuring the hottest hits from artists such as Lady Gaga, B.o.B., Pitbull, Deadmau5, Iyaz, David Guetta, and Rihanna and classic anthems from legendary artists including Eminem, Daft Punk, Dr. Dre, The Chemical Brothers, Jackson 5, Stevie Wonder and LL Cool J, the DJ Hero 2 soundtrack mixes the perfect blend of pop, dance and hip hop music.

"With DJ Hero 2, we wanted to create the ultimate party experience of 2010, and that meant not only revamping and adding social and multiplayer game modes, including full microphone support, and all-new levels of creative freedom, but also mixing and mashing hits from over 100 of the biggest and most popular artists on the planet," said Dan Neil, Music Director, FreeStyleGames. "We can't wait to drop details on which of these artists' hottest tracks, as well as how we've mixed them together exclusively for the game, later this year."

"With the success of DJ Hero and overwhelming response to its soundtrack, we are excited to be working even more closely with our label partners, including Interscope Geffen A&M, on DJ Hero 2 to hand-pick the best music from the most recognizable artists in the world," said Tim Riley, Vice President of Music Affairs, Activision.

"We're excited to bring the hottest hits from our biggest artists to DJ Hero 2 including Eminem, Lady Gaga, Soulja Boy, 50 Cent, M.I.A., Timbaland, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, and many more," said Steve Berman, Vice Chairman, Interscope Geffen A&M. "The blockbuster lineup of music we've contributed, when mixed by world renowned DJs exclusively for the game, will help deliver one of the best soundtracks in all of entertainment."

With the highly skilled DJ's and music producers at FreeStyleGames – joined by Deadmau5, David Guetta and a crew of world renowned mixologists – dropping the beats, everyone will have a chance to experience the following artists' music in an all-new way:
2Pac
50 Cent
Adamski
Afrika Bambaataa & The Soul Sonic Force
Armand Van Helden
A-Trak
B.o.B.
Basement Jaxx
BlakRoc
Bobby Womack
Bruno Mars
Busta Rhymes
Calvin Harris
Chamillionaire
Chic
Chris Willis
Clinton Sparks
Colby O'Donis
Daft Punk
Damian Marley
David Guetta
Deadmau5
Deee-Lite
Dillinja
Diplo
Dizzee Rascal
DJ Shadow
Donna Summer
Dr. Dre
Drake
Edwin Starr
Eminem
Estelle
Flo Rida
Gorillaz
Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five
Harold Faltermeyer
House Of Pain
Iyaz
Jackson 5
Janet Jackson
Justice
Kanye West
Kaskade
Kelis
Keri Hilson
Kid Cudi
Kool & The Gang
Lady Gaga
Lil Jon
Lil Wayne
LL Cool J
M.I.A.
M|A|R|R|S
Major Lazer
Malcolm McLaren
Mase
Melle Mel & Duke Bootee
Metallica
Missy Elliott
Mos Def
MSTRKRFT
N.O.R.E.
Nas
Nate Dogg
Naughty By Nature
Nelly
New Boyz
New Order
Newcleus
Nightcrawlers
Orbital
Pharoahe Monch
Pirate Soundsystem
Pitbull
Puff Daddy
Pussycat Dolls
Rihanna
Robin S.
RZA
Salt N Pepa
Sam Cooke
Sam Sparro
Sean Paul
Skibadee
Sneaky Sound System
Snoop Dogg
Snow
Soulja Boy Tell Em
Sparfunk & D-Code
Static Major
Stevie Wonder
Talib Kweli
The Chemical Brothers
The Crystal Method
The Egg
The Notorious B.I.G.
The Prodigy
Tiesto
Tiga
Timbaland
Tweet
Walter Murphy
Warren G
Wayne Smith
Will.I.Am
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Young Jeezy

The ultimate mixer of music and friends, DJ Hero 2 will deliver the definitive way for players to come together and party with a host of new multiplayer modes – including DJ Battles that pit DJ against DJ in mixes produced specifically for battle gameplay – and invite vocalists into the spotlight with integrated on-screen singing and rapping of lyrics and rhymes while bringing the party to life with jump-in/jump-out Party Play gameplay. Featuring the biggest dance, pop and hip-hop hits by the hottest artists everyone knows and loves remixed by world-class DJ's in an all-new way, the game's soundtrack delivers over 80 unique creations only available in DJ Hero 2. Further immersing players into the music, the game offers a heightened level of creative input and allows everyone to add their own touch, directly impacting the beats they're spinning with freestyle scratching, crossfading and sampling. The game will also feature an all-new career-based Empire Mode where players start out as an up-and-coming DJ on the road to becoming the head of a major entertainment empire, all of which is founded solely on their success as a DJ.

Dropping this fall, DJ Hero 2 will invite a wave of new digital disc jockeys to the turntables as the game will be available as a Party Bundle which will include a copy of the game, two turntable controllers and a microphone, offering the ultimate "party-in-a-box." Gamers who experienced the #1 new videogame intellectual property of 2009 can pick up DJ Hero 2 as a Turntable Bundle featuring one turntable controller and a copy of the game or as standalone software. The game is in development by FreeStyleGames for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, the PLAYSTATION®3 and the Wii™ system from Nintendo. The game is rated "T" (Teen – Mild Suggestive Themes, Lyrics) by the ESRB. For more information about DJ Hero 2, please visit www.djhero.com,www.facebook.com/djhero and www.twitter.com/djhero.

About Activision Publishing, Inc.
Headquartered in Santa Monica, California, Activision Publishing, Inc. is a leading worldwide developer, publisher and distributor of interactive entertainment and leisure products.

Activision maintains operations in the U.S., Canada, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Sweden, Spain, Norway, Denmark, the Netherlands,Australia, South Korea, China and the region of Taiwan. More information about Activision and its products can be found on the company's website,www.activision.com.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-looking Statements: Information in this press release that involves Activision Publishing's expectations, plans, intentions or strategies regarding the future are forward-looking statements that are not facts and involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Activision Publishing generally uses words such as "outlook," "will," "could," "would," "might," "remains," "to be," "plans," "believes," "may," "expects," "intends," "anticipates," "estimate," future," "plan," "positioned," "potential," "project," "remain," "scheduled," "set to," "subject to," "upcoming" and similar expressions to identify forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause Activision Publishing's actual future results to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements set forth in this release include, but are not limited to, sales levels of Activision Publishing's titles, shifts in consumer spending trends, the impact of the current macroeconomic environment, the seasonal and cyclical nature of the interactive game market, Activision Publishing's ability to predict consumer preferences among competing hardware platforms, declines in software pricing, product returns and price protection, product delays, retail acceptance of Activision Publishing's products, adoption rate and availability of new hardware (including peripherals) and related software, industry competition including from used games and other forms of entertainment, litigation risks and associated costs, rapid changes in technology, industry standards, business models including online and used games, and consumer preferences, including interest in specific genres such as music, first-person action and massively multiplayer online games, protection of proprietary rights, maintenance of relationships with key personnel, customers, licensees, licensors, vendors, and third-party developers, including the ability to attract, retain and develop key personnel and developers that can create high quality "hit" titles, counterparty risks relating to customers, licensees, licensors and manufacturers, domestic and international economic, financial and political conditions and policies, foreign exchange rates and tax rates, and the identification of suitable future acquisition opportunities and potential challenges associated with geographic expansion, and the other factors identified in the risk factors sections of Activision Blizzard's most recent annual report on Form 10-K and any subsequent quarterly reports on Form 10-Q. The forward-looking statements in this release are based upon information available to Activision Publishing and Activision Blizzard as of the date of this release, and neither Activision Publishing nor Activision Blizzard assumes any obligation to update any such forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements believed to be true when made may ultimately prove to be incorrect. These statements are not guarantees of the future performance of Activision Publishing or Activision Blizzard and are subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors, some of which are beyond its control and may cause actual results to differ materially from current expectations.

Guitar Hero, DJ Hero and Activision are registered trademarks of Activision Publishing, Inc.

"PlayStation" is a registered trademark of Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc. Microsoft, Xbox, Xbox 360, Xbox LIVE, and the Xbox logos are trademarks of the Microsoft group of companies. Wii is a trademark of Nintendo. All rights reserved.

*USAToday.com
**Nielson Soundscan data

PopCap Announce Zuma Blitz Is Coming Next Month To Facebook

PopCap have announced Zuma Blitz, a Facebook adaptation of the 20 Million selling Zuma game, is coming out Next Month. The game will be initially launched as a Beta, with PopCap continuing to evolve the game through its Beta and when its fully released. PopCap have used the knowledge they gained from Bejeweled Blitz, and whilst the games are different, both have social centric features, both are aimed at all skill levels, and both only give you 60 seconds to get a high score.

When Zuma Blitz is released, it will have these features:

• Weekly tournaments and leaderboards

• New levels introduced regularly

• An “experience points” system to unlock additional features and capabilities

• A “Treasure Chest” virtual currency-based system for obtaining in-game power-ups

• New features such as time extenders, score multipliers and the “Hot Frog” speed mode

• Additional information on friends' in-game performance and status such as medals won, achievements earned at various point thresholds and experience level

Press Release

DUBLIN, Ireland – July 15th, 2010 — PopCap Games, the worldwide leader in casual video games, today announced that Zuma®, its second best-selling franchise with nearly 20 million units sold worldwide, will soon be debuting on Facebook in a free, social form. Zuma Blitz will be the first adaptation of the seminal ball-blasting favorite to offer fans the opportunity to see how they stack up against other players, and will include a host of other social-centric features new to the game. Zuma Blitz is expected to roll out gradually via Beta launch in approximately three weeks.

“We've received a ton of feedback regarding how players consume Bejeweled Blitz and other leading social games, and incorporated a number of those insights into this initial phase of Zuma Blitz, with more to come,” said Jason Kapalka, co-founder and Chief Creative Officer at PopCap. “Zuma is a very different game than Bejeweled, so the social adaptation has gone in different directions. Zuma is already a fast-paced arcade game, so the challenge was to make it feel approachable to players of all skill levels, even with just sixty seconds to play.”

PopCap plans to continue evolving Zuma Blitz over time, in a fashion similar to the ongoing addition of major new features and functionality in Bejeweled® Blitz. New features available at the introduction of Zuma Blitz next month are expected to include:

·Weekly tournaments and leaderboards
·New levels introduced regularly
·An “experience points” system to unlock additional features and capabilities
·A “Treasure Chest” virtual currency-based system for obtaining in-game power-ups
·New features such as time extenders, score multipliers and the “Hot Frog” speed mode
·Additional information on friends' in-game performance and status such as medals won, achievements earned at various point thresholds and experience level

“Once again PopCap is bringing a beloved game to the Facebook Platform and enhancing already successful game play with social features and functionality,” said Gareth Davis, Facebook Platform Manager. “Zuma Blitz will provide a fun and engaging way for our more than 400 million users to play with their friends on Facebook.”

Zuma Blitz joins Bejeweled Blitz as PopCap's second full-fledged social game on Facebook. Bejeweled Blitz has attracted nearly 30 million users since its introduction 18 months ago, and more than 100 million sessions of the game are played each day by consumers worldwide.

About PopCap
PopCap Games (www.popcap.com) is the leading multi-platform provider of casual video games: fun, easy-to-learn, captivating games that appeal to everyone from age 6 to 106 and are available anytime, anywhere. Based in Seattle, Washington, PopCap was founded in 2000 and has a worldwide staff of more than 275 people in Seattle, San Francisco, Chicago, Vancouver, B.C., Dublin, Seoul, and Shanghai. Its games have been downloaded over 1.5 billion times by consumers worldwide, and its flagship title, Bejeweled, has sold more than 50 million units across all platforms. Constantly acclaimed by consumers and critics, PopCap’s games are played on the Web, social platforms, desktop computers, myriad mobile devices (cell phones, smartphones, PDAs, Pocket PCs, iPod, iPhone, iPad and more), popular game consoles (such as Xbox and DS), and in-flight entertainment systems. PopCap has been one of the most innovative companies in the video industry since its inception a decade ago. Pioneering new game mechanics, sales models, and platforms ranging from mobile devices to online and location-based games of chance, PopCap is the only video game provider in the world with leading market share across the entire spectrum.

#  #  #
The PopCap logo and all other trademarks used herein that are listed at www.popcap.com/trademarks are owned by PopCap Games, Inc. or its licensors and may be registered in some countries Facebook® is a registered trademark of Facebook Inc. Other company and product names used herein may be trademarks of their respective owners and are used for the benefit of those owners.

Hit X: The News Recapping Podcast For Wednesday 14th July

This is all the news from Wednesday 14th July.

You can subscribe to the Hit X: The News Recapping Podcast on iTunes and if you do or are already a subscriber, it would be very helpful for me if you can rate and review the podcast.

A podcast is available on iTunes from:
http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=328547861

A RSS Feed from Podbean:
http://qtegamers.podbean.com/feed

And on qtegamers.blogspot.com:
http://qtegamers.blogspot.com/search/label/Audio Re-Cap

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Re-Cap of Yesterdays News (oldest to newest)

• QTE Blog: Re-Cap of Yesterdays News (oldest to newest) http://ht.ly/1885Tu
• QTE Blog: Hit X: The News Recapping Podcast For Tuesday 13th July http://ht.ly/1888bv
• 360: Milo & Kate was shown at TED. Its revealed to be a tech demo with no current release date. Milo's AI is cloud based http://ht.ly/2biAw
• PopCap's David Bishop says they are looking at adding social features to all their existing games http://ht.ly/2bjlE
• Hironobu Sakaguchi,. the creator of Final Fantasy, has said that the upcoming Wii game, The Last Story, maybe his last http://ht.ly/2bjDY
• iPad: Fishlabs CEO, Michael Schade, predicts a mobile device like Ipad HD will out perform the 360 in around a years time http://ht.ly/2bkid
• Double Fine's Tim Shafer says Bobby Kotic "...doesn't have to be as much of a dick about it," in trying to make money http://ht.ly/2bknc
• QTE Blog: Sony Announce Over 1 Million Playstation Mini's Have Been Downloaded http://ht.ly/188dAn
• Its reported that the magazine PC Zone is shutting down, with its next issue being its last. its been running since 1993 http://ht.ly/2bksc
• 360: Rumoured images Images of a upcoming 360 Dashboard have been leaked. it has Natal setup + a cleaner look http://ht.ly/2bkyb
• QTE Blog: Atari Announce A Re-Imagined Haunted House Is Coming To Wii, Xbox Live Arcade, And PC's This Fall http://ht.ly/188giL
• David Cage has revealed that Quantic Dream is working "...on two very different projects." They still won't play it safe http://ht.ly/2boGZ
• The BBFC has rated Vanquish as a 15 in the UK. they say the game as 71 minutes of cut scenes. http://ht.ly/2bqKg
• QTE Blog: This Weeks UK PSP Digital Comic Store Update http://ht.ly/188j1H
• Wii: Eoji Aonuma says Nintendo is targeting a early 2011 release for Zelda: Skyward Sword http://ht.ly/2bqV0
• Capcom announce Sengoku BASARA: Samurai Heroes is coming out in the USA on 12th October on PS3 and Wii http://ht.ly/2bre7
• QTE Blog: UK PSN Update 14/07/2010 http://ht.ly/188nbE
• QTE Blog: New Zero Punctuation - Super Mario Galaxy 2 http://ht.ly/188plM
• QTE Blog: Nintendo Reveal Wii And DS Software Releases For Q3 2010 http://ht.ly/188rXJ
• Ready At Dawn confirms they have laid of 13 employees. They call it "the woes of being independent." http://ht.ly/2bzzk
• QTE Blog: Nintendo Announce Professor Layton And The Unwound Future Is Now Coming Out On The 12th September http://ht.ly/188uS9
• PS3: Atlus have released the PS1 game Shin Megami Tensei as a PS1 Classic in Japan for ¥1,000, its all in Japanese http://ht.ly/2bACf
• 360: A Video has emerged of the Soccer game in Kinect Sports. the vid shows passing, on screen prompts, and 360 AI http://ht.ly/2bAKw
• QTE Blog: Sony Announce The Hulu Plus App Is Out Now And Detail How To Access It http://ht.ly/188xcZ
• PS3: George Hotz, aka Geohot, appears to be retiring from hacking which means the PS3 has yet to be fully hacked http://ht.ly/2bANG
• PS3: Sony says Online 3D gamers may have the advantage over those with just HD in certain games, they're more accessible http://ht.ly/2bC4x
• QTE Blog: This Weeks USA PSP Digital Comic Store Update http://ht.ly/188zNo
• Irrational Games post some sketches of System Shock 2. the recently found book features art with a BioShock look to them http://ht.ly/2bCIZ

This Weeks USA PSP Digital Comic Store Update

Sony's USA Playstation Blog has detailed this weeks USA Digital Comic store update on the PSP. they also announce that there is a free comic this week and its Azure from DC Comics.

2000AD Prog # 1688
Astonishing Tales (2009) # 5
The Authority: World’s End # 1
Azure # 1
Batman: Year One # 4
Criminal: The Sinners (2008) #3 & #4
Devi # 8
DMZ: On the Ground # 13
Donald Duck and the Niece of the Black Corsair
DoubleDuck # 6
Fables # 15
Fethry Duck and the Unlosable Challenge
Gen13: World’s End # 21
God of War # 2
Green Lantern: Secret Origin – Part 4 # 4
Green Lantern: The Sinestro Corps War – Part 5 of 12
Green Lantern: The Sinestro Corps War – Part 6 of 12
High Moon: Chapter 1 # 3
Hope Falls # 4
Huey, Dewey, Louie and the Day Before the Exams # 1
The Invaders (1975) #1 – #4
Justice League: Generation Lost # 5
Kingdom Come # 1
Marvel Zombies 2 (2007) # 2
Night Owls # 2
Planetary/Batman # 1
Ramayan 3392 AD # 8
The Sadhu # 8
Snakewoman # 8
Stormwatch PHD # 13
Transformers: Lost in Space # 3
The Unwritten # 2
Wildcats: World’s End # 1
X-Mickey # 15

From USA Playstation Blog

Sony Announce The Hulu Plus App Is Out Now And Detail How To Access It

Sony has announced that Playstation Plus subscribers are now able to download the Hulu Plus App from the PSN, in the Playstation Plus Section. the app is only 28MB and once its installed, you need to start it and request an invitation to Hulu Plus. If you are accepted into the preview period, you will be granted access to Hulu Plus, as long as you pay the $9.99 per month Hulu fee. Hulu Plus will be available for all Playstation 3 owners in the next few months.

From USA Playstation Blog