So, did you vote for your favorite Xbox Live Arcade game? The votes are in and Microsoft has revealed the winners of the first ever Xbox Live Arcade Awards at the 2008 GDC. Check out the full article to see if your favorite game got an award.

Here's an update on the current DICE Summit 08: Roger Hector, Vice President of Development at Namco Bandai, gave a short talk on how video games have made fictional characters into living icons. He even mentioned one of the greatest icons living until now. Details in the full article.

It looks like Microsoft is working on a new angle to draw in its market. Previously known to target the hardcore gamers, such as "the stereotypical young male dressed in black and living in the basement of his parents' home," the company is now looking into a more wholesome aspect by targeting casual gamers outside the usual teen and adult technophile range.

Jeff Bell, a Microsoft corporate vice president, talks about the new ad campaigns for the company which will be more family-oriented, especially with the recent release of the Xbox 360 Arcade console. Analysts from Microsoft realize that the light, family-friendly attitude reflects where the video gaming industry is going nowadays.

Check out the full article right after the jump!

Moral Kombat has finally been screened, and straight after was the panel discussion between Jack Thompson and Lorne Lanning, co-founder of Oddworld Inhabitants. The debate was heated and filled with solid (and not-so-solid) arguments (complete with friendly jests and banter) from both sides.

No hair pulling, no punches thrown (except verbal ones, maybe). Read the full article for more details on the debate.

After announcing a price cut for the Xbox 360 package in Japan, Microsoft has now finally issued an official statement regarding the long-rumored Xbox 360 Arcade package, recently confirmed by Microsoft Entertainment and Devices Division Head Robbie Bach.

The Xbox 360 Arcade Pack becomes available today in retail stores for US$ 279.99. And just like what earlier reports claimed, the new package comes with five casual video game title demos namely Pac-Man Championship Edition, Uno, Luxor 2, Boom Boom Rocket, and Feeding Frenzy.

Aside from the Xbox 360 video games, the Xbox 360 Arcade package also comes with one wireless controller, HDMI connection output, and 256 MB of memory. Microsoft Interactive Entertainment Business Corporate VP for Global Marketing Jeff Bell had this to say:

As families gather together this holiday, it's the perfect time to launch a new low-priced, high-value Xbox 360 that plays games, TV shows and music for everyone to enjoy in addition to offering an incredible all-in-one package for families to get right into the fun.

The Xbox 360 Arcade system features the industry-leading Family Settings, which allow parents to control what their kids are watching and playing and we know how important that control is to families around the world.

In addition to this, Microsoft has also announced that it just expanded its catalog of downloadable TV shows over at Xbox Live Marketplace with the inclusion of Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck from Warner Bros. as well as Blue's Clues, The Backyardigans,  and iCarly from Nickelodeons.

For those of us who enjoy the arcade gaming goodness that Xbox Live Arcade gives us (all for a nominal fee), here's some very good news: it seems that a compilation disc is in the works, as revealed by a submission of Microsoft to the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC).

Whether this is actually the same disc that comes bundled with the Microsoft Xbox 360 Arcade SKU, we're not really sure yet, but with the contents matching that of the SKU's list of bundled games, there's a good chance it could be.

Microsoft's submission to the BBFC also reveals a very exciting fact: Viva Pinata is included in the list of titles playable in the disc itself. Of course, while this can mean that it's not the actual full game, the last two items on the list seem to be for the trailers, seeing as they have timecodes - just the same as the welcome video at the very top. Until we do get our hands on the Xbox 360 Arcade SKU itself (or the disc itself), we'll just have to take solace in the fact that the other titles in the list are great games in their own right.

Here's the content list of the Xbox 360 Live Arcade Compilation disc in full:

• 00:03:18:00 WELCOME VIDEO
• n/a Pac-Man CE
  
• n/a Boom Boom Rocket
  
• n/a UNO
• n/a Luxor 2
  
• n/a Feeding Frenzy
  
• n/a Zuma (Trial)
• n/a Marble Blast Ultra (Trial)
  
• n/a 3D Ultra Minigolf (Trial)
• n/a Frogger (Trial)
• n/a Soltrio Solitaire (Trial)
• n/a Viva Pinata
  
• n/a Surf' Up
• 00:01:07:00 Viva Pinata
  
• 00:01:34:00 Shrek the Third
  

Not only Viva Pinata, but Surf's Up also seems like a fully-playable title. Of course, we're wondering just how they could fit two full games (including the other titles) in just one disc, but it's definitely a great bonus as far as freebies are concerned.

With the recent announcement of the Nintendo Wii's and the Sony PlayStation 3's new entry-level bundled packages, people have to wonder if Microsoft has anything along the lines to beat their competitors with a similar deal. It seems that Microsoft is going in the completely opposite direction, but a stolen shot shows otherwise.

In a recent unveiling made by Microsoft, two new high-end packaged bundles for the Xbox 360 have been revealed, namely the Pro (US$ 349) and the Elite (US$ 449). News of an entry-level console based off the Xbox 360 Core unit were dismissed previously as rumors.

However, in a recent picture taken by Gamespot from Xbox 360 retailers show what seem to be the long-rumored replacement for the Core console, the Xbox 360 Arcade SKU. The display shows that the console will come with a wireless controller, a 256MB memory card, and five arcade games.

Although, the standee refused to give out information about the new console's price, it has been speculated that it will be around the same cost as the Core at around US$ 279. There has also been no mention about the five arcade, although the most commonly mentioned lineup is Boom-Boom Rocket, Uno, Feeding Frenzy, Luxor 2, and Pac-Man. Microsoft refused to comment on the photo of the console.

No, you're not dreaming. Our beloved classic arcade game Joust by Williams Electronics really is going to hit the big screen. Intending to increase people's awareness of games, graphic novels, and toys, new production company CP Productions is out to take Hollywood by storm with a movie adaptation of Joust.

Will it involve flying ostriches, lava, egg eating and the works? Michael Cerenzie, co-founder of CP Productions, has this to say about how the film should turn out: "Joust is an arcade game that's as old as Pac-Man and has global awareness...We took one element of the game and the brand itself and built a whole new world around it for the film.

CP Productions isn't just going to create a movie, they intend to release a Joust graphic novel as well, which will serve to promote the movie. The graphic novel is written by Steven Elliot Altman of DC Comics and Dark Horse Comics fame, and will be based on the movie screenplay by Marc Gottlieb. Certainly sounds like a good move, especially since they intend to aim the Joust movie franchise mostly towards that gaming and graphic novel-reading market.

The description of the screenplay given by Cerenzie sounds promising: "Gladiator meets Mad Max". Christine Peters, co-founder of CP Productions said that the Joust movie is aimed at all movie-going demographic, so it's safe to say that gamers hailing from the 80's will also have a roffling good time in the movie along with the young'uns.

Will Joust as a movie take off like the ostriches in game? We certainly do hope so, if not for the sheer hilarity of it.

  

Time to see what the rumor mill's brewing and feeding down the grapevines - and surprisingly, it's something about the Xbox 360 Core SKU being repackaged as something else entirely. Good news or bad news? Find out as we give you the skinny on this little piece of next-gen gossip that's got everyone talking.

So, what's this about the Xbox 360 Core SKU? In a move that seems to mirror Sony's discarding of the US$ 499 PlayStation 3 package but with a different twist, it looks like Microsoft's rethinking how it should sell the barest bundle of the Xbox 360, which is its Core SKU. Say goodbye to the Xbox 360 Core, and say hello to the Xbox 360 Arcade.

Yes, Arcade. Whether it means the core being reduced to something that connects to Xbox Live to download games now and then, or it's an Xbox 360 built to be more affordable and accessible to a casual audience, we have no way of knowing. It seems a combination of the two, though, as it's reported to be sold at EUR€ 279, or US$ 376, with a free Wireless controller and five Arcade games. Here's the exact "rumor" post, from an alleged source over at Microsoft Belgium, verbatim:

The embargo just lifted on some news I got earlier. At an as of yet unknown date, the Core will be completely phased out and repackaged as the 'Xbox Arcade: Just Play' pack. It will come with 5 games (I assume Uno and Pac-Man are two since I believe I saw them on the box art shown), a 256 mb memory card, and will be priced at 279. I'm not 100% sure about this part, but my notes say it will have an HDMI exit, but no cable in the box.

While this may seem like a random move coming from Microsoft, it's actually pretty solid, as it gives the company a fighting chance against Nintendo's affordable console. The Core Bundle, packaged as a casual gaming machine, could get the folks who's currently stuck on what console to buy to consider the Xbox 360 as a legitimate purchase. But of course, these are all just rumors until we get the official word from the big M itself.

Updates as we get them.

What was hot for last week's Xbox Live Activity charts? Barring the usual domination of the top ten's regulars, one new game that's made an appearance is Shadowrun's full version, which replaces the OverLord demo at the #10 post.

New to XBLA this time around is the recently released Band of Bugs game at second place, and Carcassonne at number 5. Prince of Persia retains its throne at #1. We'll be keeping you posted when the list gets updated next week - we're curious to to see as to how the recently detected bug may have affected Forza Motorsport 2's rankings.   

Xbox 360 Top Live Titles (UU’s)

1. Gears of War
2. Forza Motorsport 2
3. Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Vegas
4. Guitar Hero II
5. Call Of Duty 3
6. Oblivion
7. GRAW 2
8. Crackdown
9. Shadowrun Demo
10. Shadowrun
    

Top Arcade Titles (Full Versions)

1. Prince of Persia
2. Band of Bugs
3. UNO
4. Pac-Man C.E.
5. Carcassonne
6. Worms
7. Castlevania: SOTN
8. Mad Tracks
9. Soltrio Solitaire
10. TMNT 1989 Arcade
    

Original Xbox Top Live Games

1. Halo 2
2. Battlefield 2: MC
3. Counter-Strike
4. Star Wars: Battlfrnt 2
5. Call of Duty 3
6. Madden NFL 07
7. Splinter Cell Chaos
8. Rainbow Six 3 BA
9. FIFA 07
10. Forza Motorsport