Gears Of War 2 Cheats - Xbox 360

Ever since the original Gears Of War was released, Gears Heads have begged for this sequel. Developed exclusively for the Xbox 360 by Epic Games, Gears of War 2, which has already garnered several awards, picks up six months after the events of the blockbuster original Gears of War.

You are tossed back into the role of Marcus Fenix, leading the battle for humankind’s survival against the Locust Horde. With new third-person tactical action gameplay and unsurpassed high-definition graphics, Gears of War 2 is a must-have game for the Xbox 360.

You must successfully complete the game to unlock the Insane difficulty.
# The bonus multiplayer skins

You must successfully complete the indicated task to unlock the corresponding skin in Multiplayer mode:

Anthony Carmine: Successfully complete Act 1 in the original Gears Of War (have any Act 1 achievement unlocked from that game).
Dizzy Wallin: Successfully complete Act 1 in Single Player mode.
Flame Grenadier: Successfully complete Act 4 in Single Player mode.
Kantus: Successfully complete Act 2 in Single Player mode.
Lt. Minh Young Kim: Find 10 COG tags in the original Gears Of War (have the “Time To Remember” achivement unlocked from that game).
RAAM: Defeat RAAM in the original Gears Of War (have the “A Dish Best Served Cold” achievement unlocked from that game).
Skorge: Successfully complete Act 5 in Single Player mode.
Tai Kaliso: Successfully complete Act 3 in Single Player mode.

# Your Achievements

Accomplish the indicated achievement to get the corresponding number of Gamerscore points:

Green as Grass (10 points): Train the rook (any difficulty).
It’s a Trap! (10 points): Story progression in Act 1, Chapter 2.
Escort Service (10 points): Story progression in Act 1, Chapter 4.
Girl About Town (10 points): Story progression in Act 1, Chapter 6.
That Sinking Feeling (10 points): Story progression in Act 2, Chapter 4.
Freebaird! (10 points): Story progression in Act 2, Chapter 5.
Heartbroken (10 points): Story progression in Act 2, Chapter 6.
Longitude and Attitude (10 points): Story progression in Act 3, Chapter 3.
Tanks for the Memories (10 points): Story progression in Act 3, Chapter 4.
Water Sports (10 points): Story progression in Act 3, Chapter 6.
There’s a Time for Us (10 points): Story progression in Act 4, Chapter 2.
Better Wrapped in Beacon (10 points): Story progression in Act 4, Chapter 3.
Have Fun Storming the Castle (10 points): Story progression in Act 4, Chapter 6.
And the Horse You Rode in On (10 points): Story progression in Act 5, Chapter 1.
You Are the Support, Son (10 points): Story progression in Act 5, Chapter 2.
Brumak Rodeo (10 points): Story progression in Act 5, Chapter 4.
Does This Look Infected to You? (10 points): Story progression in Act 5, Chapter 5.
Tourist of Duty (25 points): Complete all campaign acts on Casual Difficulty.
Guerilla Tactician (50 points): Complete all campaign acts on Normal Difficulty.
Artist of War (75 points): Complete all campaign acts on Hardcore Difficulty.
Suicide Missionary (150 points): Complete all campaign acts on Insane Difficulty.
Collector (5 points): Recover 5 collectibles (any difficulty).
Pack Rat (15 points): Recover 20 collectibles (any difficulty).
Completionist (30 points): Recover all 41 collectibles (any difficulty).
One-Night Stand (10 points): Complete 1 chapter in co-op on any difficulty (Marcus or Dom).
Open Relationship (30 points): Complete 10 chapters in co-op on any difficulty (Marcus or Dom).
Friends with Benefits (50 points): Complete all acts in co-op on any difficulty (Marcus or Dom).
Once More, With Feeling (10 points): Perform 30 perfect active reloads (any mode).
Takes a Licking (30 points): Melee 30 Tickers (any mode).
Organ Grinder (10 points): Kill 30 enemies with a cover mounted Mulcher (any mode).
Shock and Awe (10 points): Kill 30 enemies with the heavy Mortar (any mode).
Said the Spider to the Fly (10 points): Kill 10 enemies with a planted grenade (any mode).
Crowd Control (10 points): Melee 10 enemies down with the Boomshield equipped (any mode).
Smells Like Victory (10 points): Kill 30 enemies with the Scorcher Flamethrower (any mode).
Variety Is the Spice of Death (30 points): Kill an enemy with every weapon in the game (any mode).
Seriously 2.0 (50 points): Kill 100,000 enemies (any mode).
Standing Here, Beside Myself (10 points): Win 3 matches of Wingman (public).
Beat the Meatflag (10 points): Capture 10 meatflags in Submission (public).
It’s Good to be the King (10 points): Win 10 rounds of Guardian as the leader (public).
You Go Ahead, I’ll Be Fine (10 points): Win three matches of King of the Hill (public).
Back to Basic (10 points): Successfully complete the 5 lessons of multiplayer Training Grounds.
Party Like It’s 1999 (30 points): Play 1999 rounds of multiplayer (any mode).
Around the World, Again (30 points): Win a multiplayer match on each map (any mode).
Dirty, Dirty Horde (20 points): Survive the first 10 waves of Horde (any difficulty, any map).
Hoard the Horde (30 points): Survive all 50 waves of Horde (any difficulty, any map).
Crossed Swords (10 points): Win 10 chainsaw duels (any mode).
A Parting Gift (20 points): Kill 10 enemies with a grenade while down but not out (any mode).
Pound of Flesh (10 points): Use a meatshield to save your life 10 times (any mode).
Photojournalist (10 points): Submit a spectator photo.
Kick ‘Em When They’re Down (10 points): Perform all 11 unique executions on a downed enemy.

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X-Men Origins: Wolverine Cheats Tips Hints And Game Codes - Xbox 360

Your X-Men Origins: Wolverine Video Game Cheats, Tips, Hints And Game Codes for Xbox 360.

# Invincibility
While playing the game, press X, A(2), X, Y(2), X, B(2), X, click Right Analog-stick. If you entered the code correctly, you will hear a sound. Although you will lose health you cannot die.

# Infinite rage
While playing the game, press Y, X(2), Y, B(2), Y, A(2), Y, click Right Analog-stick. If you entered the code correctly, you will hear a sound.

# Faster enemy reflex
While playing the game, press A(2), X(2), Y(2), B(2), Y(2), X(2), A(2), click Right Analog-stick. If you entered the code correctly, you will hear a sound. You will gain double reflex with every kill.

# Classic Wolverine (blue/yellow) costume
While playing the game, press A, X, B, X, A, Y, A, Y, A, X, B(2), X, click Right Analog-stick to unlock Wolverine’s classic blue and yellow costume. If you entered the code correctly, you will hear a sound. Then, exit to the main menu, and switch costumes.

# 3D mode
Successfully complete the game on the Hard difficulty to unlock 3D mode.

# Hard mode
Successfully complete the game to unlock the Hard difficulty.

# Alternate costumes
Successfully complete the indicated task to unlock the corresponding costume:

Classic Wolverine (blue/yellow): Collect the two action figures of Classic Wolverine. Then, defeat Classic Wolverine in his challenge.
Legendary Wolverine (brown/yellow): Collect the two action figures of Legendary Wolverine. Then, defeat Legendary Wolverine in his challenge.
X-Force Wolverine: Collect the two action figures of X-Force Wolverine. Then, defeat X-Force Wolverine in his challenge.

# Easy “Found!” achievement
After you crash the jeep on the first level and continue, you will reach an area with a barricaded gate. Climb over the rocks, and go in. Defeat the enemies. Look for some boards over a small doorway off on one of the areas. Slice them up, and enter to find the hatch on the ground near the back corner and get the “Found!” achievement.

# Easy “The Cake” achievement
There is a part in the Sentinel factory where you must freeze yourself to get past a heat detector. Move a teleporter all the way to the right. It will go through the wall and enter a secret room. Teleport there to collect the cake that is inside and get “The Cake” achievement.

# Easy “WoW!” achievement
Go to the Alkali Lake section of the Frozen Tundra (before the Agent Zero fight). Immediately after the long road section with the shield troops is a fallen tree. Enter the forest that leads to a cave. Inside will be the sword and skeleton.

# Achievements
Accomplish the indicated achievement to get the corresponding number of Gamerscore points:

Getting Started (10 points): Killed 100 enemies.
A Day’s Work (20 points): Killed 500 enemies.
What I Do Best (30 points): Killed 2000 enemies.
You Can’t Hide (20 points): Lunged to 250 enemies.
Lunge (10 points): Lunged to 25 enemies.
Pounce (15 points): Lunged to 100 enemies.
Piggy Back Ride (10 points): Lunged to a W.E.N.D.I.G.0 prototype’s back.
Quick Killer (10 points): Quick Killed 1 enemy.
Efficient Killer (15 points): Quick Killed 20 enemies.
Perfect Killer (20 points): Quick Killed 3 enemies in a row.
Drop Dead (10 points): Killed 10 enemies by throwing them off high areas.
Apprentice (10 points): Raised One Combat Reflex to Master Level.
Samurai (25 points): Raised All Combat Reflexes to Master Level.
Mutant Lover (15 points): Raised one Mutagen to level 3.
Astonishing (20 points): Found 1/2 of all Dog Tags in the game.
Devil’s Brigade (30 points): Found all Dog Tags in the game.
Defensive (10 points): Performed 1 Counter move.
Untouchable (20 points): Performed 25 Counter moves.
Catch! (10 points): Killed 1 enemy with a reflected projectile.
Boomerang (20 points): Killed 25 enemies with a reflected projectile.
Aerial Assault (10 points): Performed 10 Air Grabs.
Ultimate Wolverine (15 points): Fought 4 W.E.N.D.I.G.0 prototypes at the same time and defeated them at Alkali lake.
Hot Potato (20 points): Light 20 enemies on fire.
Shotgun Epic Fail (15 points): Killed 25 Ghosts with their own weapon.
James Howlett (15 points): Performed a Wolverine to Wolverine Lunge.
WoW! (15 points): You feel cold as you examine the skeleton and read the name “Arthas” etched into the nearby sword.
Aerial Master (15 points): Got 6 enemies airborne at once.
Fully Loaded (35 points): Maxed out all upgrades.
Slice n’ Dice (15 points): Killed 6 enemies with a single attack.
Found! (15 points): You found a mysterious hatch.
Slaughter House (15 points): Dismembered 100 enemies.
Blender (25 points): Killed 200 enemies with Claw Spin.
Walking Death (50 points): Beat the game on Hard Difficulty.
Heightened Senses (20 points): Killed 200 enemies in Feral Sense.
Environmentally Friendly (15 points): Killed 10 enemies using objects in the environment.
Whatever it Takes (20 points): Killed 30 enemies using objects in the environment.
Bloodlust (20 points): Killed 50 enemies while in Berserker mode.
Weapon X (25 points): Killed 150 enemies while in Berserker mode.
The Cake (15 points): You found the cake, yummy.

Additionally, there are eleven secret achievements:

Bar Fight (30 points): Defeated Victor Creed (Sabretooth).
Spillway Escape (30 points): Escapes from Weapon X.
Helicopter Ride (30 points): Defeated David Nord (Agent Zero).
The Village (30 points): Completed the Jungle Mission.
Put up your Dukes (30 points): Defeated Fred Dukes (The Blob).
The Dead Pool (50 points): Defeated Weapon 11 (Deadpool).
52 Pickup (30 points): Defeated Remy LeBeau (Gambit).
Threading the Needle (15 points): Flew through the O ring in the Sentinel Boss Battle.
Fallen Sentinel (30 points): Defeated the Sentinel Mark.
Stick Around (10 points): Impaled Victor Creed outside the Bar.
Clean Up on all Aisles (10 points): Destroyed all objects in the grocery store fight with Fred Dukes (The Blob).

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PS3 will be $299 in April, analyst predicts, Xbox 360 cuts to follow; no change for Wii

Could the days of the $400 Playstation 3 be numbered?

So says financial analyst Michael Pachter, who predicted this week that Sony will trim the price of its cheapest Playstation 3 pack to a "more affordable" $299 in April, and that an Xbox 360 price cut will follow by June.

And the Wii? Don't hold your breath. "We expect Nintendo to maintain Wii pricing at $249 until the company sees signs that demand is slowing, which means a price cut may not happen until late in the year, if at all," Pachter said.

Like any analyst, Pachter, who is employed by securities firm Wedbush-Morgan, isn't always right, but he boasts a healthy hit rate at anticipating similar moves in the past, notably predicting PS3 and Xbox 360 price cuts in 2007. Don't expect official confirmation from either Microsoft or Sony, though: telling your customers about price cuts four months in advance tends not to be a very common strategy.

Ailing Sony, which is tipped to be about to post its first annual loss for 14 years, could well expect a significant sales boost if Pachter's prediction pans out. The Playstation 3 is heading into 2009 with a bumper lineup of upcoming exclusive games, including Killzone 2, Uncharted 2, God of War 3, and superhero-themed DC Universe Online, and a lower price point could well lend the console much-needed momentum.

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Fallout 3 Cheats, Codes, Hints, Tips

Hint: Infinite Caps (and more)

Here is a great way to earn seemingly infinite amounts of caps, items, repairs and ammunition.

Find any shop-based trader. The supply shop woman in Megaton is an ideal choice. She has some high value items that you would otherwise spend a fortune on, including all the stuff for your house and a schematic for the Rock-It Launcher.

1. Sell her any stuff in your inventory that you don't need and complete the transaction. This will boost the amount of money she has.

2. Find something in your inventory that you have two of, or that you have one of as well as her. Sell this found item to her.

3. Check that the two like items are of different values once they are in her inventory. The bigger the difference in value, the better and the lower the cheapest item is the better.

4. Now buy back the cheaper of the two like items and complete the transaction, but do not leave the trade session. Look for the item in your inventory. The game should have glitched and the item should have gone up in value dramatically and should be 100% repaired, even though when you sold the item initially it wasn't.

5. If it isn't 100% repaired for whatever reason, sell the item back to her anyway and repeat step 3-4, trying a different item if necessary.

6. From here, the game will remain glitched and you will be able to sell the same item high and buy it back low until you have drained her money completely. If you want, you can hold onto the item as it will be fully repaired - simply keep it on the final round which will leave her with a small amount of money.

7. Either sell the item back to her again once she is out of money, or if you are keeping it, sell her something else of high value and she will owe you that amount. The transaction price will go dim and remain at whatever amount of money she has left.

8. Search through her inventory and find stuff you need. Stimpaks, ammo, miscellaneous item, weapons and armor are all fair game. Eventually, the transaction price will light up again and you may owe her a few caps depending on how much of her stuff you added to the deal. Complete the transaction.

9. If you wait three days she will have new stock and around 350 caps. The longer you wait, the more robust her inventory will become and the more caps she'll have for you to take when you're ready to do this all over again.

Hint: Super Mutant Karma
If you want to earn infinite amounts of good karma, head to Big Town. If you go there at night, the town will come under attack from a Super Mutant raiding party. For each Super Mutant you help the few residents of Big Town slay, a small amount of good karma can be earned. Repeat this process as much as you want for the amount of good karma desired.

Hint: Save Your AP
Here's an awesome technique to save Action Points (AP) used in VATS. If you're feeling confident when fighting an enemy or group of enemies, simply aim at an enemy in VATS, but don't fire. You'll retain your AP but still be aiming at the part of the enemy's body in question that you were in VATS. If you shoot quickly enough, you should still strike the desired area without having to expend any AP whatsoever.

Hint: Infinite Good Karma in Megaton
Here’s another technique for infinite good karma. If you head to Megaton, you can find the church for the Children of the Atom, religious people who worship the undetonated nuclear bomb which Megaton is built around. There’s a priest who will be near the bomb or in their building. Talk to him and he’ll ask for donations. Give him donations, and you’ll get a positive karma boost. Do this as much as you want for as much karma as you desire.

Hint: Infinite Good Karma
Outside of towns like Rivet City and Megaton, you can find thirsty Wastelanders who ask you for Purified Water. Each time you give these guys a bottle, you will get a slight boost to your karma. Do it more and more, and you’ll gain more and more karma. You can theoretically do this as much as you want to any of these thirsty characters for as much positive karma as you desire.

Hint: Boosting Your Experience
Here’s a great (albeit cheap) way to gain lots of experience. Before you do anything that’s going to net you some experience (such as picking locks, hacking, et cetera), change the game’s difficulty setting to Very Hard. Then, hack the computer or pick the lock (or whatever). Successfully doing so on a harder difficulty level will get you more experience. You can also utilize this technique on mortally-wounded enemies to gain more experience from them as well. Just be sure to change the difficulty back to a more manageable level when you’re done!

Hint: Finding Dogmeat
If you want your character to have a pet dog in the game, then head over to an area known as Scrapyard, which is northeast from Megaton, just over the river. The dog is automatically named Dogmeat, and you can get him at any time, whether it’s early in the game or otherwise. The dog can attack enemies endlessly and cannot die.

An amendment from druidfire1: Dogmeat can die. Keep him healed using Stimpaks! Once he’s dead, he’s dead for good.

Hint: Unlimited Items
If you have a sneak rating of at least 60, you can attempt this infinite goods trick, which takes place at Fort Independence. Head to Fort Independence with a bunch of Scrap Metal in your inventory. Once there, speak with Protector Casdin and tell him you’ve got junk you’d like to give him. In return, he’ll offer up 5.56mm Rounds, Frag Grenades, RadAways, and Stimpaks, and you can choose which you want. Then, save your game (in case you fail the following) and steal your Scrap Metal back from the Protector. Sell the Scrap Metal back to him over and over again, thereby netting you infinite amounts of 5.56mm ammunition, Frag Grenades, RadAways and Stimpaks.

Hint: Super Mutant Behemoth Locations
The game’s five Super Mutant Behemoths can be found at the following five locations: Evergreen Mills, Galaxy News Radio, Jury Station, Takoma Industrial, and The Capitol Building.

Hint: Stowing Goods on Dead Bodies
Here’s another great technique, if you’re carrying too much stuff and find yourself encumbered. You know how you can search downed enemies’ corpses for the goods they carry? Well, you can also place your own goods onto the corpse. Since corpses tend to stay around after they die seemingly indefinitely (or, at least, for a good long time), you can drop presently unneeded items onto the corpse of a foe you’ve slain, and then go back at a later date to get your stuff back. This is a great way to never become encumbered.

Hint: Never Break A Bobby Pin
If you want to avoid breaking precious Bobby Pins when picking various locks in Fallout 3, exercise patience. If you’ve failed opening the lock on the first two tries, chances are a third try will break the Bobby Pin. If you back out of trying to pick the lock and then immediately reattempt it, however, your Bobby Pin’s strength will reestablish itself, giving you several more tries. Repeat this technique to never break a Bobby Pin.

Hint: Infinite Experience in Andale
To try this, you’ll need to have the Mister Sandman perk activated, which will mean you have to be at least at level ten. You’ll also need a sneak skill of at least 60. If that fits your character, then travel to Andale. Andale is full of kids that can’t be killed (killing kids in Fallout 3 is an impossibility). During nighttime, when everyone in Andale is sleeping, break into various houses and kill the kids while sleeping using the Mister Sandman perk. They won’t die, but you’ll still be rewarded experience for having killed them. You can then repeat the process over and over again for infinite experience points.

Hint: Free Evil Items at Paradise Falls
If you have bad karma (or don’t mind having even worse karma), head over to Paradise Falls, a place a group of evil slavers call home. To gain entrance without having to open fire, you have to be friendly with the slavers, which will give you an evil slant. But if you can do this, you’ll find a guy endlessly walking around the settlement (he’s usually at or near the bar, but can be elsewhere). When you get near him, he’ll stop you automatically, tell you he found some cool stuff on a recent raid, and give you some of what he got (it will be either some ammunition, Bottle Caps, or various aid items). After your first encounter, all you have to do is keep speaking to him to earn more and more free stuff.

Hint: Carrying Goods
Here’s an interesting way to avoid becoming encumbered by holding too much gear and too many items. Say you pick up a heavy piece of gear, like forty pound Power Armor, but when it’s added to your inventory, it makes you encumbered. Drop the item and then press the right analog stick (or corresponding button for PC gamers) to pick the item up and hold it in front of you. Since it’s being held and is therefore not part of your inventory, you won’t be charged for its weight and can get to where you need to go from there without being too encumbered.

Hint: Extra Inventory Space
If you’re running out of room in your inventory and don’t want to ditch any of your gear, consider trying to find a companion character. These companions can be found at various places throughout the world and will agree to join you on your journey (temporarily). You can trade equipment with these characters, which will allow you to dump your equipment on them, making you virtually unencumbered. Consider this option when you not only need help with bad guys, but help carrying your crap as well!

Cheat: Infinite Experience in Big Town
Here’s a glitch that will allow you to get infinite amounts of experience (as long as your Speech skill is high enough). Try the following steps:

1.) - Go to Big Town and find the NPC named Pappy.

2.) - Select the dialogue choice “You came here with Bittercup, right?” If this dialogue choice doesn’t show up, find Bittercup, exhaust all of her conversation chains, and then try speaking with Pappy again. ([Speech 100%] should appear next to the dialogue choice if your Speech skill is at its highest. If it’s not there yet, don’t risk trying to convince him. Speech failure will result in this glitch permanently disappearing.)

3.) - Selecting that dialogue option successfully will net you six experience points. Speak to him again and you can get the experience again. Repeat as much as you want for as much experience as you want.

Hint: Hacking Indefinitely
Here’s a great tip (though it will be obvious for some people).When you hack a computer in the game, you have four tries to hack it successfully. If you don’t hack it successfully on the fourth attempt (as in, you don’t guess the proper password), the station you’re trying to hack will permanently shut down. But if you only try three times and bail out of the process before trying for a fourth time, the password will reset, giving you three more options. You can do this indefinitely without risking shutting the terminal down.

Hint: V.A.T.S. Spotting
If you’re heading into seemingly-hostile territory or simply want to survey the area around you for enemies you might not yet see, try hitting the VATS button over and over again as you make your character turn around, searching all angles. Doing so will alert you to any enemies you may not yet see by zooming in on them in VATS mode. You’ll realistically be unable to do damage to your foes from such a distance, but it’s a good way to spot foes before they spot you so you know what you’re getting yourself into before the crap hits the fan.

FAQs & WALKTHROUGHS

Date	Item
22 Dec 2008	Bobble Head Locations
22 Dec 2008	Walkthrough/guide
3 Nov 2008	Tips & Tricks

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Why the Wii dominates and make fortune and other systems struggle

Better, brighter, faster games--and perhaps more profits--are in Nintendo's future

Hardcore gamers may still scoff at Nintendo's Wii for catering to casual gamers. But hidden behind its Clark Kent facade are some impressive financial muscles.

Nintendo rocked the gaming world when it brought out the Wii gaming console three years ago by turning an entirely new demographic of users on to gaming. Middle-aged and senior citizens stood in line to buy Wiis on the strength of games like Wii Fit, which audiences found more fun than workout DVDs.

To date, Nintendo has sold nearly 35 million Wiis, including 12.6 million in the U.S., Nintendo's biggest market. That's lower than Sony's PlayStation 2, which has sold 43 million units since 2000. But it's still pretty high for a console that, at launch, was technologically a generation behind its chief competitors, Sony's PlayStation 3, with 13 million units in users' living rooms, and Microsoft's Xbox 360, with 23 million units. This year, the Wii is expected to sell more than the best-selling PS2 sold in its best year, 2003.

Just as interesting as how Nintendo has changed the gaming world, however, has been its business approach. Nintendo sells games along the time-honored razor-razor blade model, namely pushing out the console and then enticing users to buy more games.

"More casual players aren't as likely to be attracted by hardware features, so it's all about delivering a fun, easy-to-use and addicting game experience," says Anita Frazier, toy and video game analyst at NPD Group.

Another factor in enticing those casual users is keeping its console cheap. "The key thing about Nintendo is they want their things to be at price points that anyone can respond to," says Hiroshi Kamide, director of research at KBC Securities Japan. Nintendo's strategy is to buy inexpensive components instead of making them in-house, allowing the Wii to sell for $260 while the PS3 costs $300.

But here's the winning point: Unlike its competitors, Nintendo has figured out how to make money from its console sales. Sony loses money on each Playstation sold. Microsoft might just break even. But every Wii brings in $6 of operating profit for Nintendo, says David Gibson, an analyst at Macquarie Securities.

Nintendo also sells 60% of Wii games itself, compared with 30% for Microsoft and 15% for Sony. Wii users are expected to buy the most games this year, 220 million, compared with 120 million PS3 games and 125 million for the Xbox 360.

The top three Wii games--"Wii Play," "Super Smash Brothers Brawl" and "Super Mario Galaxy"--are all Nintendo's own titles, but the top three for PS3--"Grand Theft Auto IV," "Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare" and "Assassin's Creed"--are all from outside developers, not from Sony.

By making most of its games itself, Nintendo risks sacrificing the chance to earn licensing fees from as many third-party developers as its competitors. It also prices games cheaper--at $50 versus $60 for the other two consoles. But so far the gambit has paid off: Wii locks in fans because many of its most popular games appear exclusively on the Wii. And Nintendo has a higher gross margin on game software than the others at 65%, compared with between 50% and 60%.

Those only-available-here games sell better than games that have been ported to other consoles because the Wii's unique features--the motion-sensor remote, for instance--make it hard to translate into other systems. PS3 and Xbox 360 games can be ported between those two systems fairly easily, but developers that want to make a game for all three consoles need a dedicated Wii team to write the Nintendo version.

Ubisoft's new "Shaun White Snowboarding" game, which shipped in late November, uses the Wii Fit motion board to simulate full-motion snowboarding; its Xbox and PS versions push online virtual snowboarding with friends.

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Ten games to keep away from your kids

The video game industry can breathe a sigh of relief. It won't have to hide its report card anymore.

The National Institute on Media and the Family, a conservative media watchdog group that has repeatedly criticized the game industry for failing to adequately warn families about inappropriate content, issued its 13th annual video game report card on Tuesday. And for the first time, the industry got nearly straight A's, receiving high marks in its ratings system and retail policies.

"This year the industry has improved its ratings enforcement and given parents new tools when choosing the right video game for their child," said NIMF president David Walsh. "That's a significant step in the right direction."

Significant is right. As recently as 2005, the NIMF gave the Entertainment Software Ratings Board a resounding "F."

The NIMF still points out one problem-spot: parents. This year's report gave parents an 'Incomplete' for not paying enough attention to ratings and failing to use parental controls built into game consoles.

To remedy the situation, the NIMF has red-flagged ten violent games concerned parents should keep away from the under-17 crowd this holiday, citing excessive bloodshed and brutality:
Blitz: The League II
Dead Space
Fallout 3
Far Cry 2
Gears of War 2
Legendary
Left 4 Dead
Resistance 2
Saints Row 2
Silent Hill: Homecoming

Notably, all ten are already rated M for Mature, so for once the industry and the watchdog are in agreement. On the flipside, the NIMF recommends these Teen-rated alternatives:
Guitar Hero World Tour
Rock Band 2
Rock Revolution
Spider-Man: Web of Shadows
Shaun White Snowboarding

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