Playing through a great single-player video game like 'Bioshock' can be a rich and engrossing experience, but when it comes to fun factor and laugh-out-loud moments with a few of your friends, nothing beats a great party game like, say, 'Guitar Hero World Tour' (pictured above). The party game genre, which generally includes a multitude of pick-up-and-play mini-games designed for four or more players, has been getting more and more popular as video gaming goes mainstream. To be honest, we've never before seen as large a collection of party-worthy games -- all of which are due by the end of the year (or early next) -- as were on display at this year's E3. Here are the ones we think you should unleash on your guests at upcoming parties:

Rock Band 2 - What more can we say about 'Rock Band 2'? The music game that took players beyond the guitar and brought a whole band to the genre (minus the pain of the inevitable breakup and eventual deafness) is back for an encore with 84 new songs from original masters by everyone from Devo and the Go-Gos to Talking Heads and Motorhead. Its developers also promise compatibility with "most songs" in the original game. It's not exactly a huge step forward for the franchise, but if you've played the first version, you're probably not looking for much. 'Rock Band 2' is hitting the Wii, PS2, PS3, and Xbox 360 this fall.

Guitar Hero World Tour - 'Guitar Hero' made rocking out with a friend while holding a little plastic guitar acceptable, and 'World Tour' will extend that basic premise to the whole band, à la 'Rock Band,' by adding drums and a microphone and letting several party guests participate at once. This was the most impressive looking music game at the Electronics Entertainment Expo, with new multiplayer modes (like battle of the bands) and extensive song-creation tools, as well as the addition of 85 new music tracks from artists like Metallica, R.E.M, and even David Lee Roth, to help this aged franchise maintain its kick. 'Guitar Hero World Tour' hits the Wii, PS2, PS3, Xbox 360, and PC too this fall.

You're In The Movies - Gamers are used to pushing buttons, of course. Lately, they've also become used to talking into microphones and waving their arms about to control games. Moving around in front of a motion-detecting camera, though, is still something many gamers are wrapping their heads around. After a few minutes with 'You're In the Movies,' though, and everything makes sense. The camera records you as you play through some silly mini-games like swatting flies or running in a race, then stitches recorded footage of everyone playing those games back together to make a little movie staring you and your friends. The one shown to us took the footage and made a '50s monster-movie complete with an overgrown iguana, with footage of us and the folks around us seamlessly integrated into it. The result is huge laughs for up to four players when the game ships this winter, but only if you have an Xbox 360.

Wii Sports Resort - 'Wii Sports' is a modern classic, and 'Wii Sports Resort' is a logical extension, taking you to a tropical setting and adding a handful of new games to the mix that make use of Nintendo's new MotionPlus add-on to amp up the sensitivity of the Wii controller. The full list of games hasn't been announced yet, but we eid get a chance to check out a sword fighting game, in which players have to knock an opponent off of a raised platform. It alone seemed to be a good sales pitch for the game -- it's a million times more responsive and bouncy than the lame attempt at boxing in the current 'Sports' title. And the Wave-Runner-esque game -- you see, the game takes place at a 'resort' -- was more immersive than anything else we've tried out so far on a home console. The only problem with this game is that it's not due until sometime early next year.

Rayman Raving Rabbids TV Party - The little Rabbids are back, and this time your butt gets into the action. Yes, you actually use your posterior on the Wii Balance Board to control one of these white-rabbit-like creatures on a snowboard (making for a nice workout!). Other games include a music dance game and surfing. Ultimately this is just another collection of silly little games on a console that's full of silly little games, but somehow those deranged little bunnies still crack us up. And you and your party guests will certainly have shapely behinds when you're done playing this one. This will be hitting the Wii and Nintendo DS later this year.

Wii Music - Nintendo made a big deal out of this musicgame when it announced it at the beginning of E3 this year -- the idea is that this game is easier to play than, say, the super-competitive 'Guitar Hero,' which can be intimidating for the average gamer. After playing it, though, we're thinking this one's only for those who are truly young at heart. Sure, the game boasts 50 instruments (everything from marimbas and saxophones to sitars and harpsichords) to play, but most don't sound particularly good. Unlike the other music games, which require a certain ability with pitch and rhythm, Wii Music simply asks you to hit random buttons and shake the Wii controller, which is only mildly rewarding. On top of that, there's no scoring and no winner, so it's certainly not much of a competition. Still, it might be fun for a bunch of inebriated party guests who're too out of it to focus on 'Rock Band.' 'Wii Music' drops this fall.

Our House - Another game angled toward younger gamers is 'Our House' from Majesco. In it, up to four players can use their Wii remotes or DS styluses to piece together an abode by dropping in furniture, painting walls, and getting upgrades to build faster than their friends. It's competitive, but in the end, all the gamers can enjoy the look of the new virtual house they built together -- before tearing it down and building a new one. The game hits the DS and Wii later this year.

Imagine Party Babyz - Get four toddlers in a room together in the real world and what do you get? A lot of pooping and screaming and running around, which to most folks doesn't sound like much fun. But in the world of gaming what you get is 'Imagine Party Babyz,' a little party title catering to the tween crowd of girls aged 8 - 14. They'll probably love this collection of challenges that has you playing as toddlers generally getting into mischief and playing games like red light green light while avoiding the gaze of their babysitter. Anyone outside of the tween demographic, though, isn't likely to be too into this one when it hits the Wii in a few months.

It's neck-and-neck but Nintendo looks to have just slipped past Microsoft in terms of total US sales for current generation game consoles. What's more, it's pulling away with a 3:1 sales lead for the month of June. NPD Group reports more than 666,000 Wii consoles were sold in June compared to 405,500 PlayStation 3s and 219,800 Xbox 360s. That makes for a total of 10.9 million Wiis sold in the US since it launched in November of 2006. Impressive. Even more so considering that Microsoft had a one year head-start to reach a second place position of about 10.4 million US console sales. [Source: Bloomberg]

Microsoft kicked off this year's Electronics Entertainment Expo (E3) -- the video game industry's biggest annual gathering -- with a pre-show conference on Monday, and made a number of announcements about extensions to the Xbox 360 gaming console. None were groundbreaking to say the least, but all-in-all, Microsoft looks to be making its console a much more appealing package -- and cheaper, too. Here are the highlights:

It'll be cheaper and have more memory - Actually, Microsoft didn't even mention this at its conference, but instead quietly announced on Sunday the discontinuation of the 20-gigabyte Xbox 360 model (which is being closeout-priced at $299) and the addition of a new 60-gigabyte model (which will cost $349). Besides holding more downloadable games, saved games, and TV shows and movies, the additional memory will be useful for.....

Game discs can now be 'ripped' and stored on the Xbox 360's hard drive - Now you can install your game discs onto the Xbox 360's hard disk drive. The advantages of these are somewhat crippled, to say the least, since you still need to get up and put the disc into the drive to play it (which verifies that you actually paid for and own a disc version of the game). Still, installed games will load load a lot faster than disc based ones and you won't have to put up with all that noise that DVD-ROMs make.

Now, there's even more HD content available for download on Xbox 360 - Microsoft is now calling itself the numero uno source for on-demand HD content, and announced the immediate download availability on Xbox 360 of NBC and Universal shows like 'The Office' and 'Battlestar Galactica,' along with films like 'The Scorpion King.' 10,000 shows and movies are set to be available for download this fall, but we're just psyched that, at last, we don't have to wait a whole season to watch brand new 'Battlestar Galactica' episodes in HD (previously only available on HD in reruns on Universal HD and on the now defunct HD-DVD format).

Instant Netflix comes to your Xbox 360 - We've been rather eagerly awaiting this one, and it's finally official -- Netflix streaming directly to the Xbox 360 is coming this fall. It'll be no additional charge for Netflix subscribers, which is great news. Essentially, it functions exactly like the recently released Roku Netflix box, which is standard definition only and is limited to whatever is in a Netflix subscriber's "Watch Now" queue. Still, that "Watch Now" queue has plenty of first-rate titles to keep any video nut happy.

The new Dashboard is nicer looking and easier to use - The Xbox 360's "blade" Dashboard (a.k.a. interface/onscreen menus) was innovative but, compared to Sony's clean and polished XMB menu system, looks a bit dated. Enter the new Dashboard, which is simpler, cleaner, and leaves room for the next big addition -- avatars.

Xbox 360's new 'Avatars' look an awful lot like Nintendo Miis - Yes, the 360 is taking a cue from the Wii and its Mii's, and adding avatars, in-game, animated representations of yourself that you can custom craft. Unlike a Mii, which is rather simplistic and has very limited options, the Xbox 360 avatars can have custom created bodies, with specific clothes, detailed hairstyles, and loads of other options (sort of like custom characters in many of today's games).. They'll apparently be making in-game appearances too.

'Final Fantasy XIII' is finally coming to the Xbox 360 - The latest edition of the biggest role-playing game franchise on earth is finally hitting Microsoft's console, and it will drop on the same day that it hits the PlayStation 3 in North America and Europe, which means Xbox 360 owners no longer have to feel like they're getting sloppy seconds.. That's quite a coup, and wraps up an understated but ultimately promising conference for Microsoft.

So that, in a nutshell, is what you can expect on Xbox 360 in the coming months. For a detailed recap, make sure to read through Engadget and Joystiq's Live Blog transcript from the conference.

Video games that get gamers off the couch are usually the most fun, especially when there are friends around to laugh at you (and, of course, to be laughed at in turn). Lately music games like 'Rock Band' and 'Guitar Hero' have turned non-seated gaming into an art form, and a new Xbox 360 game coming from Microsoft and Codemasters, called 'You're In the Movies,' could take it into the world of acting.

'The Movies' works with Microsoft's Xbox Live Vision camera and tasks gamers with competing in simple mini-games, like trying to swat a bunch of flies on-screen or run in place as quickly as possible. The games themselves aren't too exciting, but they're actually just a ploy to make you do silly motions on-screen. After a series of such challenges, the game takes the video it recorded of all the players and stitches it together into a short movie trailer. At today's press conference held at the annual E3 video games convention, we were shown an example made to look like a '50s monster movie complete with an overgrown iguana, with footage of you and your friends seamlessly integrated into it, no blue-screen required!

It looks like it could be a ton of fun for parties with dramatic-minded participants when it releases sometime this fall. Price wasn't stated, but expected it around the $60 mark including a Vision camera, which isn't a bad deal.

After months of speculation and rumors, Microsoft just announced that it's partnering with Netflix to allow Xbox 360 owners to stream movies from their Netflix queues for no extra charge. Microsoft says the 360 will be the only game system that allows Netflix access for no additional cost -- which isn't entirely accurate, since it sounds like only Live Gold members will get access.

Streaming movies can also be shared with your Live party, allowing you to watch content together. Users will have instant access to their Netflix instant access queues, but it's not clear what resolution the content will be streamed at -- we'd guess it's roughly the same DVD-quality res that Roku's Netflix streamer is getting for now, but hopefully that'll change when the service launches in the fall with the new dashboard.

For more news and up-to-the-second coverage from E3, head on over to Engadget and joystiq.

Microsoft just announced at E3 that they'll be giving the Xbox 360 a total software overhaul this fall. "When people turn on their Xbox 360s this fall, they'll get an entirely new interface and Dashboard, an entirely new Xbox through the magic of software," said John Schappert, head of Live services. New features will include those fancy new Mii-like 3D Avatars, a new emphasis on community with IM, video chat, and photo sharing, along with a brand new 3D slide interface for the main Dashboard screen.

Avatars will be integrated into your GamerCard, but you can also create a "Live party" and invite your friends, with as many as 8 of your three dimensional homies hanging out at once -- though you're not hanging out in an actual 3D environment. You can use your avatar in certain Live Arcade games like Uno, and even in third party titles such as the upcoming Scene It? title. It sounds like Microsoft is taking cues from the Wii, Sony's Home and Facebook all in one fell swoop, not bad at all.

For more images of the new Dashboard, check out Engadget's gallery.

We got this handy little Xbox 360 Pro cheat sheet sent to us by a GameStop manager, who also forwarded it to our BFF's at Joystiq, which pretty much confirms those widely-spread suspicions of a 360 price drop. It looks to be the very real deal, and is good news for the Xbox fanboy looking to at last populate every room in his house with the charming white box, now selling at that magical $299.99 pricepoint, with refurb'd 360s dipping to $279.

Obviously it's not happening until Sunday the 13th, but that should give you the requisite time to scrape together those pennies. Unfortunately, it looks like the $279 price on the Arcade isn't budging, but don't stop believing. More promo material after the break.

What gadgets do you always bring with you to the set (for down-time?)

In an ideal world I'd bring my Xbox 360, steal someone's Wi-Fi and play Halo 3 or Katamari Damacy all day, but then I'd never get work done. As it is, my laptop and my Bose headphones are usually enough.


What cell phone do you have right now and what do you love/hate about it?

I'm an iPhone convert. I'd been previously addicted to the keyboard on the Sidekick 3, but I've since been miraculously cured. Sure, there're a couple things that could be improved upon (I would LOVE a better motion stabilizer in the camera), and I certainly miss touch-texting, but mostly, I heart it. I heart it hardcore.


Who's the last person you sent a text message to and what was it about?

I texted my friend Tarina about the N.E.R.D. concert I went to yesterday. I'm still mostly deaf, and more than a little sore from dancing.


Where do you go (site or service) pretty much every time you get online?

Notcot.org, Geekologie.com, Wikipedia, NY Times, Dlisted.com. I also like to play Text Twist a lot, and I occasionally guiltily peak in on Perezhilton.com


What annoys you most about your iPod, cell phone, or laptop (or any other gadget)?

I gotta say, my Mac does occasionally like to play games with me, such as 'Hide the Dock', or 'Haha, random application quit'. However, I have dropped it a number of times. It could just be exacting its revenge.


Name one thing you wish your cellphone could do that it doesn't do now?

Cook, clean, pimp itself out to pay for it's own bills... However, if I'm being realistic (which I'm obviously not), I'd love a phone that had a laptop's memory capabilities. I have nearly 6,000 songs and I'm the digital equivalent of a pack rat. There's just never enough room for it all.


What upcoming gadget can you not wait to get your hands on?

I feel like I'm cheating on my iPhone already, but the new HTC touch pro looks might fine, though it's application icon design could use a little spiffing up. Otherwise, the next new game or console. I'm a videogame junkie. What'd you expect from a kid named after one?


You're stranded on a desert island: What gadget do you bring?

My laptop. At least I'd have music and movies for a while, and when it runs out of juice, it'd still make a mighty fine weapon.


What's the most-played song or artist on your iPod?

Tough call. I did make a playlist for a friend a couple days back with some of my favorites, current and everlasting:

Cry Me a River – Ella Fitzgerald
Glory Box – Portishead
ThickFreakness – The Black Keys
Set Me Free – The Heavy
Sinnerman (Felix Da Housecat's Heavenly House Mix) – Nina Simone
I against I – Jedi Mind Tricks
Just – Mark Ronson and Phantom Planet
Everyone Nose (All the Girls Standing In the Line for the Bathroom) – N.E.R.D.
This is the Thing – Fink
Bum Like You (alt. Version) – Robyn
Waiting for a War – The Morning Benders
Die Alone – Ingrid Michaelson
Romantic Rights – Death From Above 1979
The Birth and Death of a Day – Explosions in the Sky


BlackBerry, Sidekick, or Treo?

I never kiss and tell...especially not with my iphone within earshot!


Do you have an iPhone? Are you getting the new iPhone 3G?

Already have... though I may have to get the new one after people report back about it.


What's the longest time you've ever spent playing a video game in one sitting and what game was it?

God, I've easily spent 8 hours or more on Halo or Call of Duty in one sitting before (with breaks for food of course). Time well spent you ask me, though my ass may disagree.


Mac or PC?

Mac 17-inch Laptop. It's user friendly, has nifty applications, and a beautiful design. It's a handsome machine, I must say.

Sounds like that rumor about a new, smaller Xbox 360 coming next year might have a shorter life than a red-ringing console. Specifying the release of "slimmed down SKU in 2009", Microsoft representative let us know today that "While we don't normally comment on rumors like this, we can tell you that we have no plans to release a new console in 2009". Yep, rumor assassinated, just like that. Of course, there still exists the possibility that Microsoft's just playing coy to prevent a little bit of Osborne effect from creeping in during their heated battle with the PS3 -- but they did go out of their way to directly comment on the rumor, so take it as you will.

Amazingly, prerelease estimates of a $400 million first week for the latest edition of Grand Theft Auto turned out to be low, with publisher Take-Two trumpeting a 6 million unit, $500 million debut.

GTA in HD isn't without controversy however, with reports of overscan issues on older HDTVs (we've experienced it, with the last number or letter in mission descriptions sometimes running off the screen), and the PlayStation 3 version of the game not quite meeting our 720p expectations (although some say differences in textures and lighting more than make up for it).

Being "only" 640p didn't stop previous record holder Halo 3, and looking at the numbers, it appears that Rockstar has made the right moves as well, although we're sure some will wait for the inevitable PC version to run the game in as high a resolution as possible. [Source: Take-Two Interactive via Joystiq]

'Grand Theft Auto IV' (GTA IV)drops officially today, though if you stayed up late last night you may already have cracked open your copy (and be a little bleary-eyed at work or school this morning). We don't have any official numbers yet, but just about everyone is expecting that, by the end of the week, the game will have smashed the opening day sales records set last year by Microsoft's 'Halo 3.' That game sold $170 million in copies in a 24-hour period, and with 'GTA' hitting both the PlayStation 3 (PS3) and Xbox 360 on the same day ,it should easily best that.

If you're picking up the game and aren't quite sure where to begin, you're in luck: Joystiq has drafted up a primer for the game that will give you some history on the series, check out reviews from around the Web, and look at some pics of the people who did stand out in the elements last night for a chance to be the first to get hands-on with the game. That way you can feel like you were truly dedicated enough to be there for the launch while still getting a good night's sleep! [Sources: BBC and Joystiq]

The oft-delayed, eagerly-anticipated, and always controversial 'Grand Theft Auto IV' is just a day away from public consumption (less if you're hitting one of the many midnight launches tonight). But that doesn't mean that the lucky video game journalists of the world haven't been having their kicks with the game for the past few weeks and, with the press black-out lifted ahead of today's release, there's a veritable crush of reviews online to peruse today. If you had any doubt out whether to pick this one up, then reading any of them will get rid of that quickly.

Reviews were almost entirely perfect, with a string of 10-out-of-10 and 100% scores meaning this could be the highest scoring game of all time. IGN called the game "the American dream," raved about the graphics and fast load times, and said it delivered an immersive artificial world unseen anywhere else, giving it a perfect score in a whopping seven-page review. 1UP had much the same to say, talking about the game's "breathtaking vistas" and also laying on a perfect score -- despite complaining about a few minor flaws (repetitive car models and no mid-mission checkpoints to save your progress). Even the usually conservative Eurogamer gave this one a perfect score, calling it "miraculous" and indicating that it is the best written and most engrossing game yet in the series.

As far as the question of which version is best to play -- PlayStation 3 (PS3) or Xbox 360 -- the reviews seemed to show little preference. When there was any preference, the reviews tended to favor the PS3 version for its slight graphical edge, but ultimately leaned towards the Xbox 360's achievement system and promise of extra downloadable content in the future.

Regardless which platform you choose, it looks like you're in for some fun.

Lots and lots of gamers out there have been more than a little irritated by the Xbox 360's rather consistent problems with the so-called red ring of death. The bane of many a gamer's existence, the three red rings have been appearing after a few months (or years) after the Xbox is purchased and indicate that the console no longer works.

Microsoft did extend the warranty (twice) and is fixing the problem for free, but that wasn't enough for one hardcore gamer in Fort Pierce, Florida, who couldn't wait the 30 days for the repair. He demanded his mother order him a new one and, when she refused, threatened her with a knife.

The man, 19-year-old Roman White, had just been released from jail the previous Sunday, and is already back behind bars on charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.

From Newsvine and TCPalm

In the early days of the format wars between Blu-ray and HD-DVD, Microsoft seemed to be hedging its bets. It supported HD DVD by releasing an optional add-on for the Xbox 360. By not building the format into the game console it seemed to be saying "We like you, but we just want to be friends." It's possible that lack of commitment helped tip the battle to end the way it did, but since then everyone has been wondering one thing: when will MS offer a Blu-ray add-on for the Xbox 360? If a new bit of info from the always reliable "inside sources" is to be believed, it could be sometime this year.

The rumors about a Blu-ray drive for the Xbox 360 started right after Toshiba ducked out of the competition. Microsoft issued a denial, but it just seems like a matter of time before something is released. The difference about this rumor is that it doesn't point to an external add-on, similar to what MS released for HD DVD, instead for a wholly new version of the 360 that has a built-in Blu-ray player. This version is supposedly currently under development for a release sometime in the latter-half of the year.

True info, bogus rumor, or someone just predicting the inevitable? One thing is for sure: we'll find out sometime within the next eight months!

From Engadget

Related Links:

• It's Official: Toshiba Ducks Out of Format War - R.I.P. HD DVD
• Xbox 360 With Built-In HD-DVD Capability On Its Way?
• Free Fan-Made Games Hit the Xbox 360