X06 announces Peter Jackson partnering with Microsoft to build an "interactive entertainment series." Peter has some ideas for stories and Microsoft has game designers...

Peter Jackson is also working on the Halo movie so this commitment isn't too far off. Why is Jackson taking this route? He thinks stories are extremely important and there are "all sorts of ways to tell the story", he says. He believes the technology, now, as allowed creative stories and "interactive entertainment" can blend to build a single great product. Not just a movie, not just a game, but something greater.

What is Peter Jackson's first game working with Microsoft? He didn't state exactly but he did say it will be based on the Halo theme and will be worked by Bungie. It will not be Halo 3 nor will it be Halo 4. It will be a new Halo series with a good story being told by Peter Jackson.

Not only did Peter Jackson get a huge cheer getting on stage at X06 but he announces more Halo content? Lastly, they throw around the word "interactive entertainment" and how Peter Jackson is spear heading this movement. How Wiicentric of them to use Nintendo's new marketing strategy.

Microsoft apparently wants a piece of the "interactive entertainment" arena and plans to come at Nintendo in full force. They may not have a new crazy controller but they have something that may be more powerful and more intimidating: A proven storyteller.

Nintendo may have a new wiz-bang controller - Microsoft has a creative storyteller with years of experience and a few hit movies under his belt. Let the games begin!

Though initially thought of as a roll of the dice, bringing games to Microsoft's Xbox Live Arcade is proving to be a sure bet. Seeing the opportunity the service presents, several publishers are jumping on board in attempts to part casual and retro gamers from their cash.

The latest to do so is Sierra Entertainment, the sub-brand of Vivendi Games that publishes F.E.A.R. and Scarface: The World Is Yours. The company today announced that it is bringing two games to Xbox Live Arcade--Assault Heroes and 3-D Ultra Mini Golf Adventures.

Both games are being developed by Wanako Studios and are set to be released sometime this winter. No pricing on either game has been announced.

Assault Heroes is an action game that puts gamers in the combat boots of an elite Special Forces soldier as he looks for a secret underground lab. Gamers will be able to drive an armored 4x4, pilot a speed boat, or go on foot as they shoot their way through enemies with weapons such as flak cannons, flamethrowers, and grenades. The game's cooperative mode supports up to two players, offline or online, on the same screen.


Take a wild guess which game this is.

3-D Ultra Mini Golf Adventures is (surprise) a miniature-golf game featuring 36 holes of diminutive links. The game supports up to four players in its multiplayer mode, though Sierra did not say whether the game supported online play. The 36 holes are spread across three themed courses--Classic Theme Park, Old Western Ghost Town, and Wacky Science. The game also features a customizable course editor for aspiring greenkeepers.