The successor of the Xbox 360 has been in the rumor mills for sometime now, rife with speculations and expectations of what comes next after the durable gaming favorite.  Introduced in 2005, the Xbox 360 has clearly surpassed initial expectations.  Microsoft appears to be just taking its time in introducing its new product to take advantage of the remaining marketability of the Xbox 360.

The Xbox 720 is the eighth generation of the Xbox family.  The first official announcement about the product is expected anytime this month although the launching is scheduled on 2013 yet.  The manufacturer is said to be considering at least two brand names – Xbox Next and Xbox Loop.

Product choice will be limited to a pared-down system and a gaming portal with full features including Kinect.  The former will be offered on a much cheaper price than the latter.  Both consoles will run on Windows 8. 

Microsoft’s move in releasing another game console is expected because of the big success of Xbox 720’s predecessor.  Gamers were treated to a unique experience through more interactive games of better quality as well as a better-performing console.  Probably because of the positive experience, it appears that the gamers themselves are the ones wishing for the news about the coming of the successor to Xbox 360 to be true.  This is of course in anticipation of new things to come such as the use of the 3D technology on games. 

The eager gamers’ wish aside, industry observers see no urgent need for a next generation game console considering that the existing hardware being used is far from exhausted in terms of capabilities.  Every calculated move of manufacturers is just part of the waiting game between close competitors.  It should be fun to wait for the moves of Sony, Nintendo and Microsoft.

Game developers have long been aware of a winning formula to capture the attention of a wider range of audience which is to use a movie concept to create a familiar yet exciting gaming experience.  One of the latest to hit the market in the Xbox 360 platform is the  Lego Harry Potter: Years 5-7 .  It is easy to surmise that its predecessor,Lego Harry Potter: Years 1-4 , was fairly successful  in its effort to cross-over the the thrill of casting spells and making potions.  Like its movie counterpart, the game features the familiar characters, plot and series of story installments.  Add to this the equally familiar Lego concept of building, puzzles, and collecting, and you have another winner by virtue of association.

Notice that the development of games based on association relies heavily on the positive experiences derived from its origin of concept.  With this particular offering, we have a series of blockbuster movies and a home byword in the toy department providing able support to the featured new game.   Introducing the concept of the game which is usually the most difficult to sell is made less tedious by the prior exposure of consumers to its origin.  Developers basically just have to work on the existing popularity and try to live up to it and not disappoint.

The online support provided by the Xbox 360 format helps to create variations from either the book or the movie to provide enough surprise and interest in the game.  Reviews refer to the game’s simplicity as the probable reason why it can be addictive to play.  Simplicity does not mean lack of content and visual stimulation which games targetted on children cannot afford not to have. 

Xbox 360 gamers should look forward to February 10 because that is the day Darwinia+ is going to be released in the Xbox Live Arcade.

Darwinia+, which is developed by Introversion Software Introversion, is a digital theme world for artificially intelligent polygons by Dr. Sepulveda. The world is “housed” in a network of ancient Protologic 68000 machines from the 80s. where single-poly Darwinians that possess an elementary but evolving AI grow and evolve. Darwinians live, work and grow and even die, where their virtual souls are released and then reincarnated.

Darwinia+ is one of those hard to classify games that is bound to become highly addictive once you discover its many nuances. It will cost 1200 Microsoft points.

Without a doubt South Park is one of the greatest cartoons ever made. Its quirky characters and hilarious stories has made it a perennial favorite for both young and old viewers.

Now, Xbox 360 gamers can play as Kyle, Stan, Kenny, Cartman or any of the other zany characters in South Park Let’s Go Tower Defense Play. The new South Park game is an action/strategy game that will task you to defend South Park. Your characters will throw snow balls while strategically thinking how best to defend the town. Continuous play will be rewarded with unlockable content and characters that you can also view in your in-game scrapbook. Up to four players can team up on Xbox Live.

Get South Park Let’s Go Tower Defense Play for 800 Microsoft Points.

“South Park Let’s Go Tower Defense Play!” defends South Park on October 7th at 9 a.m. GMT (2:00 a.m. PDT).

One of the first games I played on my first PC was Worms. I loved turn-based strategic warfare that doesn’t lose its sense of humor. One of the more popular versions of the Worms game was Worms Armageddon, with its really nice maps.

New gamers will now get to play a new Worms game on their Xbox 360. Ten years after the release of Worms Armageddon, the Xbox will see a new game. Worms 2: Armageddon is being touted as the most featured packed version of the game yet. Playing Worms is so much fun with friends but with a PC, sharing a keyboard was just not so enticing (this was before the advent of the now de riguer online multiplayer). The Xbox 360 version will now offer four player online and offline multiplayer as well as voice support to really keep the heckling going. There will be new weapons added to the Worms arsenal too, but you can also expect the staple weapons that appeared in past games, including the powerful Holy Hand Grenade. There will also be new play modes, skins, hats, and speech banks to choose from. Of course, the single player game is no slouch either with a number of different play modes like deathmatch, race, fort games and puzzles.

You can get Worms 2: Armageddon for 800 Microsoft Points.