Dear Xbox LIVE members,

Since the beginning, Microsoft has made an investment in the security and safety of Xbox LIVE and created tools and monitoring practices to ensure it is a fun and welcoming entertainment experience for people of all races, nationalities, religions and sexual orientations. And thanks to this investment and the enthusiasm of community members like you, we’re proud to be the strongest and most diverse online community of its kind at 23 million.

The Xbox LIVE Terms of Use and Code of Conduct are designed to create a place where people can safely enjoy all of the ways to interact on our service, be it online multiplayer gaming, photo sharing, Netflix parties, or social games such as 1 vs. 100, without fear of discrimination or harassment. As the service evolves and our customers provide us with feedback, these rules evolve to incorporate new features or changes in how people wish to interact.

With that in mind, I’d like to announce an update to the Xbox LIVE Terms of Use and Code of Conduct which will allow our members to more freely express their race, nationality, religion and sexual orientation in Gamertags and profiles. Under our previous policy, some of these expressions of self identification were not allowed in Gamertags or profiles to prevent the use of these terms as insults or slurs. However we have since heard feedback from our customers that while the spirit of this approach was genuine, it inadvertently excluded a part of our Xbox LIVE community. This update also comes hand-in-hand with increased stringency and enforcement to prevent the misuse of these terms.

I truly believe that our diversity is what makes us strong: diversity in gaming and entertainment options, and diversity in the people that make up this amazing community. I look forward to seeing you on LIVE soon.

Jump in,

Marc Whitten
Gamertag – Notwen
www.twitter.com/notwen

If anyone has played EA’s stunning GOWIII action-adventure game, we are sure you are ready for some new awesome downloadable content! As of March 4th, 2010 EA will be releasing a new DLC entitled “Dark Forest”. This news was presented on the Dante’sTeam facebook page earlier today. Dark Forest will enhance the game by adding new relics, a new costume, and hopefully a lengthy prequel level that will tie us over until the second pack which is entitled The Trials of St. Lucia which is set to be releasing on April 29th, 2010. Here’s some screenshots that was taken of the new pack “Dark Forest’ today.

Today Microsoft and Turn 10 announced the widespread availability of four “Forza Motorsport 3” Game Add-ons, previously available only to those who purchased new standard and Limited Collector’s Edition copies of the game. Mobilizing millions of “Forza Motorsport 3” fans, Turn 10 is calling on all racers, tuners and artists to assist in the global relief effort for the victims of the earthquake in Haiti. For every purchase of the “VIP Membership Car Pack” during the month of March, Turn 10 pledges to donate $10 to Save the Children up to $100,000. So now you can enjoy more of the “Forza Motorsport 3” content you’ve been asking for, while also donating to an important cause.

Now available on Xbox LIVE Marketplace for 800 Microsoft points, the “VIP Membership Car Pack” gives you exclusive access and visibility in the “Forza Motorsport” community. You’ll receive special recognition on scoreboards, in multiplayer lobbies, on ForzaMotorsport.net, in the “Forza Motorsport 3” Storefront, and it places your VIP auctions at the top of the “Forza Motorsport 3” Auction House. VIP membership also includes these five must-have VIP Cars: 2008 Aston Martin DBS, 2009 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1, 2007 Ferrari F430 Scuderia, 2007 Lamborghini Gallardo Superleggera, and 2007 Porsche 911 GT3 RS (997). (IMPORTANT NOTE: VIP Membership is also available for FREE with an Xbox LIVE token included in new Limited Collector’s Edition copies of “Forza Motorsport 3.”)

Additionally, starting today on Xbox LIVE Marketplace, you’ll find other great “Forza Motorsport 3” track and car packs, previously only available to those who purchased a new copy of the standard or Limited Collector’s Edition of the game. These include:

“Sidewinder Proving Grounds Track Pack” (400 Microsoft Points) – Download and race on the updated classic Sidewinder Proving Grounds from “Forza Motorsport 2.” This track pack includes 18 challenging courses, designed with various levels of difficulty and set to test your technical driving mettle. Think you can top the leaderboards on Sidewinder? Prove it! (Also available for FREE with an Xbox LIVE token included in new standard and Limited Collector’s Edition copies of “Forza Motorsport 3.”)

“Benchmark High Speed Ring Track Pack” (400 Microsoft Points) – Download and race on the Benchmark High Speed Ring environment. This track pack is a veritable race day playground! Test and tune your favorite rides on the four-mile Benchmark Speedway oval or create epic Xbox LIVE multiplayer games of “Tag” and “Keep It Clean” on the massive wide-open Benchmark parking lot. (Also available for FREE with an Xbox LIVE token included in new standard and Limited Collector Edition copies of “Forza Motorsport 3.”)

“Motorsport Legends Car Pack” (400 Microsoft Points) – Fans of classic cars will be able to collect, customize, and race 10 of the most revered roadsters: 1965 Alfa Romeo Giulia Sprint GTA Stradale, 1964 Aston Martin DB5 Vantage, 1981 BMW Motorsport M1, 1960 Chevrolet Corvette, 1969 Dodge Charger Daytona Hemi, 1957 Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa, 1980 Fiat 131 Abarth, 1967 Lamborghini Miura P400, 1971 Nissan Skyline 2000GT-R, and the 1965 Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupe. (Also available for FREE with an Xbox LIVE token included in new standard and Limited Collector Edition copies of “Forza Motorsport 3.”)

Final Fantasy XIII producer Yoshinori Kitase has commented on the comparisons between the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions of the game, saying the only difference is the disc number.

“The development team created the PS3 version first, of course, but they didn’t alter the content at all in order to bring it to the 360.” said Kitase in an interview with GamingTarget. “It’s the exact same experience and the same gaming experience that they had set out to create is present on both the PS3 and 360 versions.”

He then added: “Graphics wise as well, they’re comparable there. There’s no difference there in the experience. And, I guess the only minor difference would be the fact that for the 360 version, you have to switch out the discs every once in a while.”

The game releases for both consoles next month.

Remember that review i wrote a few months ago about “The Passing” DLC for L4D2? Well, it’s finally here ladies and gents. Valve is showing the first downloadable content pack for Left 4 Dead 2, “The Passing,” at today’s X10 event. The new campaign is now aiming for a March release, the start of new content for the zombie apocalypse shooter.

In “The Passing,” players will meet up with the original Left 4 Dead’s survivors, Francis, Bill, Zoey and Louis, who will appear as non-playable characters. Valve’s Chet Faliszek told Kotaku that Left 4 Dead 2’s survivors will rendezvous with the original quartet later on in the campaign, and that they will aid Coach, Nick, Ellis and Rochelle in finishing the third map in the campaign.

That new add-on will offer an opportunity to see more of the original cast’s character traits, Faliszek said, storylines that will likely be explored in the Left 4 Dead comic book that will arrive after “The Passing.” That comic will be illustrated by Powers artist Michael Avon Oeming.

Then, about a “month or so” after that, Valve plans to release an add-on for the first Left 4 Dead, an episode that will tell the story of the original survivors’ journey to “The Passing.” That unnamed Left 4 Dead add-on will only be playable on the original game, not in the sequel.

Valve says it plans to release “The Passing” on Xbox 360 and PC in “late March” with more details on the Left 4 Dead downloadable content coming soon. This year is going to be pretty exciting for the Xbox 360 let’s hope they can keep this up with games like GOW3 and ect in store.