Shock, Shock, Horror, Horror, we have a story to prove that shows that Microsoft apparently knew about the defects in the Xbox 360 before its launch. While it may come as a surprise to many, it doesn't sound too crazy to think that MS would do something like this. According to reports on 1UP a report from VentureBeat's Dean Takahashi, who is the author of books such as Opening the Xbox and The Xbox 360 Uncloaked , has said that Microsoft knew about the issues the Xbox 360 was having before launch but refused to delay the release further in order to beat their competitors to the market. It looks as if the major issue came from Microsoft not only rushing the design process to get the console out first but also from the fact that once the major design was locked down, they continued to try and cram in a ton of last minute ideas, essentially making the console more and more fragile. President of Microsoft's Entertainment and Devices division, Robbie Bach thinks that being first out the door was still a good idea in the long run, saying that: "If you take the question of whether it was the right thing to try to be first, the answer to that is definitely yes," "It has given us a leg up in a number of places that are super important. It has given us a leg up with game developers. It has given us a leg up from an economics perspective. It helped us expand Xbox Live quickly. At a strategy level, if you asked if we wanted to be first again, I would say yes. It's easy for me to go back and say, if I knew what would transpire over the next two years, would I go back and do something different, I think that's an obvious answer. But the fact is, based on the data we had at the time and all the hard work we put into it, there was no way to see what actually happened." As you all know it has cost Microsoft over a billion US dollars to extend warranties for the RROD issues that many have experienced with their consoles, so Mr. Bach must really think that it was well worth it to have their console out first. Although he does admit that they would have done things differently had they known all that they know now. Good for you, Microsoft. I am glad that your business is doing well but what about all the people that have experienced tons of issues and inconveniences due to your wonderful decision.

I don't know what's up with all these developer diaries but I am glad to see more about Dead Space. This game has definitely had a boost by the fact that Resident Evil 5 has been confirmed to only be a 2009 release and also that Silent Hill: Home Coming is receiving little to no attention at all. I have had my fill of scary games lately but this is unfortunately looking really good so I might have to go and buy some more diapers. The zero gravity elements look like they can make or break this game, so they had better get it right. Dead Space will be available on October 27 for the PC, PS3 and Xbox 360.

It seemed pretty clear to me from the word go that Brothers in Arms is not quite the same as games like Call of Duty and Medal of Honour. It definitely takes a pretty different approach, especially with regards to the command system so I don't know if I should think of it as the same type of game. When not looked at as a contender to COD, I think that this game is shaping up quite well. I never really got into the previous BIA game but this could hold my attention a lot more. The new gore system in this game is pretty crazy, but at the same time its something that I feel necessary and to be quite honest it's about time that we see something like this. If you haven't yet watched the video or can't at work, let me explain. When soldiers are hit with explosives the gore system will try and simulate any dismemberment or damage caused by the blast (and will usually slow down to show the gory details in slow motion). "Brother without Arms" maybe? While I think that the slow motion camera is pretty unnecessary and hopefully optional, I find that it is more engrossing to see effects like this because it captures the severity and realism of explosive weapons in a realistic light. The video also goes on to talk about the use of tactics as well as what they have done to engross the player in the experience. Check it out, it may just be your cup of tea.

Great news for Castle Crashers fans. Behemoth have posted an update on their sites blog saying the following: "We just got off the phone with Microsoft and we had a great talk about updating Castle Crashers, YES!! Looks like we’re on our way to getting this title update out and the bigger issues like saving and online connectivity resolved, in addition to other bugs that have been reported." They suggest that anyone currently experiencing issues should try and host games instead of join them, although that didn't work for me when I tried it out. So when can we expect the update? "We just got off the phone with Microsoft and we had a great talk about updating Castle Crashers, YES!! Looks like we’re on our way to getting this title update out and the bigger issues like saving and online connectivity resolved, in addition to other bugs that have been reported." Well even though we don't know when it will be available it looks like it will be ready fairly soon and then we call all finally enjoy a 4 player online experience.

This isn't the first time I have reported about something like this. You may remember that I posted an article about an Xbox 360 setting fire to a house in the United States back in April of this year. Well, this isn't quite as bad but it still leaves Xbox 360 users something to think about. The Cochrane Times in the UK report that an Xbox has caused a family to evacuate their house after not being able to locate the source of a burning plastic smell. After choosing to evacuate his wife and children, homeowner Cliff Chudleigh called the fire department to come and do their thing. It seems that the source of the smoke was an Xbox 360 console inside a cabinet. Luckily there was no fire as it was only an electrical short, but it still makes me a bit nervous to think that my console might do the dance of fire when I'm not home. As always, it is a good idea to unplug all of your electronic equipment before leaving the house, especially when you are going to be gone for an extended period of time.

Activision announced today that that the multiplayer betas of COD:WAW are going to be hitting the Xbox 360 and PS3 in October. If checking out maps from Europe and the Pacific as well having a look at the games new squad system, perks and kill streaks sounds like your thing then you should definitely check it out. If you are an Xbox 360 user you can go now to www.callofduty.com and register to be apart of it all. There are currently no more details on the PC beta or when and how you will register for it. You may also be wondering where the PS3 beta is. There is no news whatsoever about the PS3 version at the moment. With no indication of whether or not it will actually become available. When asked about it, Activision said: "We'll have more details on the betas in the near future." What exactly is that supposed to mean? I guess we will just have to wait and see.

The people from Megarom have supplied us with a brand new trailer of Midnight Club Los Angeles. This trailer shows off a bit of the features that will involve car customisations and such. I haven't played a Midnight Club since the second one and I paid no attention to the DUB edition either. This one on the other hand is a different story, it's looking pretty interesting at the moment and the Grand Theft Auto 4 engine is doing a really good job from what I have seen so far although it does make the game look fairly similar in its visual style. Then again, that may not be a bad thing at all.

The Xbox 360 achievements for Fallout 3 seem to have been leaked and are now available for your viewing pleasure on Achieve360Points.com. Spoiler warnings are required though as achievements often reveal plot points or gameplay secrets…  Last Updated: September 4, 2008