On Twitter (in Japanese), Odashima compared the upcoming game to an earlier model, Soulcalibur 2. He explained that – just like SC2, each attack will have its own “level”, relating directly to its priority. Unlike SC2, the SC5 model will be more subtle, however.

Then, in a move certain to get Namco Bandai a little hot under the collar, Odashima – unprompted – revealed that the company is “thinking of releasing past SC series as DLC”.

We’re not sure if that’s DLC packs for SC5, standalone games or something else – but, when Namco want us to know, I’m sure we’ll find out.

“I’ve enjoyed every Battlefield game I’ve ever played,” Jaffe wrote in an exclusive statement.

“I was very excited to get today’s EA and DICE email that reminded me that I would have access to the Battlefield 3 beta come September (access I gained from buying last year’s Medal of Honor, another game partially developed by DICE that I also really enjoyed).”

Jaffe had made comments about E3 footage of Battlefield 3 shown on GameTrailers, which showed a tank battle from the perspective of a turret, as not being enough evidence alone to label the game winner of everything forever. He was promptly accused of professional jealousy and besieged on Twitter and forums.

Now, the outspoken designer has explained that his comments were addressed at the general trend of treating graphical performance as the be-all and end-all, and not at Battlefield 3 in particular.

“My tweets were not complaining about the current well-deserved hype that Battlefield 3 has earned,” he protested.

“I have no issues with mega-hype that is based off amazing graphics and the trust that a great developer has so deservedly earned from its fans over the years.”

“My point was that based on that clip of gameplay alone, calling Battlefield 3 GAME OF THE SHOW and hyping it for anything other than the amazing visuals, was irresponsible and damaging to the medium because saying a game that looks amazing but doesn’t seem to have evolved beyond an arcade game from 1980 is the same as saying, ‘We don’t care about the play experience, we just care about visuals.’

“Do I think (and almost know for sure) that DICE is going to put out another amazing game in the series, regardless of how it looks? Of course they are. That was never my point. And I have no issues with mega hype that is based off amazing graphics and the trust that a great developer has so deservedly earned from its fans over the years.”

Jaffe was actually quite effusive in his praise for the game.

“I never said the game was not a dazzling beauty of a game that represents the current visual state of the art for games (because it does). And I never said the EA/DICE team members responsible for creating those amazing visuals (as well as the street battle visuals that I saw on the show floor) did not deserve all of the accolades I would hope they have been receiving (because they do). And I never said the game doesn’t deserve the hype that has come from the amazing visuals in that game (because it does).”

Although social media has granted developers greater accessibility to fan feedback, it has also increased the speed in which misinformation can spread, and Jaffe seemed quite rueful on the matter.

“You’d think when you’ve been taken out of context and out and out misquoted as much as I have, you’d learn to share nothing of yourself with the internet other than happy and positive and useless statements that have been processed and spit shined via the PR machines of the world. Alas, I’m either an idiot (likely) or just stubborn (for sure) cause I keep getting nailed by this stuff,” Jafe wrote.

“You’d think when you’ve been taken out of context and out and out misquoted as much as I have, you’d learn.”

“I’m hopeful that VG247 has a magic bit of web code that allows certain people’s reading comprehension to increase when they come to the site, cause lord knows, they missed the point when I was tweeting about it.”

Jaffe’s latest game, Twisted Metal, is a PlayStation 3 exclusive due in early October. Battlefield 3 drops on PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 later in the month.

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CBC reports that approximately 62,000 accounts were compromised, with most stemming from the United states, although many other countries are listed on the report.

LulzSec has the information posted on its website, and the report states that some Twitter users have claimed to have used this information for purposes ranging from the nefarious, to borderline gags.

The hacker group posted the file with the pertinent information of the 62,000 users on file sharing sites, which quickly removed the information, but not before it was downloaded “thousands of times,” according to LulzSec.

Microsoft has responded to the situation, stating to Joystiq that Xbox Live was not compromised to the best of it’s knowledge. The firm said that logins and passwords were “released at random.”

“This group appears to have posted a list of thousands of potential email addresses and passwords, and encouraged users to try them across various online sites like Xbox Live in the event one of the users happens to use the same password and email address combination,” said Microsoft. “At this time we do not have any evidence Xbox Live has been compromised. However we take the security of our service seriously and work on an ongoing basis to improve it against evolving threats.”

You can read up on this more through the links.

• Some lucky fans got to play Star Wars: The Old Republic. Apparently, they liked it.
• BioWare marketing director David Silverman has asked Twitterati whether they’d like a trailer featuring FemShep trailer for Mass Effect 3. Hash tag, @, and cast your vote!
• While you’re there, give your opinion on the possibility of a FemShep trailer competition.
• One of The Gunstringer’s bonus features will be Mystery Science Theatre-style commentary. Cool.
• Nexus has announced a new thief class for Dungeon Fighter Online, which is headed to Xbox Live Arcade some time soon.
• Here’s a genuinely awesome browser adventure game written, voiced and illustrated by a five year-old girl.
• Sonic Free Riders is now available via Games on Demand.

Today’s unrelated street art.

• Left Behind Games announced today that it will release four sequels and five new titles across a variety of platforms during 2011. Prepare for the Rapture.
• Chris Delay, co-founder of Introversion (Darwinia, Defcon) has posted a dev blog on a hobby project inspired by Minecraft.
• Sega has released a Yakuza 4 video showing off some of the locations and activities you’ll find in Kamurocho.
• Microsoft has won awards for its customer service program via Twitter, and now Sony is following in its footsteps.
• Net week, Rock Band 3 is getting tracks from OK Go, The Police, and War. Spill the wine, take that pearl, etc.
• Sterne Agee analyst Arvind Bhatia reckons Activision could net $200 per user should it monetize the Call of Duty franchise.
• Austin, Texas will be home to the Game Investment Conference on April 13. It will bring developers and investors together to discuss new IP.
• Proof that folks get crazier the further you head north, Minnesota’s former governor, Tim Pawlenty, believes a CoD-like distance learning program could cut overhead at colleges, saving students money.

The Feast will run for ten days and feature several unique opportunities and modules, including “waltzes with devils, quadrilles with Duchesses”, and player interactions including gifting and chances to “tryst by moonish light”. Ooh.

Echo Bazaar is an interactive-fiction style RPG lite, with surprisingly unobtrusive social network features via Twitter and unnecessary micro-transactions. Set in an alternate reality London which has literally fallen into the underworld, it sports a mystifyingly rich canon and some superb writing.

Developed by the indie FailBetter Games, Echo Bazaar is still in beta after a year, and is constantly adding new content.

It’s Mass Effect 3, says Sony Russia. Apparently.

If Sony Russia’s official Twitter account is to be believed, Bioware’s big VGA 2010 reveal is nothing other than Mass Effect 3.

Here’s a rough translation: “The company Bioware for premium VGA showed a teaser in which we can see the first shots of Mass Effect 3.”

Bioware’s released a whole lot of clues teasing its secret VGA reveal earlier in the week. We got an image and teaser trailer, and even cryptic messages hidden in Quickmarks.

Yesterday, Eurogamer posted another binary string from the developer’s Facebook page, and when translated it displays the URL for the British Secret Intelligence Service, MI6.

Rumours suggested may be a Mass Effect multiplayer spin-off.

We will find out on December 11 when Bioware officially reveals what it is at Spike’s VGAs.

Feeling lucky today? Want in to the Killzone 3 beta? Today might be your day, boy.

Guerrilla’s just posted up on the Killzone website its going to give 300 beta codes to random Twitter users in a giveaway later this afternoon for the Killzone 3 beta.

150 for SCEE, 150 for SCEA users. Simple as that.

There’s more instructions through here.

The beta proper kicks off next Monday, October 25.

Killzone 3 releases next February for PS3.

Joe Fisher, producer at Vicarious Visions, has said Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock will be the first title on Wii offering Twitter and Facebook support.

Speaking during and event for the game in San Fransisco this week, Fisher said Warriors of Rock on Wii will also include special awards you can tweet about as well.

“We’ve done a lot in the online realm this year,” he told attendees (via Nintendojo). “We are the first Wii title to support social networking sites, with Facebook and Twitter.

“When your friends do accomplishments in the game, you can broadcast those to your friends as well as to social networking sites. We’ve also incorporated a Wii award system, so when you do specific challenges in the game, you get credited for an award. You can share those with your online friends as well.”

Good for the Nintendo crowd then.

Warriors of Rock is out September 24 and 28 in the UK and US, respectively.

A demo for the game is now available on XBL.

Thanks, GoNintendo.

According to a Microsoft PR, over 10 million Xbox Live users have used Twitter, Facebook, last.fm, Zune Marketplace and Sky Player.

That’s over half of the now confirmed 20 million users that populate Xbox Live.

All of the services mentioned were announced at E3 last year bar Sky Player, which got announced just before it.

They went live in the first week of November, except Sky Player, which went public just before it in the third week of October.

However, the service was pulled at launch after being crippled by demand. It’s since gone back live.

Minors outside the US can now use Facebook and Twitter via Xbox Live, according to The Major.

Microsoft has released an update allowing the use of the services, as long as parental permission’s given.

The system has to be set in a way afterward, though, so parents won’t have to worry about punching in a code every time their child logs in.

US youngsters can start abusing the services on December 15.

More through the link.

Just Add Water’s Gravity Crash is out on PSN today, and to celebrate, the UK dev’s giving away one single, awesome copy on Twitter. Don’t say Sony doesn’t do anything for you.

Want it? The code’s going to be given away on Twitter at 5pm GMT. All you have to do is follow @jawltd and be first in input the code when it goes live. Doddle.

More detail here. If you don’t win, you should just buy it. It’s wicked, and costs £6.29. Like, dur.

Microsoft has told CNET that at least 2 million Xbox Live users logged into Facebook through Xbox 360 in the week since the two services were integrated, and that half a million Last.fm accounts were created in the first 24 hours of availability.

No figures have been released on Twitter use through 360, but according to a rep, there have been “tweets from nearly every market where we have Xbox Live.”

A tenth of all Live users have accessed Facebook through 360 in a week? Amazing scenes.

All through there.

After the break. It’s basically Twitter, without loads of the normal functions, on your TV. Christmas may only come once a year, but for you, friend, it’s early in 2009.

Guess what the video’s sample tweet is?

Microsoft released Facebook, Zune Video, Twitter and Last.FM for Live earlier today.

Nelson’s confirmed that Facebook, Zune Video, Twitter and Last.FM are now available on 360.

Facebook and Twitter should appear automatically on your dashboard in the new My Community channel. Zune Video is in the Video Channel and Last.FM should now be found under the Music Channel.

Get ready for 50 billion Tweets saying, “Tweeting from my 360.” A great day to look forward to.

According to Mr Nelson, tomorrow‘s Twitter, Last.fm and Facebook 360 update won’t be an update at all: it’s all going to happen by magic.

“When we turn on the new features tomorrow they’ll just appear! No need for a system update,” said the exec.

That’s just freakin’ freaky, man. Now, if only Microsoft could master the sorcery involved in allowing people to open Twitpics and links from 360′s version of Twitter, we’d all be spellbound.

Shutup, Pat.

As if you need any reminding, Microsoft has released a press release which details the big dashboard update for the Xbox 360 tomorrow.

Facebook, Twitter, Last FM and Zune Marketplace are all coming to the 360 tomorrow. Go play about with them from tomorrow morning.

The PR itself is after the jump.

Come Join the Largest Social Network on Your TV! Facebook and More Are Coming Soon to Your Xbox 360!

Xbox 360 continues to deliver the leading games and entertainment experiences.

REDMOND, Wash., Nov. 16 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ –

What: Unlock a world of friends, entertainment and games from the comfort of your couch, displayed on the best screen in the house, using Xbox 360 and Xbox LIVE. Tomorrow, Xbox LIVE members around the world will have their Xbox 360 console transformed and plugged into the best value in home entertainment, with access to Facebook, Twitter, Last.fm and Zune video with instant-on HD, all right in their living rooms.

* Facebook.(2) Update your status to share what movie, game or entertainment you’re enjoying, connect with friends, and view their Facebook stream, status updates and photos on the big screen — all seamlessly integrated and custom-built for Xbox 360. You can even compare your Xbox LIVE and Facebook friends lists to see which of your friends are on Xbox LIVE.
* Zune. Zune video on Xbox LIVE offers a full-fidelity experience with instant-on HD in 1080p and 5.1 channel surround sound. No waiting for downloads or buffering, it’s there at the press of a button. You can also share the experience with up to seven friends through voice chat and Avatar integration on the TV screen — it puts a whole new spin on movie night.
* Twitter.(2) Stay in the know by discovering, posting and replying to tweets right on your Xbox 360. You can even view friend profiles, trends and conversations, or search to see who’s tweeting about your favorite game.
* Last.fm.(2) Discover more music and explore endless personalized radio stations with Last.fm on Xbox 360. Skip, “ban” or “love” tracks to create your perfect mix. We’ve even built in “Gamer Stations” with game-related types of music selected specifically for the gaming community. (Available in the U.S. and U.K.)

Don’t have an Xbox 360 console? Now, more than ever, Xbox gives you great ways to stay connected and share fun and entertainment, starting at $199 (U.S.).

Why: Microsoft is continuing to evolve Xbox LIVE to bring more games, more entertainment and more social experiences all from a single device. As a Gold member on Xbox LIVE, you get access to Facebook, Last.fm and Twitter, providing you with a pipeline of content that is always being updated and refreshed. For just over $4 per month, Xbox LIVE Gold Membership is hands-down the best value in home entertainment.

When: Launching on Nov. 17

(1) Xbox LIVE Gold Membership and Netflix unlimited subscription plan required for Netflix instant streaming. See Netflix Terms of Use for details about Netflix service.

(2) Xbox LIVE Gold adult account required to access these features. Xbox LIVE Gold Memberships are just over $4 (U.S.) per month.

Did you see that date? Our eyes weren’t playing tricks on us back in October after all now, were they?

Xbox Live general manager, Marc Whitten, has confirmed to FastCompany that the dashboard update which includes Facebook, Twitter, and Last.FM will go live on Tuesday, November 17, which means come next week – you’ll be able to convert Facebook friends to Xbox Live contacts.

“We look at things like Facebook and Twitter as amazing social experiences, but also entertainment,” said Whitten. “We didn’t want to copy and paste from the PC.

“It’s going to be great for current users, but it’s also great for new users who can see who is on Facebook and get their first 30 friends on Live.”

The date is pretty fitting since it’s a MASSIVE day in game releases: Assassin’s Creed II, Left 4 Dead 2, God War War Collection, AssCreed DS & PSP Bundle, LBP PSP, The Sims 3 expansion World Adventures, RE: Darkside Chronicles, Toy Hawk: RIDE, Lego Indy 2, etc.

Maybe November 17 should be declared an international gaming holiday, because you know nobody will go into work that day.

Looks like Xbox 360 users under the age of 18 cannot use Twitter on Xbox 360.

Apparently, this goes for the whole Dashboard update that includes Last.Fm and Facebook as well, until parental controls allow it.

Here’s the official word from the Major himself:

As some of you might be aware, those under the age of 18 are not able to access Twitter, Facebook and Last.fm in our public preview. I want to you let you know that this will remain the case when it launches to the world soon. We made this decision because as it stands now, parents aren’t able to use Family Settings to customize which of these applications their children can access. In order to offer an age-appropriate environment for everyone, we decided to turn off these applications for those Gold members under the age of 18.

As expected, this has been a hot topic with the preview users. We want to make sure everyone was aware, however, that the development team is working on an update that gives parents the choice of which social applications their children can access. This means that Xbox LIVE members between the ages of 13 and 17 will be able to use Facebook, Twitter and Last.fm as long as their parents approve. The team hope to roll this out several weeks after launch and I will update you on the exact date as it gets closer.

Here’s the link.

Robert Bowling has explained to Develop that Twitter was a very important tool in creating Modern Warfare 2.

Not only was it used as a sounding board for ideas to be submitted to the community, but also used as a direct line to the customer and press alike.

“I try to be very transparent on Twitter with the game development and what’s going on with us. I communicate with our Twitter followers the same way I’d communicate with my office buddies,” he told the site. “So if something happens I just throw it out there and opinions come in and we converse.

“Also during development, if we are sitting in a design meeting and we are arguing about something, no matter what it is I can just turn to what is now 60,000 [now 66,308] people and post the same question.

“‘Do we think will players like this?’ well why don’t we ask 60,000 of them and get a good representation of what we think they may like. Twitter has been fantastic throughout development, and I would recommend many, many more people adapted that into their design schedule.

“We listen to all of it. And then you have to filter out what fits within our design philosophy and what doesn’t. Some suggestions are really good but they’re just not good for our game. But some of that stuff can be inspirational. So maybe this exact feature they’re suggesting doesn’t work for Call of Duty, but maybe the end result they’re looking to get out of it, maybe that does. And some ideas go in directly, and some are used for inspiration.

“It is why I started the Twitter account in the first place. I have direct line to our audience and the press. Many editors will follow me, and they can direct message me and I can clarify things. There is no middleman. We are responsible for what we say and what we do, and we can be held accountable for our successes and failures.”

Loads more through the link.

Microsoft’s Major Nelson has sent word (via Twitter, naturally) that invites for the New Social Networking Experience preview program will be along shortly.

“The preview schedule: We close sign ups later today and (if all goes well) send first wave of notification emails Friday,” he said.

And that’s all he wrote.

Kotaku’s posted up three videos of the forthcoming Twitter 360 update being put through its paces. Watch them all after the break.

There’s a movie there of Twitter and Facebook being used, one of Last.fm being trialled and another of stuff that didn’t work properly. Like 1080p streaming.

The update’s happening next month.

Microsoft has announced that you can now sign-up for the Xbox Live Update Preview program.

It’s to preview features such as Zune, Facebook and Twitter.

To get in on the fun, you have to sign-up with Microsoft Connect and fill in the appropriate information.

It’s open to all Xbox Live Members in regions where it’s available whether they be Gold or Silver members, but priority will be given to Goldens.

Once the Xbox team reviews all of the applications, if you’re selected, you’ll be sent an email notifying you of your acceptance in the program.

Loads more information can be found via the Major.

Well, isn’t this a surprise.

Microsoft has removed all trace of the November 17 date that was on the Xbox website over the weekend for Facebook, Twitter and Last.fm.

The website now just lists autumn 2009 for the update.

We’ll email Microsoft about this for comment.

Oh, by the way, before we forget: we’re on Twitter in case you didnt know.

Microsoft has announced that its Facebook, Twitter, and Last.Fm update for Xbox Live will launch November 17 in the UK.

This was spotted on the UK Xbox website.

The public Beta is still slated for gold members during the middle of October.

No word on if the US is getting the services the same day or not, but we’ll send MS a mail so that come Monday, it’ll be waiting for them in their in-box.

Joystiq has posted a video demoing Twitter, Facebook, and Last.Fm for Xbox Live.

The vid was taken during the Microsoft Open House event yesterday, where the fall Xbox Dashboard Update was previewed.

Go on and watch past the break.

Microsoft announced during its Open House event today in NYC that a public Beta for Facebook, Twitter and Last.FM integration on XBL will launch later in the month.

Jennifer Puzio-Brookes, entertainment manager for Xbox, revealed the update during a behind-closed-doors session, stating the Beta will land during the “middle-towards-the-end of October.”

Invites to certain members of XBL will be handed out along with early access to the new features for members of the press.

More through MTV Multiplayer.

You may well have been swamped with Twitter updates from journalists playing Uncharted 2 pre-release. You may have found it annoying to receive a tweet every time people finish a chapter. Naughty Dog clearly think so too: it’s canned the feature.

Said dev boss Evan Wells on the PS Blog:

We’ve seen some concern about the frequency of updates for those choosing to use UNCHARTED 2: Among Thieves‘ Twitter support. Some reviewers have had early access to the game and selected the option to update their Twitter accounts as they completed each chapter of the game. This has resulted in some Twitter feeds being updated multiple times an hour. We obviously want to provide the best experience for everybody, so for the time being we’ve disabled Twitter updates on chapter completions. The option will still exist in the menus when the game ships on 10/13, but if activated, it will do nothing.

The feature’s going to be reinstalled at a later date with frequency limits. We’re saying nothing. Full thing through the link.

Nelson just confirmed that Xbox 360′s firmware will be upgraded today in preparation for the inclusion of Facebook, Twitter and Last.fm functionality.

“Sometime over the next few hours when you sign in to Xbox LIVE you’ll receive a prompt to accept this mandatory update,” said the exec.

“If you are signed into LIVE already, you may be signed out and asked to accept the update and you’ll be back online in a few moments.”

No features are included in the update. Thanks, TheDutchSlayer.

Update: There are reports of not being able to connect to Live after updating. Super Nelson’s fixing that shit, yo. Thanks evilashchris, Blerk.

Update 2: Sorted.