Facebook game unlocks content in Xbox 360 Crackdown 2 demo

At first glance, open-world Xbox 360 action title Crackdown 2 might not seem to have much in common with Facebook’s casual color-matching/target shooting game Chuck’s Ducks 2. But the new Facebook game is actually a promotional effort by Microsoft Game Studios that can be used to unlock content in the Xbox 360 game. Chuck’s Ducks 2 players that link their Xbox Live accounts to their Facebook profile can unlock a new difficulty level in the Crackdown 2 demo that hit Xbox Live earlier this week.

Microsoft Kinect: What does it mean for social games?

The more traditional video games world has been growing progressively more social in recent years. The Nintendo Wii has turned gaming from a solitary activity to a family affair and Microsoft’s Xbox Live has allowed gamers to connect with fellow joystick jockeys in ways that haven’t been possible before. Now Microsoft goes even more social with its new gaming device — Kinect.

PlayStation Move: Sony’s new form of social gaming

Nobody’s exactly sure when we’ll be able to check in on our farms and virtual mafia on the more traditional game consoles, e.g. the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, but all of these entertainment devices are still working toward creating experiences that are a little more social. Xbox 360 plans to launch a motion controlled game device called Project Natal this year, and on March 10, Sony introduced the PlayStation Move, a motion sensored control system that’s similarly designed to get people off the couch and playing games – together

Xbox game, Facebook game link together

An Xbox Live Arcade game launching today may be the first console game with an explicit link to a Facebook counterpart. Kotaku details how people playing Toy Soldiers , a 3D real-time strategy game on the Xbox 360, can link together with players of Match Defense: Toy Soldiers , a 2D match-three puzzle game on Facebook