Crackdown

Crackdown is an open world third-person shooter video game developed by Realtime Worlds and distributed by Microsoft Game Studios for the Xbox 360. It was released in North America on February 20, 2007, and worldwide by February 23, 2007. Crackdown was conceived by Realtime Worlds' founder, David Jones, who also created Grand Theft Auto and Lemmings.

Set in the fictional Pacific City, the player controls a biologically enhanced Agent, tasked with defeating three crime lords and their organized crime syndicates. The Agent's abilities improve by defeating both crime lords and their supporters, as well as by completing optional activities, such as street races and scavenger hunts. The gameplay is nonlinear: instead of following a rigid mission sequence, players are free to select the approach to completing their missions and activities. The game features a two-player cooperative play mode via Xbox Live.

Crackdown, initially planned for release on the original Xbox console, was envisioned as a vast world in which players could experiment and explore freely. Microsoft Game Studios bundled specifically marked copies of Crackdown with an access code to the multiplayer test version of the much-anticipated Halo 3 Beta. The game sold 1.5 million copies in its first six months of release. It received critical acclaim and has garnered several awards for its innovative gameplay. A sequel, Crackdown 2, was released in July 2010 by Ruffian Games without Jones' input, and a third title is planned for Xbox One in 2016, with support from Jones.

Sigma

Sigma (upper-case Σ, lower-case σ, lower-case in word-final position ς; Greek σίγμα) is the eighteenth letter of the Greek alphabet. In the system of Greek numerals, it has a value of 200. When used at the end of a word, when the word is not all upper-case, the final form (ς) is used, e.g. Ὀδυσσεύς (Odysseus); note the two sigmas in the center of the name, and the word-final sigma at the end.

History

The shape and alphabetic position of Sigma is derived from Phoenician shin 𐤔 .

Etymology

The name of sigma, according to one hypothesis, may continue that of Phoenician Samekh. According to a different theory, its original name may have been "San" (the name today associated with another, obsolete letter), while "sigma" was a Greek innovation that simply meant "hissing", based on a nominalization of a verb σίζω (sízō, from earlier *sig-jō, meaning 'I hiss').

Uppercase of esh

The uppercase form of sigma was re-borrowed into the Latin alphabet to serve as the uppercase of modern esh (lowercase: ʃ).

Crackdown 2

Crackdown 2 is a sandbox-style third-person shooter video game developed by Ruffian Games and published by Microsoft Game Studios. It was released on Xbox 360 in July 2010 and is a direct sequel to the 2007 video game Crackdown.

Gameplay

Brookes Brothers

Phil and Dan Brookes, otherwise known as the Brookes Brothers, are drum and bass producers from London, UK. The two brothers discovered a love for the more soulful sounds of drum and bass around the turn of the millennium, but it wasn't until 2006 that they gained public notice.

History

In 2006 they surfaced with "Portal" / "Desert Island" on Danny Wheeler’s W10 imprint. This was followed by "Verano", a collaborative effort with Nick Douwma, otherwise known as Sub Focus. In 2007, the Brookes Brothers were exclusively signed to DJ Fresh and Adam F’s label Breakbeat Kaos. Their first release was "Hard Knocks" / "Mistakes", receiving major radio support from Zane Lowe, Pete Tong and the Trophy Twins, as well as staple drum & bass DJ’s such as Andy C, Grooverider, and Adam F. The double A-side entered the UK Indie Chart at number 25. In 2007, collaborated with another rising drum and bass star, Culture Shock, creating the monster track "Rework". In 2008, the brothers continue to assault the market with a host of big tunes such as F-Zero, Gold Rush, Dawn Treader and Crackdown. They hold residencies in both Fabric and Herbal nightclubs, playing regular national and international DJ sets. Their self-titled debut album was finally released in 2011, under the label Breakbeat Kaos.

Electronic Entertainment Expo 2009

The Electronic Entertainment Expo 2009, commonly known as E3 2009, was the 15th Electronic Entertainment Expo held. The event took place at the Los Angeles Convention Center in Los Angeles, California. It began on June 2, 2009, and ended on June 4, 2009, with 41,000 total attendees

Major hardware announcements during the show included Microsoft's Project Natal and both Sony's PSP Go and PlayStation Move, while major software announcements included Metal Gear Solid: Rising, Halo: Reach, Final Fantasy XIV, New Super Mario Bros. Wii, Super Mario Galaxy 2,

History

The E3 2009 was greatly expanded in terms of size from the previous two years as it was reopened to all qualified computer and gaming audiences. In 2007, the E3 was restructured, downsized and renamed to the E3 Media and Business Summit. The move was widely criticized by those both within and outside the gaming industry. The following 2007 and 2008 E3 summits attracted very few attendees in contrast to previous years; E3 2007 attracted only 10,000 attendees and E3 2008 attracted 50% less, 5,000 attendees.