Midway's MLB SlugFest: Loaded, will be the first new title to take advantage of the new Live 3.0 features, we're told, when it launches next month. The June 21st debut will make MLB the first such game in North America, though with no European dates announced, it looks like the and the continent may have to linger a little longer for Live 3.0 action.

MLB will allow players to create, run and customise custom tournaments for up to sixteen players, negating the need for involving Microsoft's cumbersome XSN service in such arrangements.

"The SlugFest team has been working very hard over the past few months to integrate some of the great new features that has helped to successfully execute through the recent updates to Xbox Live," commented Matt Booty, senior vice president of product development at Amusement Games. "These new features dramatically increase the level of interaction when it comes to playing online, and we are proud to have MLB SlugFest: Loaded introduce them to the consumer."

By Luke Guttridge