[06.14.16 2016] Xbox E3 Briefing - everything you need to know

Microsoft

With the 2016 Electronic Entertainment Expo well underway, it can be overwhelming to keep up with all the news pouring out of the conferences. In case you do not have the time or opportunity to watch it yourself, here is a recap of everything you need to know from the Xbox Media Briefing on June 13, 2016.

Phil Spencer started out with a nice, brief message and moment of silence for those affected by the tragedy in Orlando.

The show opens with a video officially announcing the new Xbox One S. It is 40% smaller, has a 2TB internal HDD, integrated power supply, HDR Gaming, 4K Ultra HD video, and Blu-Ray. It also comes with a new, redesigned Xbox One controller featuring increased range and new grips. The whole package comes in white for $299 starting this August.

Phil Spencer invites Rod Fergusson, The Coalition’s Studio Head and Gears Co-Creator, takes the stage to announce that “Gears of War 4” will be one of the first in the Xbox Play Anywhere program – where an Xbox game gets you a Windows 10 PC version that syncs progress and achievements. It will also support cross-play in every game mode! Laura Bailey, the voice of Kait, shows off some gameplay. The game looks great. There are some noticeable visual upgrades since the beta. New weapons and enemies are shown off. Gears is Gears- and that is not a bad thing. An October 11th, 2016 release date confirmed, followed by a video teasing a Gears version of the Elite controller that will be available for pre-order.

“Killer Instinct” community manager, Rukari Austin takes over. He thanks the community and totes some of the accomplishments of the games. After reviewing some of the awesome characters that have joined the roster, he reveals the next guest character. General Raam, from the “Gears of War” series, is coming to “Killer Instinct,” and he is available free to play this week.

Next is a video teasing a new Forza game, “Forza Horizon 3.” Ralph Fulton, from Playground Games creative director, makes the official announcement and shows off the gameplay. As is to be expected from any Forza title, the game looks phenomenal. It also boasts the largest open world they have ever created and the most extensive car roster (in the Horizon series). The game will feature a 4-player co-op campaign for the first time. It releases September 27, 2016.

A new video for the Microsoft exclusive “ReCore” shows off gameplay for the first time. It also introduced the cast of characters. The visuals seem to have taken a small hit from their cinematic reveal trailer – but then again, what cinematic reveal trailer has not made promises it could not keep? It is also, presumably, still a work in progress as the game does not launch September 13, 2016.

Hajime Tabata, Director of Square Enix, shows of “Final Fantasy XV” via a game demo. Much like Gears is Gears; Final Fantasy is Final Fantasy. Mathew Kishimoto, the Senior Product Marketing Manager, plays the demo after providing a small backstory. The game looks great, and the demo shows off a three-way battle with a massive Titan and an opposing army. Kishimoto boasts the “fast and fluid battle system which has never been achieved in any of our past titles.” After the demo wraps up, a September 30, 2016 release date is revealed.

Ubisoft shows off new content for “Tom Clancy’s The Division,” dubbed the “Underground Expansion.” It has randomly generated missions, more urban combat, and lots of neon lights. It is coming first to Xbox starting June 28.

Patrick Bach, General Manager of DICE, shows off “Battlefield 1.” He expressed the team's desire to bring a unique experience from World War I. The game will feature destructible environments, a wide variety of vehicles and weapons, and dynamic weather to ensure no battle is the same. Bach says the Battlefield series will be “more immersive than ever before.” He then announces an October 21, 2016 release date, with an early release on October 13, 2016 for Xbox One members with EA access. The trailer looks stunning and shows off a variety of gameplay and huge set pieces. Oh, also some explosions, explosions, and explosions.

Mike Ybarra, head of platform engineering takes the stage. He discusses the growth of Xbox Live and promises ever-growing expansion, including more live servers closer to where gamers are, resulting in a faster, more reliable network. There are also new features coming this summer, such as Background Music, Cortana, and Language Region Independence, which allows you to choose a preferred language regardless of where you live. Xbox Live is going to be on all devices – Xbox, Windows PC, Android, or iOS. Ybarra then announces three highly demanded features are coming soon. The first is “Clubs on Xbox Live” – communities you can go back to (like groups on Facebook). With this comes “Looking for Group on Xbox Live” – it helps you find people for specific games and specific goals. Last, competitive gaming gets a nod with “Arena on Xbox Live” – a new tournament platform that allows you to discover, register, and compete all in one place. He also promises that EA is bringing their biggest games to Arena… “in the coming years.”

The “Minecraft” team takes the stage as Saxs Persson and Lydia Winters discuss cross-play across devices (including iOS) via “The Friendliest Update.” It will feature dedicated servers, known as “Realms,” so friends can play in your world even when you are not online. John Carmack from Oculus shows off the Oculus VR version of “Minecraft,” which is… exactly what you would expect it to be. Also, texture packs are immediately available on Pocket Edition and Windows 10 edition, with add-ons – essentially regulated mods for animals and mobs – coming this Fall. Reams can be tried for free with an Xbox account on a phone, tablet, or Windows 10 PC.

Next up, a video shows off customizable and personalized Xbox One controllers, promising “8 million ways to make it yours.” The Xbox Design Lab is online now at Xbox.com/XboxDesignLab and is taking pre-orders now.

An ominous trailer teases a new game from Playdead, the makers of Limbo. Much like its predecessor, it has a unique style, but it is difficult to say what the game is really about. “Inside” is launching June 29. Chris Charla, Director of ID@Xbox, takes the stage and announces that Limbo will be free to all today as a celebration of Playdead’s announcement. Then a video rolls showing a variety of ID@Xbox titles coming soon – including the highly anticipated “Cuphead,” “Slime Rancher,” “The Culling,” and many other titles. Charla notes the massive accomplishments of ID@Xbox program, specifically with “Ark: Survival Evolved.” Anyone who purchased it on Xbox One will get it free on PC this fall (as part of Xbox Play Anywhere). Charla finished by announcing “Slime Rancher,” “The Culling,” “Everspace,” and “Day-Z” specifically as titles coming to Game Preview soon.

A new game shown off by Guillaume Provost, the Creative Director & Founder of Compulsion Games. “We Happy Few” has a Bioshock vibe and looks equal parts creepy and awesome. It is set in a dystopian, alternate-universe 1960s where everyone in a small British town takes drugs to make them forget terrible things that happened during the war. The main character refuses to take his pills and suffers from horrible flashbacks, causing him to black out. You then find out that the townspeople apparently don’t like it when you do not take your drugs. After an all-too-short gameplay demo, it announces that “We Happy Few” is coming to Games Preview on July 26, 2016.

CD Projekt Red Lead Designer, Damien Monnier, announces “Gwent – The Witcher Card Game” as a stand-alone title with cross-platform multiplayer and a full single-player campaign mode. It will feature skill-based gameplay centered around the same core mechanics and a nice visual upgrade with a wide variety of cards to acquire. The better you play, the better your rewards. “Gwent” will have a closed beta coming September 2016 – exclusive to Xbox One and PC. You can register at PlayGwent.com.

Bandai Namco Entertainment teases a new fighting game that flows right into gameplay demo. “Tekken 7” includes an all-new story mode that, much like this demo, seamlessly transitions from cutscenes to gameplay. Look for it to ship in early 2017. To celebrate, “Tekken Tag Tournament 2” is available via backward compatibility and will be completely free for Xbox Live users this week only.

Christmas in July - er, June? Actually, it is a teaser – complete with snowfall in the auditorium – for “Deadrising 4,” which has Holiday 2016 release window. It looks pretty goofy, entertaining, and bloody. Basically, “Deadrising 4” is all the absurdity you could hope for from a Deadrising title backed by the power of the Xbox One.

“Scalebound” gameplay is shown off by Hideki Kamiya, Creative Director at PlatinumGames. It is the biggest boss-fight PlatinumGames has ever made. “Scalebound” is an impressive looking game – very colorful, very smooth. Great, natural-sounding banter from the character adds to the authenticity. The demo shows off the game’s co-op battle mechanics and looks like a blast. What’s not fun about fighting with Dragons? It will be part of Xbox Play Anywhere sometime in 2017.

Cue the trailer with a dreary sea chantey and smoke machines. It is Rare onstage with “Sea Of Thieves.” Studio Head Craig Duncan talks about Rare’s “most ambitious game yet” and it is a rich, open-world experience. A world premiere of gameplay is shown off, composited from the experiences of a few fans who got to play the game first. They were grouped up, then set off into the world with no tutorials or explanation. As expected, they had some issues, and one group failed their first battle, but they all had a blast exploring the world and just doing pirate things. “Sea Of Thieves” was confirmed to be a part of Xbox Play Anywhere, but no release date has been announced despite being expected to arrive sometime this year.

A trailer for another Xbox One/Windows 10 exclusive rolls, showing a few people mowing down zombies in an old T-bird before getting out to take on the horde. It is “State of Decay 2.” The game certainly looks good, but probably suffered from debuting so close to “Deadrising 4.” However, those looking for a more survival-oriented experience in this genre will certainly be happy.

Next comes a cinematic trailer with all-to-familiar game assets. It is “Halo Wars 2” with a breathtaking trailer, reminiscent of the highly acclaimed “Halo 3 Believe” ad campaign. No real gameplay is shown off, but the experience is magnificent. Dan Ayoub, studio head of Strategy Games at 343 Industries takes the stage to discuss the new title. The game launches February 21, 2017 as an Xbox Play Anywhere title. Better yet, the week-long beta launches NOW! Now a glimpse of the gameplay is shown off in a second smaller trailer.

Phil Spencer returns to the stage and recaps the conference. He discusses the launch of Xbox 15 years ago and teases “exciting, new opportunities on the horizon.” He states that the next step is to support true 4K gaming and high-fidelity VR. A video plays toting a new console that “the developers asked us to make.” The powerhouse features eight CPU cores, 320 GB/S Memory Bandwidth, and six teraflops of GPU power for true 4K gaming resolution. Project Scorpio is the next edition coming to the Xbox Family during Holiday 2017. All games and accessories will work across every Xbox One, Xbox S, and Project Scorpio console, so “no one will be left behind.” Phil Spencer then goes on to say that they believe it will be the most powerful console ever to be released.

The conference closes out with a montage trailer recapping all of the amazing games shown off during the event, and the 2016 E3 Xbox Media Briefing is over.

[06.15.15] Everything you need to know from the 2015 Xbox Media Briefing [E3 2015]

Microsoft

It has been quite the week leading up to E3 2015 with a steady stream of incredible reveals, leaving you wondering, “What exactly will there be to announce at E3?” From the “Fallout 4” reveal, the return of rhythm gaming, and YouTube taking on Twitch; the gaming industry is charging full speed into its biggest week of the year. Fortunately, the fun hasn’t stopped. After a great E3 kick-off courtesy of Bethesda, Microsoft starts off the console wars with their incredible lineup of announcements, and here is everything you needed to know about the 2015 Xbox Media Briefing, live from E3 2015 on Monday, June 15.

The conference begins kicks off with a montage of games, including Tomb Raider, Halo, Forza, Gears of War, and many other games. Bonnie Ross, Studio Head at 343 Studios, welcomes everyone to the conference. She starts off with, none other than, “Halo 5 Guardians.”

A new reveal trailer plays, featuring voice-overs from many characters. It introduces the storyline from many different angles, including Master Chief’s, Buck’s, and even the Covenant. It then moves into a gameplay demo. The player is playing as part of the ONI team, fighting off the covenant. Taking the role of Spartan Locke, they gather intel on the area, finding Master Chief’s assault rifle. Lots of explosions, running through the facility – everything is very much “Halo,” just prettier. The player shows off the ability to command other team members to attack a covenant ship followed by the Spartan’s new unique abilities.

Some new characters are shown, including a soldier version of the Promethean race and the gameplay demo ends. It then returns to a montage of game highlights, including a brief glimpse at the new bosses. The launch date of Oct 27, 2015 flashes on the screen and Josh Holmes takes the stage.

Holmes says this is the most ambitious “Halo” game yet. A massive, two story campaign and multiplayer maps 4 times the size of anything previous. “Halo 5” multiplayer goes by a new name – “War Zone.” The multiplayer demo will be on the show floor this week and looks to be a much larger scale team game, 24-player possibilities.

Now it’s time for an Xbox Exclusive World Premier. From Keiji Inafune and the makers of “Metroid Prime,” a unique looking adventure game. A desert environment is shown and the protagonists has a robot dog following it around. It has a very Pixar-like style. The female protagonist and her dog face off against some robot spiders, and the dog detonates himself to save the girl. All that is left is a crystal power core, which she then places in another dormant robot, bringing it to life. She possibly indicates it’s the same “dog” she just had, but in a new body. The title “Recore” is revealed with a Spring 2016 launch window. It will likely be an Xbox exclusive

Phil Spencer takes the stage, confirming that “Recore” will be an exclusive, new, first-party franchise for Xbox One. He discusses the vision for Xbox One and how Xbox continues to invest in delivering the best experience for Xbox gamers. He’s also wearing a shirt under his jacket which is just barely visible. He then reveals Xbox One has backwards compatibility! Something that wasn’t previously thought possible, now available Natively on the Xbox One. It’s part of the vision for creating the largest game library on Xbox One.

Mike Ybarra, Head of Platform Engineering, shows off backwards compatibility, including over 100 titles coming this holiday. It will support both digital downloads – which should automatically start showing up soon – as well as retail games. He then plays “Mass Effect” on Xbox One, showing that the game plays like the Xbox 360, but will utilize Xbox One features – such as screenshots or game streaming and DVR. It’s available immediately for preview members and will be available this holiday for others.

Spencer returns to the stage to talk about the “Xbox Elite Wireless Controller” coming this fall. It will have “swappable” components and “limitless customization,” essentially creating the ultimate first-party “pro” controller designed for Xbox One and Windows 10. It’s absolutely beautiful.

Todd Howard, Bethesda Game Studio’s head, takes the stage, yes on Xbox’s conference. Howard is discussing “Fallout 4,” possibly hinting at exclusive content? He’s discussing the importance of freedom in the game and is revealing more gameplay content. He goes over much of the information revealed at Bethesda’s conference, just more summarized. He also reveals a new weapon, a type of musket, and more survivors are discovered. It gives off a very “Walking Dead” kind of vibe… only futuristic and with powersuits. Howard calls it the “most ambitious game-world we have ever created” while a montage of action sequences and environments are shown off. Howard than teases a big announcement, revealing that PC Mods can be shared and played, for free, on Xbox One.

Peter Moore, COO of EA, takes the stage, mentioning his happiness with backwards compatibility and then talking about EA Access, the $5/month service only on Xbox One which gives you early access, and many games for a low price. Like always, EA titles will be released early for members and games in the vault will be rotated and can be played unlimited, and players will get discounts. All of this is repeat news. Moore announces that “Titanfall” is coming at the start of summer, “Dragon Age: Inquisition” will come later this fall. This week, All Xbox Live Gold members get free access to EA Access, only have to download the free app.

Moore than announces “Plants Vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare 2.” He promises “this will be the funniest, craziest, most over the top shooter experience you’ve ever played.” After revealing it’s coming next spring, a trailer begins. It looks like the zombies have taken over and the game will now be in “Zomburbia.” A multitude of new plant and zombie characters are revealed, although the entire trailer is CGI. This time around, it looks like the plants are coming to the zombies’ house to invade.

A teaser for “Forza 6” begins, and the new GT is lowered onto the stage form the ceiling. Henry Ford III takes the stage with Dan Greenwald of Turn 10, introducing a trailer for “Forza 6.” The game looks beautiful as ever. There will now be 24-car multiplayer and it’s coming Sep 15.

Another world premier begins, from Bandai Namco and From Software, Inc. A dark and dreary environment with lots of monstrous characters is shown, and it looks like a new “Dark Souls” game is coming. A massive titan guard with a giant sword is shown, and “Dark Souls 3” flashes, with an “early 2016” release window. It will not be an exclusive

A premier trailer for “Tom Clancy’s: The Division” is shown, re-hyping what is already known about the game. It shows off, what appears to be, lots of in-engine graphics and the game looks great. It appears to take place in the heart of New York City and will require lots of teamwork. There’s plenty of explosions and awesome guns, as is expected from a Tom Clancy game.

Laurent Detoc, president of Ubisoft Americas, takes the stage to talk more about it. He reveals that it does take place in New York, and will feature a variety of special operatives. He then reminisces on Ghost Recon’s initial launch on the first day of Xbox Live launching. He reveals that the beta will be exclusive to Xbox One, before moving on to “Rainbow Six Siege.”

Detoc emphases the destructible environments of “Rainbow Six Siege” and reveals that “Rainbow Six Vegas” and “Vegas 2” will come free with “Rainbow Six Siege,” all playable on the Xbox One (thanks to the backwards compatibility). A gameplay trailer then begins for “Siege.” Again, it’s nothing revolutionary for the game, but does appear to be mostly in-engine, as well. It actually feels very similar to “The Division,” but in a less post-apocalyptic environment.

An Xbox One and Windows 10 exclusive from Motiga is revealed, and it appears to be the long-forgotten “Gigantic.” The trailer reveals a variety of characters as well as gameplay features. It’s an arena shooter which appears to focus on battling large “guardians.” The beta will launch this August and will be free to play, like the game.

A montage of indie games begins, including a momentary tease of the also-forgotten “Cuphead.” It shows off some other original titles and some already-released titles, like “Goat Simulator.” It’s likely this is a lead in for the ID@Xbox program. Logo at the end of the trailer confirms.

Chris Charla, Director of ID@Xbox, takes the stage to discuss the program. Over 1000 indie developers have been making games for the ID@Xbox program, and it’s “really only the start.” Steve Gaynor of Fullbright takes the stage to discuss and preview Tacoma, coming 2016. Derek Bradley, from Aurora44, is next to discuss “Ashen,” a survival game and Xbox console exclusive. It looks like it will have a lot of emphases on exploration, puzzle-solving, and a dash of horror. Sherida Halatoe, of tiger & squid, enters to discuss “Beyond Eyes.” It’s a very unique experience, coming first to Xbox One and PC. It also appears to be a unique exploration/adventure game, and it releases this summer. Chad and Jared Moldenhauer of MDHR take the stage to discuss “Cuphead” – finally, it’s returning! They talk about their vision for a classic 1930’s cartoon that controls like a classic, 16-bit platformer. As a trailer plays, one thing is obvious – they nailed the style they were going for. The game looks incredible and the gameplay looks extremely fun and challenging, as would be expect from both the era’s the game takes influence from. It’s coming 2016 exclusively to Xbox One.

Charla takes back over announcing an early release program, similar to what’s on PC. The hook is that the games are required to give a free demo first, so you can decide whether or not you want to pay in. Starting today, both ”The Long Dark” and “Elite Dangerous” are available today for Xbox One Game Preview.

Charla hands off to Dean Hall, the creator of “Day-Z” to introduce a new IP coming to PC and Xbox One. It will make use of Xbox One Game Preview and PC access, and players will “be able to shape the destiny” of the game. The game takes place in space, but not much is revealed, other than the name “Ion.” It has a “Gravity” vibe to it.

Brian Horton, Game Director of Crystal Dynamics, demos the world premier gameplay of “Rise of the Tomb Raider” coming holiday 2015. A very beaten and tattered Lara lights her way through a cave with her signature torch… which is then blown out by a snowstorm. Suddenly she’s wearing full winter climbing gear and working her way up a mountain. The climbing mechanics are very familiar, only now she has Jonah tethered to her. Ice starts falling and she makes a leap across the cavern. She’s taking lots of risks while climbing, but makes her way to the top. She loses her grip and falls, saved by Jonah. He struggles to pull her back up and she swings over to the ice to regain her grip. The ice gives way, but she narrowly makes it to the top as an avalanche begins. She tells Jonah to return to shelter and continues her ascent. Non-stop action spliced with quick time events, it’s all very familiar – and very welcome to return. A montage of various game shots is tagged with a “Xbox Exclusive” banner, possibly indicating it’s no longer a “timed release” but a full exclusive? Then the hard release date of Nov 10, 2015 is finally revealed.

Another Xbox One exclusive begins, and it looks like a collection of games from “Rare” as Banjo and Conker both made an appearance, among others. “Perfect Dark, “Viva Pinata,” and Battle Toads” are just a few of the 30 games included in this 10,000 gamerscore collection. “Rare Replay” available August 4, 2015. Craig Duncan, Studio Head at Rare, takes the stage to announce this exclusive collection in celebration of the 15th anniversary of the studio.

He’s also announcing a new title from the company, “by far the most ambitious game Rare has ever created.” It begins in first person with Rare’s signature cartoony graphics. It takes place on an island, complete with tropical birds and… pirate skeletons. A sea shanty begins playing and a character runs out onto a beach where a pirate ship is waiting. Many characters have, what appears to be, gamertags over their heads, indicating what could possibly be a pirate themed MMO? “Sea of Thieves” is the title, no release date indicated.

Another Xbox One and Windows 10 exclusive trailer begins, which looks very much like “Fable.” It has the same art style and appears to be an RPG. It will be free to play on both Xbox One and Windows 10, and likes to use the word “legends” a lot. “Fable Legends,” it is.

Kudo Tsunoda, Corporate Vice President of Microsoft Studios, takes the stage to talk more about the title. The game will run seamlessly between the two platforms. Anything bought will transfer between the two, and the game will also feature cross-play between PC and Consoles.

He then announces a new partnership with Valve VR, making Windows 10 the best platform with VR gaming. He mentions the previous announcement that an Xbox One controller will be included in with every Oculous Rift. It sounds like Microsoft is trying to lock down the VR market, including their previously announced HoloLens. He then introduces Lydia Winters, Brand Director from Mojang.

As she discusses the history of the studio, “Minecraft” is displayed behind her. She talks about Minecon 2015 and hints and an announcement there. She then introduces Michael Saxs Persson from Microsoft studios, to reveal a new version of Minecraft on the HoloLens. They play a live demo, and she is able to join in from her Surface. Persson then moves the game world onto a table and he can overlook the world in a type of “god mode.” He can follow around Winters throughout the world from the recessed perspective. It’s like playing with a real miniature model of your “Minecraft” world. He can also manipulate the world to discover what is underneath and map it for the other player. The whole environment can be controlled with gestures and even voice commands. Persson is able to detonate some TNT and Pigs by saying “lightning strike,” causing the TNT to explode and the pigs to turn into zombie pigmen.

Rod Fergusson, Co-Creator of ”Gears of War” and Studio Head at The Coalition, takes the stage to announce the “Gears of War Ultimate Edition.” It’s an HD remake of the original “Gears of War,” complete with multiplayer. The multiplayer beta begins today, exclusively on Xbox One.

He then begins revealing a new “Gears of War” game with a gameplay demo. New COG soldiers are shown off traversing a very dark environment. A storm is destroying the city they are exploring, literally crumbling the environment around them. The new character is referred to as “JD.” They enter a building and there is a new monster revealed. Something gooey and glowy, which JD is advised not to touch. He does anyway, and his flashlight is shorted out. Fortunately, he’s glowing – possibly imulsion? This form extends well beyond the room they were in and all over the outside environment. They follow it into a courtyard where more glowing pods (don’t touch!) are at. As they try to exit the courtyard, another new enemy type is revealed. It’s somehow similar, yet different to the locust. As JD becomes overwhelmed, the trailer cuts to a close. It’s “Gears 4,” coming Holiday 2016.

Phil Spencer returns, now revealing the shirt he was hiding was a Rare Shirt. Could this be another Rare announcement or is he just celebrating their accomplishments? He discusses and recaps all of the new experiences revealed today and reasserts the commitment Microsoft has to the community and Xbox Live. He then hints that here are “more surprises in store this week.” There will be reveals on the Xbox Daily Show, including “Quantum Break,” “Scalebound,” “Crackdown,” a new Xbox One interface, and new first-party games. He wraps up the conference (no more Rare, looks like it was just a celebration) by thanking everyone. The conference ends with another game montage, recapping everything revealed today.

[06.09.15] Microsoft unveils new console, controller, and wireless adapter

Microsoft

The Electronic Entertainment Expo is still roughly a week away, but that hasn’t stopped the countless stream of exciting reveals. From “Fallout 4” to “Lego Worlds,” it begs the question, “What exactly is left to reveal at E3 this year?” Well, that question just became even more difficult to answer. Early this morning, on June 9, Major Nelson revealed that Microsoft has a new console, new controller, and new wireless adapter coming later this year.

First off is the new console. With fans begging for more storage space to be included inside the Xbox One, Microsoft finally listened. Coming June 16, the Xbox One will begin shipping to retailers with a 1TB internal hard drive. This edition of the Xbox One has a new matte finish for the console and will include “The Master Chief Collection” for a limited time. Beginning immediately, all 500GB models will receive a permanent price drop to $349 in preparation for the 1TB model to launch at a $399 price point. That means, for only $50 more, you can get twice the storage space, a $60 game, a unique console, and the brand new Xbox One controller as well.

While the new controller looks almost identical to the original incarnation, it actually has a slew of updates coming. The only visible one comes in the form of a 3.5mm stereo jack. This will allow users to directly plug headsets into the controller. It will also allow users to custom mix the headset volume, mic monitoring, and voice and game audio balance through the Xbox One settings menu. From a gaming standpoint, the bumpers on the controller have been fine-tuned. Most exciting of all, the new controllers will be able to wirelessly receive firmware updates, eliminating the painstaking process of manually connecting each controller via USB cable to receive an update. The new controller will be available for $64.99 in traditional black and a silver and black version of the Xbox One Special Edition Covert Forces wireless controller.

For those who enjoy the Xbox One controller but want to migrate some of their gaming experience to the PC, Microsoft has news for you too. Beginning this Fall, the Xbox Wireless Adapter for Windows will launch, allowing users to wirelessly connect their Xbox One Controller to any Windows 10 PC, laptop, or tablet. While this may sound limiting, keep in mind everyone with a copy of Windows 7, 8, or 8.1 will be receiving a free upgrade to Windows 10 when it launches July 29 (even those with unlicensed copies!). The Xbox Wireless Adapter for Windows will launch at a standalone $24.99 price point and will be bundled with an Xbox One Wireless Controller for $79.95, saving you about $10 if you purchase them together.

Will all of this being announced now, this should hopefully mean Microsoft has something very exciting up their sleeves for E3 next week.

Via Xbox Wire

[09.16.14] Microsoft buys ‘Minecraft’ creator Mojang, founders leave studio

Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images

After rumors floating around about a potential buyout for the last week, confirmation has finally arrived. Microsoft’s head of Xbox, Phil Spencer, announced in the early hours of Sept 15 that Mojang was officially joining the list of Microsoft-owned studios. This group already included 343 Industries, Turn 10 Studios, and Lionhead Studios who have developed the blockbuster franchises of Halo, Forza, and Fable respectively. With that in mind, adding Mojang to the collection seems like a no-brainer in retrospect. However this big purchase – an astounding $2.5 billion, to be exact – doesn’t come without some big changes.

About seven months ago, the creator of “Flappy Bird” decided he couldn’t handle the fame or publicity brought on by his immensely successful game and subsequently pulled it from the market in an attempt to drop from the limelight. Now, with the acquisition by Microsoft, founder and creator, Markus “Notch” Persson, says his project has grown beyond his comfort level. In an intimate letter to fans, Notch says he doesn’t believe himself to be a “real game developer” and “never meant for it” to change games. He also says that he makes games “because it’s fun”, but doesn’t do so “with the intention of them becoming big hits.” The letter ends with “It’s not about the money. It’s about my sanity.”

“I don’t see myself as a real game developer. I make games because it’s fun, and because I love games and I love to program, but I don’t make games with the intention of them becoming huge hits, and I don’t try to change the world. Minecraft certainly became a huge hit, and people are telling me it’s changed games. I never meant for it to do either. It’s certainly flattering, and to gradually get thrust into some kind of public spotlight is interesting.”

This really isn’t a huge shock, as Notch actually stepped down from head developer back in December 2011. He turned the reigns over to another Swedish developer, Jens “Jeb_” Bergensten, who has lead the charge ever since. Jeb_ has also confirmed via Twitter that he will remain at the helm through this deal with Microsoft. In his departure, Notch wished the best for Minecraft and the community.

“I love you. All of you. Thank you for turning Minecraft into what it has become, but there are too many of you, and I can’t be responsible for something this big. In one sense, it belongs to Microsoft now. In a much bigger sense, it’s belonged to all of you for a long time, and that will never change.”

Mojang has confirmed that Microsoft has no ill-intent with this purchase and that development will continue on largely unaffected. The development across all platforms will continue, assuming those companies reciprocate the support. They cited their working relationship – since the launch on Xbox 360 in 2012 – as the basis for going with Microsoft over other potential buyers.

“There are only a handful of potential buyers with the resources to grow Minecraft on a scale that it deserves. We’ve worked closely with Microsoft since 2012, and have been impressed by their continued dedication to our game and its development. We’re confident that Minecraft will continue to grow in an awesome way.”

Much like Amazon’s acquisition of Twitch last month, this really only looks to benefit the studio by placing more power behind the already successful product. Although there are uncertainties about who may be developing what and where projects in limbo may end up, Mojang has no worries about a hostile takeover by Microsoft.

“Change is scary, and this is a big change for all of us. It’s going to be good though. Everything is going to be OK. <3. Please remember that the future of Minecraft and you – the community – are extremely important to everyone involved. If you take one thing away from this post, let it be that. 

[06.09.14] Xbox E3 2014 Media Briefing

Crowds gather at the Xbox E3 2014 Media Briefing at the Galen Center on Monday, June 9, 2014 in Los Angeles

Photo: Matt Sayles, Invision for Microsoft. Used with permission.

It's officially underway - The 2014 Xbox Media Briefing just happened earlier this morning as a part of the Electronic Entertainment Expo’s lineup for Monday, June 9, and this time around it's all about the games. All throughout the conference, there were videos that featured key gaming icon's favorite games as well as tweets for any presenter’s favorites. What exactly does Microsoft have up their sleeves, especially after the long string of announcements leading up to E3? Hopefully there is plenty of new information left to spill and they haven't run out yet. Take a look now at this year’s play-by-play recap of the entire Xbox World Media Briefing.

The conference launched with Phil Spencer (@XboxP3) giving a speech about how great it's been for the gaming community and made a nice nod to both Sony and Nintendo citing their achievements and proceeded to thank Xbox gamers for their involvement in shaping Xbox into what it is today. He then announced that this conference will focus entirely on games and nothing else. The mission: To make Xbox the best place to play games this generation.

A trailer for "Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare" starts playing and the announcement is made that, once again, all content will come to Xbox first. A drop-pod with multiple troops in it crashes out of the sky and into a skyscraper, showcasing the incredible visuals. The trailer also demonstrated the new exoskeleton suit soldiers will wear to help them traverse the battlefield more efficiently and all the crazy new weapons, including grenades with propellers attached to them.

Dan Greenwalt, the Creative Director at Turn 10, takes the stage to talk about "Forza 5". The Nurburgring has been recreated with extreme detail - down to the millimeter - and is now available free for "Forza 5" owners to download. He then passes the stage off to Ralph Fulton, Playground Game's Creative Director to talk about "Forza Horizon 2." Read more about that here.

A trailer for "Evolve" starts playing showcasing the incredible graphics. As expected, you'll be able to fight with a class-based system with traditional classes such as assault or medic. However, you can also play as the monster against a team of 4 as well. Finally, the Beta will be available exclusively on Xbox One and all DLC will arrive first.

Vincent Pontbriand, the Senior Producer at Ubisoft, debuts a trailer for "Assassin's Creed: Unity." Players will be Marquis De Bullion and will fight alongside the French Revolution. It will features 100's of quests and secrets to find. For the first time ever, you can create your own brotherhood and play with up to three others cooperatively.

A world premier trailer for "Dragon Age Inquisition" is shown, with an announcement of a release on October 7. Also, as probably expected by now, all DLC will be available first on Xbox One.

"Sunset Overdrive" takes the stage with a trailer that showcases the ridiculous game play, colorful visuals, and over-the-top humor which the game has become known for. The trailer gives a little of the back story, explaining how contaminated energy drinks have led to people becoming mutants and caused a war to erupt. Out walks Ted Price, the Founder and CEO & Insomniac Games. He provides a little more knowledge and a game play demo showing off the unconventional weaponry and arcade-like design, reminiscent of "Lollipop Chainsaw." He also explains that players will be able to fully customize their own in-game characters and proceeded to announce Chaos Squad, and 8 player cooperative mode.

Falling right in line with the wackiness comes the funniest trailer of the conference, the announcement of “Super Ultra Deadrising 3 Arcade Remix Hyper Edition EX α.” This brand new DLC for “Deadrising 3” is a nod to Capcom’s “31th” Anniversary and features four player cooperative gameplay and tons of Capcom-themed costumes for players to choose from. Best of all, it’s available right now.

Alex Rigopolous, the Creative Director from Harmonix, comes to the stage to talk a little bit about the upcoming game “Fantasia: Music Evolved.” He then proceeds to make the exciting announcement that the insanely popular “Dance Central” franchise will be making its return very soon in the form of a digital-only Xbox exclusive called “Dance Central Spotlight.” The game features an all original soundtrack and brand-new technology which is going to allow them to deliver new songs to the game faster than ever before. It will be available sometime this fall.

Also making its return soon is “Fable Legends” as announced by Lionhead’s Game Director, David Eckelberry. A small gameplay demo was shown displaying a very familiar gameplay style with cranked up visuals and a slight twist. Now, you have the ability to play as the villain. This turns the game into more of a top-down RTS tower-defense game where you set up and control every trap you want to make for the players. The beta for “Fable Legends” will be available this fall exclusively on Xbox One.

A playful trailer for “Project Spark” (currently available as a free Beta on Xbox One) is shown, centralizing around the immense creative power the game allows. It debuts two big announcements. Their will now be new galaxies for players to create and play in, adding to the list of themes already available. As the logo flashes on the screen, and all-to-familiar squirrel comes out with a chainsaw in hand and slices the logo in half. He then says “Almost 10 years without a game, guess we’ll have to make our own!” Available exclusively on Xbox One this fall will be a Conker pack courtesy of Rare.

A brief trailer for a new game and exclusive is shown. “Ori and the Blind Forrest” is a very pretty side-scrolling platformer out of Moon Studios. No word on release date yet.

Suddenly the Halo theme fills the air and a trailer for “Halo 5: Guardians” begins. It continues on right from where he was left in the previous trailer, floating around in space with a giant mine. A closer look is taken at the all-new character featured in the promotional art for “Halo 5: Guardians”. The trailer ends with the words “Your Journey Begins” as 343’s Studio Head Bonnie Ross takes the stage. She explains that “Halo 5: Guardians” will focus on a self-reflective journey for Masterchief as he tries to discover who he really is. Ross then makes a big announcement and passes the stage off to Dan Ayoub, the Executive Producer behind the next game in the Halo franchise.

“Halo: The Masterchief Collection” has 4 games packed into one. “Halo CE,” “Halo 2,” “Halo 3,” and “Halo 4” will all be available in one place on the Xbox One sometime this fall. It will feature one seamless interface in which the entirety of the Masterchief campaign will be unlocked and available. You can pick any of your favorite levels to play and they’ll all feature both HD visuals and the original graphics which can be toggled at the push of a button. The best part about having all of them unlocked and in one place is that players can put together a custom playlist of levels featuring all of their favorite moments in the Halo series and play them back-to-back, crafting their own unique cut of the Halo story. For the ten year anniversary of “Halo 2,” it’s getting the full anniversary treatment. All of the original multiplayer will be available exactly as it shipped ten years ago. On top of that, 6 of the iconic maps will be updated with HD visuals, including fan-favorite Ascension. “Halo: The Masterchief Collection” will also come with over 100 multiplayer levels out of the box, featuring every single map that has ever been released across all four of the games. This will be in 1080p and 60 FPS. The game will also tote 4000 potential Gamerscore because of its size. Also included in the package is the “Halo Nightfall” live action series produced by Ridley Scott. Last, those who purchase “Halo: The Masterchief Collection” will gain access to the “Halo 5: Guardians” multiplayer beta this fall.

From this point on, the conference focused solely on titles in the 2015 and beyond portfolio and was rather rapid-fire.

Playdead Studios is back after four years of development with their new side-scrolling platformer “INSIDE.” It’s a very artsy game, similar to Limbo. This one will be available early 2015.

Chris Charla, the Director for ID@Xbox, took the stage with a very long trailer showcasing the massive number of indie games currently being worked on for the Xbox One.

A brief teaser-trailer announced the return of Lara Croft in “Rise of the Tomb Raider.” Much like “Halo 5: Guardians,” this looks to be a very self-reflective journey for Lara, albeit not much is revealed beyond the Holiday 2015 release window.

John Mamais, Executive Producer on “The Witcher 3” takes the stage with a brief gameplay demo. The game looks great, no other information is given.

Ken Lobb, creative director behind the Xbox One exclusive reboot “Killer Instinct” takes the stage with the announcement that he’s ready to reboot another favorite and cult-classic from the original Xbox. “Phantom Dust” is getting fully remastered with all new gameplay and visuals.

Ryan Barnard, the Game Director for “Tom Clancy’s The Division” shows off an all-new gameplay video to give a peak at the new direction of the game. The graphics look fantastic and the squad-based combat is very smooth as expected from a Tom Clancy game.

Platinumgames Inc. Creative Director Hideki Kamiya comes to the stage with an announcement for an all new Xbox Exclusive out of the company that made Bayonetta, MadWorld, and Anarchy Reigns. “Scalebound” will be a fantasy game in which players take on dragons and other creatures using magical powers.

Last, David Jones, the Creative Director at CloudGine announced the return of “Crackdown.” Not many details were given, but much of the original team is working on it and it promises a revolutionary multiplayer experience thanks to an army of dedicated servers. If the game winds up being anything close to the teaser shown, it will stick close to the crazy, over-the-top gameplay the series is known for.

To cap off the conference, Phil Spencer took the stage one last time to thank everyone for coming and voice his excitement for the future of Xbox One. To continue the evolution that Xbox has made over the last year, he announced “Xbox Feedback,” a one-stop shop for users to voice concerns, input ideas, and vote on what they want the future of Xbox to be. Last but not least, the Xbox One without Kinect is available today for $399.

If you didn’t get a chance to watch the Xbox World Media Briefing, it is available now to watch on demand here.

[06.03.14] Xbox exclusive ‘Forza Horizon 2’ announced

Turn 10 Studios

Yet another announcement rolls out from Microsoft prior to the Electronic Entertainment Expo, this time concerning one of their flagship titles, “Forza”. On Monday, June 1, Turn 10 and Playground Games revealed that “Forza Horizon 2” is coming exclusively to Xbox One and Xbox 360.

“Forza Horizon” is a spin-off of the extremely popular driving simulator “Forza Motorsport” series. “Horizon” focuses on street racing as opposed to the on-track racing, but still features the customization and ultra-realistic simulation the main series is known for. “Forza Horizon 2” is going to be developed by two separate studios with Playground Games taking responsibility for the Xbox One version in collaboration with Turn 10 Studios and being built with the graphics engine of “Forza Motorsport 5” as a basis. The Xbox 360 version will be developed by Sumo Digital and will compliment the graphics engine of the first “Forza Horizon.”

The Xbox One version will feature an all new weather system and the return of the “Drivatar” system from “Forza 5.” It will also include hundreds of cars, headlined by the 2015 Lamborghini Huracán. “Forza Horizon 2” is set in Southern Europe, including the South of France and Northern Italy, and centers around a music festival. The visuals are being cranked up several notches too. In an interview with IGN, Creative Director Ralph Fulton stated, “We’ve believe next gen beauty isn’t about poly counts. It’s not about texture resolution. Those are last-gen concepts. Next-gen beauty is about light and how it plays on every surface in the world.” He goes on to further explain that the team has essentially developed a particle system to replicate the atmosphere, the way the light interacts with it, and the way light interacts with everything around because of it.

Another large improvement for “Forza Horizon 2” comes in the freedom granted to players. “Freedom’s probably the word which people use most often to talk about Horizon,” Fulton says. Playground Games felt as if the series could do more to live up to that reputation though, so the team has decided to remove the barriers that populated the track during races in the original “Forza Horizon.” According to Fulton, “We’ve taken the view that, if there isn’t a barrier in the real-world, if there isn’t a wall, there shouldn’t be one in our game. We want the player to be able to drive wherever he can in the real world.” Now, if you want to, you can veer of the road at any point and plow through a fence, launch off a hill, or strategically weave through the forest to, hopefully, shave seconds off your time.

This freedom has led to Playground Games being able to cram even more content into the game, including a multitude of collectibles, secrets and barn finds, and over 700 events. This includes a brand new “cross country” race event in which up to 12 vehicles can tear up the countryside. Fulton says this feature developed organically from the removal of barriers, as racers would go off-roading to save time and then exclaim how “You’ve gotta include this in the game.” From this same notion spawned an all new series of challenges titled “The Bucket List.” As these dares became more and more ridiculous, they started compiling them and including them in the game. Players will find cars staged throughout the map and will receive challenges upon approaching them. At the time of release, there are already going to be two full bucket lists available to take on, and more will be made available free post launch.

To continue to encourage you to find different ways to drive, “Forza Horizon 2” will now account for driving with style alongside driving with skill. It’s not all about technical racing, sometimes it’s about looking cool too. This means even if you come in last place but still drive a very stylish race, you can earn substantial XP for your efforts. Now, chaining together a set of skills not only earns you XP, but also helps you gain perks for driving, giving you unique advantages and enhancing the gameplay.

Of course, thanks to the Drivatars, this will continue to become more difficult as you now have to outdrive your friends, whether online or off, as opposed to just outsmarting driving AI. This transition between online and offline has become exceptionally smoother too. Much like they removed the barriers from the road, Playground Games wanted to remove the barriers between solo and online modes and seamlessly integrate them together. Now, if you’re smack in the middle of a challenge fighting through traffic and taking on a drivatar, with the press of a button you can transition right into an online world full of live interactions without dropping what you’re doing. In a matter of seconds, the camera pans around the car while its barreling down the road and everything updates to a brand new environment on a dedicated server with other players who are also already in action. The goal is for the game to have one “unified structure,” whether it be offline with drivatars or online with friends. According to Dan Greenwalt, creative director at Turn 10, “The thing we’re really trying to do as a studio is to create a home for all racers on Xbox One.

[05.17.14] Microsoft unveils ‘Halo 5’ and more

This has been an insanely busy week for Microsoft, which most recently peaked with today’s reveal of the next game in the long-standing Halo series. In addition to that, there was more exciting news for everyone, Xbox One and Xbox 360 owners alike, with or without a Gold subscription. June marks the start of some monumental changes regarding Games with Gold, Deals of the Week, and entertainment on Xbox One and Xbox 360. There’s even something out there for those who haven’t quite made the jump to Xbox One.

Xbox One without Kinect

Microsoft

Beginning June 9th, a $399 version of the Xbox One will be available without the Kinect in all areas the Xbox One is already available. Outside of games that require the Kinect, the console will still have the same access to all other titles, entertainment apps, and features such as Live TV. Users will, however, lose access to anything tied to the Kinect, such as biometric sign in, voice commands, motion commands, and other small “features” such as getting a technical in NBA 2K14 when you’re swearing at your TV. Picking this Xbox is really a full commitment right now, as the Kinect is not currently available as a standalone unit. It can only be speculated that it will launch with a price around $150 much like its predecessor did. As of right now, the only thing confirmed is the standalone Kinect will launch sometime this fall.

Changes to Gold

Microsoft

Also starting in June, lots of changes are coming to those with an Xbox Live Gold membership. Taking a nod from PlayStation Plus, Microsoft will offer subscription-based access to titles ranging from the latest blockbusters to indie hits. The first month will kick off with “Max: The Curse of Brotherhood” and “Halo: Spartan Assault.” Included with this is also the free games for the Xbox 360 as well, which is offering up a bonus title to celebrate the one-year anniversary. “Dark Souls,” “Charlie Murder,” and “Super Street Fighter IV: Arcade Edition” will all be available free during the month of June.

Deals with Gold will also launch for Xbox One, starting in June, and is set to include “Forza Motorsport 5,” “Ryse: Son of Rome,” and “a few other surprises.” Microsoft also teased savings “up to 50 – 75 percent off certain titles.” Much like Games with Gold, Deals with Gold on Xbox One will be a supplement to the continuing Xbox 360 deals. The Xbox One will launch a “virtual VIP room” exclusive to those with a Gold Subscription which will feature “free games, monthly deals, and other great benefits” although there is no explicit detail on what exactly this all entails.

For those without a Gold Subscription, any Xbox One or Xbox 360 with an internet connection will now have access to most of the entertainment apps on Xbox Live. This means users with a Netflix, Hulu, or Amazon Prime can stream using the Xbox 360 or Xbox One without having to purchase a Gold Subscription. This has been a long-requested feature for many and it’s another great sign that Microsoft is really listening to what the consumer wants.

Halo 5

Microsoft

The pinnacle of Microsoft’s announcement spree came with the naming of the next gen Halo experience. “Halo 5: Guardians” will be the next title in the Reclaimer Saga and the first on Xbox One. 343 Industries has promised that this Halo will bigger and more powerful than the effort that was “Halo 4”. “Halo 5: Guardians” will feature a brand new engine and will be heavily influenced by user feedback and comments from previous titles. It’s currently slated for a “Fall 2015” release window, which will coincide with the “Halo” television series which is being produced by Steven Spielberg. The story will run independent from the game, however there may be the occasional tie-in. More details are to be released during the E3 2014 Media Briefing on June 9 on the “journey” that Halo will be taking. Microsoft has emphasized that this “journey” begins with a “giant leap, rather than one small step.”

Halo: The Master Chief Collection

Microsoft

Perhaps this “giant leap” could be the recently rumored HD collection expected to be called “Halo: The Master Chief Collection.” Although nothing has been confirmed yet by Microsoft, Engadget made a bold claim today stating that they learned about a massive HD collection to be released on the Xbox One which will contain all four of the previous “Halo” titles staring The Master Chief himself. This means it won’t include “Halo Reach,” “Halo Wars,” or any of the other spin-off titles. It’s rumored to be developed by Saber Interactive, the same company that handled “Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary,” as they currently have an unannounced Halo project for Xbox One in the works. There’s no details on what exactly will be included as far as content goes, but it’s guaranteed that it will contain updated graphics for all of the campaigns, and we can only hope the same treatment will be done for multiplayer as well.

[04.27.14] Microsoft uncovers ‘E.T.’ burial site

Microsoft

It’s an urban legend 30 years in the making. You’ve probably heard from a friend who heard from a friend who knows a guy who worked at Atari, and he said that a long time ago, a little game called “E.T.” cost the company a lot of money, so they went ahead and buried millions of copies somewhere in New Mexico. Yesterday, Xbox Entertainment Studios in collaboration with Fuel Entertainment set out to uncover the truth behind this myth, and they managed to dig up just that.

At about 1 p.m. local time, the myth was confirmed as the dig crew discovered the first “E.T.” cartridge with many more to follow soon after. Other Atari assets were also uncovered during the dig, including joysticks and copies of Centipede, Space Invaders, and Asteroids. Buckets of games were uncovered during the dig and there’s speculation that many, many more boxes of games still rest below. The conditions of the game varied from being just the cartridge to fully pack in shrink-wrap. Considering they were buried in the dirt for 30 years, a lot of them came out in surprisingly good condition, probably due to the rather dry conditions of the area.

The entire excavation is being chronicled in a documentary series produced by Lightbox and directed by Zak Penn (“Avengers,” “X-men 2”) for Xbox Entertainment Studios. “Atari: Game Over” will be aired exclusively on Xbox One and Xbox 360 sometime in 2014. Until then, Xbox Wire will continue to cover the dig as more information becomes available.

[09.04.13] Xbox One receives release date

Microsoft

You can finally mark the date on your calendar. Today, Microsoft announced the Xbox One will be launching in 13 territories on November 22, 2013. This makes it exactly one week before the launch of the PlayStation 4 and the 8-year anniversary of the launch of the Xbox 360. To add incentive for preorders, Microsoft’s Yusuf Mehdi also announced that they will be producing more “Day One” Editions to meet the high demand. You can read his full announcement below:

We are humbled and gratified by the tremendous interest in Xbox One from game fans everywhere. We sold out of our pre-order supply faster than at any other time in our history and we are on path to have the biggest launch of an Xbox ever. We look forward to celebrating with millions and millions of gamers this holiday.

As a result of this incredible consumer demand and the development progress on Xbox One, I am thrilled to share that today we are making available a limited number of additional Xbox One Day One consoles for pre-order. We have coordinated with our retail partners to make it easy for you to reserve your Xbox One today.

Finally, in the spirit of continuing to bring new value and excitement to Xbox, I am also pleased to confirm that the development team has increased the CPU from 1.6GHz to 1.75GHz, roughly a 10% increase in CPU performance. This is on top of the 6% increase we previously announced for the GPU. What does this mean to you the gamer? It means that the Xbox One will have that much more power for developers to make their games and entertainment really shine. We’re going to keep bringing more value to the Xbox One as we head towards launch building on some of the advancements we have already shared such as the 40-plus improvements to the Xbox One controller, advancements to help you find the perfect opponent and make the most of our online community, to the power of the cloud.

And I have to mention the games – Xbox One is proving to be the best place for games, with our exclusive games winning over 100 awards at E3, driving pre-order increases of 200% in European markets after gamers first played our blockbuster line-up at gamescom, and blowing away thousands of fans at PAX Prime this weekend. Only on Xbox One will you find exclusive blockbusters like Halo, Dead Rising 3, Ryse: Son of Rome and Forza Motorsport 5; new digital content from titles like coming Call of Duty: Ghosts and Battlefield 4 coming to Xbox One first; and the FIFA 14 Ultimate Team experience you won’t find anywhere else.

November 22 is a special day in Xbox history – on this day, we first launched Xbox 360 [in the US] in 2005. Our next chapter begins in 79 days, when Xbox One becomes available. We built Xbox One to bring you the best games, unrivalled multiplayer and more entertainment than ever before. It’s nearly time to say “Xbox On” and open a new world of games and entertainment.

Anthony Ortale writes news and reviews on behalf of Examiner.com. He does so much gaming in his spare time, it’s practically a full time job! If you like what you read here, please subscribe to his articles! You can also follow Tony on Twitter, or become a fan on Facebook! If you ever have any questions, comments, or concerns, feel free to email Tony any time at ortale.anthony@gmail.com, he’d love to hear from you

[05.31.13] PlayStation 4 vs. Xbox One: Who had the better reveal

Microsoft, Sony

Now that both Sony and Microsoft have made their big reveals, it’s time to fanboy up and pick your sides! Sony beat Microsoft out of the gun by a couple months, but was the early reveal worth it? We’ll take a look strictly at the facts revealed in the conference, or perhaps what wasn’t revealed in the conference, and decide who did a better job making their announcement. Systems are bigger, stronger, and faster, accessories have been redesigned and improved, and games have been announced. But what does this information even mean and where should you put your money? Robert “RedgoateeRob” Nielsen and I will break down the conferences and give you the details you need to know, then deliver the final verdict on who was victorious.

Microsoft, Sony

The Game Consoles: Tony’s Take

Obviously both companies came out to announce their brand new systems. Each boast significantly more power, exceptional graphics, and state of the art technology to accompany it. The Xbox One looks amazing. Its shape has been streamlined and it has a bit of a retro throwback with its two-tone color scheme and very boxy, minimalistic design. The redesigned Kinect fits perfectly with the style of the new system, and the controller has been ever-so-slightly tweaked to match up as well.

As for the PlayStation 4, well… the controller looks… similar. It has also been streamlined, with the addition of a touchpad, it sports a more futuristic look, but that’s about all of the information we have. This raises the question, why would you have a conference about a console, and not actually bring your console? It was no surprise to anyone that it was coming, so Sony would have been much better off had they come prepared with something to show.

Winner: Xbox One

Microsoft, Sony

The Game Consoles: Rob’s Take

Sony caught some heat for not showing off their actual box during the conference; in fact, some gamers might have felt like showing off the controller alone was nothing more than a tease. But looking at it from Sony's perspective, you get a sense that they might be thinking in terms of the long game rather than an instant payoff. This isn't Sony's first rodeo; back during the PlayStation One era they faced off with Nintendo and Sega, who are by no means pushovers, and I can't help but think Sony wouldn't still be standing if they didn't have a firm grasp of how to build anticipation for their next product. Showing off the Dualshock 4 alone allowed gamers to get a sense of the physicality of the new console, while still allowing Sony to have an ace-in-the-hole for E3: the console itself. Plus, holding off on a reveal of the console allowed Sony to get a picture of what Microsoft had up their sleeve before they show off their own box. Overall, even if not having the console in the spotlight might have frustrated a few fans, I think it was a smart play in the long run.

But what of Microsoft? Despite their claims of looking forward to the future, the design of the Xbox One seems to indicate a focus toward the criticisms of the past. Just as the Xbox 360, with it's clean, concave surfaces, seemed designed to quiet gamers' criticism of the size of the original Xbox, the large rectangular footprint of the Xbox One seems intentionally designed to quell gamers' fears of the heating issues related to the design of the 360. Though it seems almost certain that Microsoft will install plenty of cooling under the Xbox One's huge hood, it doesn't change the fact that the boxy design of the system is most reminiscent of the Philips CDI- probably not what Microsoft wants gamers thinking of when they look at their new console.

Winner: Playstation 4

Microsoft, Sony

The Peripherals: Tony’s Take

Since the days of “Duck Hunt”, peripherals have been an integral part of any successful console. They’ve come a long way from the plastic guns and even the more recent pretend instruments. Now, consoles have the ability to see you, hear you, and actually track your body’s movements. Then, of course, there’s the controller – the most important asset, and the most important asset to get right. The majority of the time you’re gaming, you’re going to have the controller in your hand, so it needs to be comfortable.

Sony’s big reveal for its conference was the controller. That was actually all they had to show for the system. It looks very much like its PS3 counterpart, with a few minor upgrades. The touchpad will definitely give it a unique spin, and the idea of adding the PlayStation Move tracking light to it complements the six-axis design its predecessor had. They also briefly mentioned the PlayStation Move will be making a return, but didn’t go into any details as to how or if any improvements were to be made.

Microsoft’s controller has also been just slightly tweaked, and we’ll take their word on it that it really is more ergonomic. Their shining star, however, wasn’t the controller, but rather the upgraded Kinect. It’s become so much more accurate, and is directly integrated into the Xbox One’s design. Perhaps the most exciting part is the technology behind it and the vast improvements made there. Now, the Kinect instantly recognizes you, signs you in, and brings up your personalized home screen. Not only that, but it can all be done simply by saying “Xbox On” – the one thing that gamers had asked for out of the Kinect since its arrival. The usefulness of these voice commands goes leaps and bounds beyond anything motion, which anyone who has ever watched Netflix with friends knows to be true. There’s always that person who wants needs to take a bathroom break in the middle of the group movie, so being able to simply say “Xbox Pause” is a breath of fresh air, compared to digging around in the dark for a controller, waiting for it to power back on and connect before finally pressing the pause button.

Winner: Xbox One

Microsoft, Sony

The Peripherals: Rob’s Take

If there's one impression the conferences left, it's that user interaction with these consoles will be very different than their interaction with the 360 and PS3. From voice commands to motion tracking to facial recognition, Microsoft and Sony are discovering how to let gamers interface with their platform of choice in ways that would have seemed like science fiction even just a decade ago. It's difficult to imagine how these systems will be implemented across software titles, and it's even more difficult to assume with any certainty that their implementation will serve to enhance the software on the systems represented rather than get in the way of gameplay. Gamers have been getting burned by supposed innovations in control that proved intrusive and unwieldy for decades, even back to the days of the Power Glove and the Rolling Rocker. Though it's certain that the Kinect and the EyeToy will be better integrated into their respective consoles than those old control gimmicks were, they still could end up being showpieces that shovelware games are designed to promote rather than simple control methods that serve to enhance quality games. At this point, it's simply too soon to know.

Winner: Too early to call.

Netflix

Multimedia: Tony’s Take

When it first came onto the scene, the PlayStation 3 boasted the ability to be the heart of your home entertainment center. The Xbox 360, on the other hand, was primarily a game system. As the Xbox 360 developed over its lifespan, it changed into your all-in-one entertainment box, paving the way for the Xbox One. The PlayStation 3, however, focused primarily on games and everything related.

The PlayStation 4 will have all of the same multimedia capabilities as its predecessor, and adds in a very large social component which focuses on sharing content. The controller has a “share” button on it, allowing you to instantly stream gameplay or easily create clips. Beyond that, Sony didn’t really even touch on the movies or music throughout their conference.

On the contrary, Microsoft spent almost all of their time gloating about the new capabilities the Xbox One will have. It will now be a Blu-Ray Player, Roku Box, Cable Box, and Game Console all rolled into one. The ability to quickly switch between every source is nice… but is it really necessary? Quite honestly, the inclusion of “live TV” really left everyone scratching their heads. Fortunately, the multimedia component didn’t stop there. The updated ESPN app has had a major overhaul, fully integrating fantasy sports directly into the broadcasts. As your players score points, you’ll receive pop-up notifications which will allow you to instantly jump to the leaderboards and check out how your team is doing. Fantasy sports have exploded in popularity, and this will definitely be something couch-athletes will take advantage of.

There was also the exhilarating announcement of the Halo TV series. Gamers have been begging for a Halo movie for years, and their appetite was teased with a surprisingly good web series, “Forward Unto Dawn”, which showed the possibilities and potential success of an actual TV series. Microsoft has backed it full force, and put up enough of a budget to have legendary director Steven Spielberg directing. There’s hardly anything that could go wrong here.

Winner: Xbox One

Netflix

Multimedia: Rob’s Take

Fantasy football, cable tv, and ESPN; Microsoft seems to have an eye toward a very particular customer. The question becomes less one of utility and more one of appeal; if you dig fantasy football and the thought of controlling what shows you watch via your game console, Microsoft has you covered. Will the average gamer be interested in these services? Will the ability to watch ‘live TV’ when you already have a TV that plays TV live compel gamers to pick up the new Xbox? These things remain to be seen.

Of course, the announcement of a new, Xbox-exclusive, Halo TV series directed by film industry legend Steven Spielberg was the highlight of Microsoft's TV plans, and the new series will undoubtedly be welcomed by Halo fans with open arms. It might have been nice to have seen something of the upcoming series, though, even if it were just a scrolling shot of some storyboard sequences. During the presentation, both AMC’s “Breaking Bad” and HBO’s “Game of Thrones” were mentioned as benchmarks for the sort of quality the Halo TV show project is aiming to match; if it can live up to a fraction of the quality standards set by those programs, it will be a powerful force in Microsoft’s next-generation arsenal of reasons to pick up an Xbox One.

Sony, for its part, showed off a share button on the Dualshock 4 to allow gamers to upload footage of their gameplay to 'social networks'. The advertising benefits to Sony here are obvious, but it's unclear whether all gamers will be interested in sharing footage of themselves, and it's easy to see how the plan could backfire if a flood of mostly unremarkable amateur gameplay videos uploaded to social networks starts to annoy friends and family members browsing their newsfeeds for pictures of smiling grandchildren and cantankerous felines.

Winner: Steven Spielberg (and, by association, Xbox One).

Activision

Games: Tony’s Take

Despite not having an actual game console to show, Sony at least displayed the understanding of what a “game console” is. They spent roughly half their conference showcasing upcoming titles for their system. Most of the titles were expected, such as upcoming sequels “Killzone Shadowfall” and inFamous Second Son”; however, there were a couple of surprise titles as well. While “Driveclub” isn’t the most original of ideas, it looks like a solid title and you can tell the developers put a lot of heart into it. “The Witness”, the new title from the creators of “Braid”, looks interesting and extremely promising. The part everyone was waiting for, although they didn’t know it was the update, was the look at “Watchdogs”. This brand new IP thrilled gamers with its surprise announcement at E3 last year because it managed to blindside all of us, despite the fact that leaks are almost expected in this day and age.

Microsoft seemed to forget their roots with their conference, leaving many to question if the Xbox One was a game system that can do other things, or a multimedia box that can also play games. While a few developers did showcase their new engines, EA Sports brushed over 4 titles with very little detail. There was a new trailer for “Call of Duty: Ghosts” which also sports a new engine and is being redesigned from the ground up, but to no surprise, it was also leaked early in the year which made the reveal a lot less exciting, not to mention this whole “timed exclusive” thing is just getting annoying - it’s bad for the industry. The only glimmer of hope was Phil Spencer who promised 15 exclusive titles within the launch year, eight of which will be brand new franchises! Those numbers are astounding, and very promising, however there’s no idea what they may be, or if they’ll even be any good. We can only hope so.

Winner: Hands down, PlayStation 4

Activision

Games: Rob’s Take

Of course, since the early days of home game consoles, only one factor determines the winner of a particular console generation: which console has the best games? Sony showed off a flood of software in their press conference, from new iterations of first-party titles Infamous and Killzone, to Capcom's dungeon-crawler Deep Down, to a version of Bungie's new RPG shooter Destiny, and finally to the reveal of a seemingly-exclusive console version of Blizzard's Diablo 3. In a classy nod to their current customers, Sony also announced that both Destiny and Diablo 3 would be available for the Playstation 3 as well as the upcoming Playstation 4.

Xbox seemed, by comparison, to not have a great deal to offer. They showed off a new entry in the venerable Call of Duty franchise, and promised 15 more games would be revealed at their E3 conference, but one wonders what they expected gamers to discuss in the interim. Considering the confirmation that “Call of Duty: Ghosts” will not be exclusive to the Xbox One but will also be appearing on consoles by Sony and Nintendo as well as on PC, Microsoft's decision to showcase the title at their conference instead of a first-party exclusive game seems even more odd. Even a handful of titles for original IP’s announced in the abstract would have fueled fan speculation regarding their nature and could have built buzz for Microsoft to ride into their E3 press conference. As it stands, though, Xbox fans will just have to live with their curiosity regarding the nature of those 15 unannounced titles until E3 rolls around.

Winner: Playstation 4

Microsoft

Tony’s Wrap-Up Verdict:

It was a very close vote, and honestly, it’s not because both were so mind-blowing, but rather disappointing. Sony forgot to bring their console, and Microsoft forgot to bring their games. If you were to put them together, they would have had one solid conference. Unfortunately, this potential super-console doesn’t exist, and we’re left with two incomplete experiences. This was probably done to save content for E3 which is just around the corner, but nonetheless, it was still a little underwhelming. With a vote of 4-3-1, the Xbox One just barely edges out the competition and takes the crown. There’s still a lot to be learned about these consoles, and things could change. For the time being, the future is looking a little bleak for gamers. It might be the time to just hold on to what you’ve got and experience it to the fullest - that is, if you’re not ready for the always online, anti-used game, jack of all trades video game consoles we seem to be getting.

Also, be sure to check out RedgoateeRob's rant on everything that wasn't touched on during the conferences! It's up now!

Anthony Ortale writes news and reviews on behalf of Examiner.com. He does so much gaming in his spare time, it’s practically a full time job! If you like what you read here, please subscribe to his articles! You can also follow Tony on Twitter, or become a fan on Facebook! If you ever have any questions, comments, or concerns, feel free to email Tony any time at ortale.anthony@gmail.com, he’d love to hear from you

[03.30.13] 343 Industries releases free forge map for ‘Halo 4’

343 Industries

Not to be outdone by Epic Games and Maxim’s sponsored “Gears of War Judgement” free DLC, 343 Industries announced Friday, March 29 that they have released the all new forge world map, “Forge Island”. Well ahead of schedule, the release comes as a nice surprise going into Easter weekend, and it has the added benefit of being absolutely free!

As the largest map yet, it features three islands – one small, one medium, and one large – and an entirely new palette of items to play with. The space on the largest island alone is incredible, large enough to easily house multiple remakes of maps like Blood Gulch or Hang ‘Em High. There’s also a vast amount of space in the air above to make room for flying vehicles or fully suspended maps. All three of the islands are completely flat, to match the request of the fan base for a pure flat area.

Out of the box, it’s not much to play on, but it sure is a lot to play with. It'll be exciting to see what the very devoted forge community will do with this new space.

To get Forge Island, you can download it from the Xbox Live Dashboard or by clicking here.

Anthony Ortale writes news and reviews on behalf of Examiner.com. He does so much gaming in his spare time, it’s practically a full time job! If you like what you read here, please subscribe to his articles! You can also follow Tony on Twitter, or become a fan on Facebook! If you ever have any questions, comments, or concerns, feel free to email Tony any time at ortale.anthony@gmail.com, he’d love to hear from you

[10.23.12] Xbox launches new entertainment experience today

Microsoft

Today, Microsoft rolled out the new dashboard update for all Xbox Live members, and with it came a whole slew of new entertainment features. The new update maintains Microsoft’s “Metro” interface, but adds a new tile called “pins”, which allows you to pin your favorite apps, games, or other items to one easily accessible location. Additionally, the TV and Movie tabs have been combined into one channel.

The update also added Internet Explorer to the Xbox, something that users have been eagerly awaiting since the launch of the system back in 2005. It will support HTML5 videos, and you can pin favorites to the main web hub or in the aforementioned “pins” section of the dashboard. Other new additions are the “Xbox Music” and “Xbox Video” apps, which are pretty much just a rebranding of the old Zune apps. The “Xbox Music” app has gotten a little love, as it now has access to the “Xbox Music Pass” – formerly the “Zune Pass” – and will allow you to stream music on your Xbox as well as your playlists from the Zune software on your computer.

Microsoft will also be launching “Xbox SmartGlass” later this week with the launch of Windows 8 phones on Oct. 26. SmartGlass will allow you to interact with your Xbox in many unique ways. It can be used as a touchscreen controller for certain games and apps and can also offer supplementary information for other things you’re doing on your Xbox. For example, while playing a game, it could offer an overhead map of the area showing you precisely where your character is located so you don’t have to keep pulling up an in-game map. During the E3 announcement, it was also hinted that you could use it to draw up and execute plays in Madden.

Although not many specific details have been revealed for it, some games and apps have been confirmed to work with it. All of the following will have some sort of functionality via the SmartGlass app:

Games:

·       Ascend

·       Dance Central 3

·       Forza Horizon

·       Halo Waypoint

·       Home Run Stars

·       Karaoke

·       Kinect Sesame Street TV

·       Prima Games

Apps:

·       Elections 2012

·       ESPN

·       HBO GO

·       MSN

·       NBA Game Time

·       NBC News

·       NOW TV

·       Slacker Radio

·       TODAY

·       UFC

·       Univision

It’s also likely that Microsoft’s other flagship titles (Halo, Gears of War, and Fable) will have SmartGlass capabilities, even though none have been confirmed yet. Hopefully, many more games and apps will also adopt SmartGlass in the near future, as it actually looks to be very promising technology.

Unfortunately, the SmartGlass launch will be exclusive to Windows 8 phones, for the time being. There is a planned release for Windows 7 phones, iOS, and Android to get SmartGlass as well, however there’s no set release date for it right now outside of “soon”. For iOS and Android, the SmartGlass app will come via an update to the currently available “My Xbox” app which will add the new functionality and update the name.

Anthony Ortale writes news and reviews on behalf of Examiner.com. He does so much gaming in his spare time, it’s practically a full time job! If you like what you read here, please subscribe to his articles! You can also follow Tony on Twitter, or become a fan on Facebook! If you ever have any questions, comments, or concerns, feel free to email Tony any time at ortale.anthony@gmail.com, he’d love to hear from you

[10.05.12] ‘Halo 4’ goes gold, more flood details revealed

Microsoft

On Oct. 3, 2012, the developers behind “Halo 4” made the most exciting announcement yet: “Halo 4” has officially gone gold. What that means is that 343 Industries has finalized their version of the game and have officially shipped it off to manufacturers to be reproduced thousands and thousands of times over to make all the retail versions that people can buy come Nov. 6, 2012. This announcement came just one day after 343 released a new video showcasing a new vehicle and the return of the fan-favorite map, Valhalla. Going gold wasn’t the only news coming out of this week’s Halo Bulletin though, 343 had a few more details on their new game mode, “Flood”.

“Flood” is the spiritual successor to “Zombies”, a custom game type which became so popular during “Halo 2”, it was actually added to matchmaking for future titles. “Flood” follows the exact same premise as “Zombies”, where two players start out as the “infected” and attempt to infect the other eight “humans”; whose sole purpose is to survive as long as possible. In the original game type, zombies were given swords and humans were given a shotgun and magnum.

This is where things start to get a little more interesting. In “Halo 3” and “Halo: Reach”, zombies were just Spartans with green armor. In “Halo 4”, they’re going to have a completely unique character model which is a Spartan that has been infected by the flood. Not only that, but they’ll have a giant flood claw to use as a melee attack. They’ll also have special armor effects, a different view for characters playing as the flood, dynamic music, and a unique assassination animation. There will also be ten medals specific to the flood game type, which will range from surviving the whole time as a human or converting a Spartan to the flood.

Also addressed in the bulletin was the reveal of a map titled “Abandon”, a deserted ONI research base on the alien planet Erebus VII. At one time it was a lively active center for information, but the team of researchers mysteriously vanished and now it lies eerily vacant. The map feels very claustrophobic and frantic, which results mainly in close-quarters battles. There are areas around the outskirts that will allow for mid-range battles, but most of the action will likely take place inside the abandoned buildings.

If you’re looking to get your hands on a free copy of “Halo 4”, be sure to check out their soundtrack remix contest. The grand prize features a Samsung Series 7 Laptop, the Halo 4 Limited Edition 320GB Xbox 360, a Halo 4 Trigger Headset, and a complete collection of the Halo Soundtracks. All you have to do is grab the samples provided from the soundtrack and put your own personal spin on it. For complete details, check out http://halo4remix.com.

Anthony Ortale writes news and reviews on behalf of Examiner.com. He does so much gaming in his spare time, it’s practically a full time job! If you like what you read here, please subscribe to his articles! You can also follow Tony on Twitter, or become a fan on Facebook! If you ever have any questions, comments, or concerns, feel free to email Tony any time at ortale.anthony@gmail.com, he’d love to hear from you!

[10.03.12] Valhalla returns to 'Halo 4'

Microsoft

Video game sequels have often been touted as being the same thing repackaged with a new title, especially when it's the 4th or 5th iteration. Yesterday, 343 Industries released a new video for "Halo 4" via Waypoint which simultaneously reinforced and defied that accusation. This video continues the endless trail of exciting announcements the developers have had for the start to this new trilogy; and they're very rapidly wiping away everyone's doubts as to their abilities to develop an authentic Halo experience while still breathing life into a series that runs the risk of growing stale.

The video starts with a something that should be very familiar to fans that played “Halo 3”. A particular tall Forerunner structure, that has plasma blasts bursting out the top periodically, is shown with a canyon backdrop and a river snaking out to an ocean bay. An identical tower is seen on the beach, and slightly off to the right, there’s a downed Pelican in the distance. That’s right, fan-favorite “Valhalla” is making an appearance in “Halo 4” under its new alias, “Ragnarok”.

All of a sudden, something new and unusual pops up on “Ragnarok’s” shore, something that looks like a mech. A Spartan hops in, and we’ve now been introduced to the newest member of UNSC’s [playable] fleet, the “Mantis”. It’s not the first mech to show up in a Halo video game, as “Halo Wars” had one called the “Cyclops”, however this does mark the first time that one will be controlled by the player as well as usable in multi-player.

One hand has a machine gun while the other shoots projectiles like the rail gun or gauss canon. It also has a stomping melee attack that can be used to crush Spartans and other vehicles alike. So far, “Ragnarok” is the only map confirmed to have it, however it’s likely that any map featuring vehicles the size of the “Warthog” will also be capable of supporting the “Mantis”. “Halo 4” releases Nov. 6, 2012.

Anthony Ortale writes news and reviews on behalf of Examiner.com. He does so much gaming in his spare time, it’s practically a full time job! If you like what you read here, please subscribe to his articles! You can also follow Tony on Twitter, or become a fan on Facebook! If you ever have any questions, comments, or concerns, feel free to email Tony any time at ortale.anthony@gmail.com, he’d love to hear from you

[06.04.12] Everything you wanted to know from E3’s Xbox 360 Media Briefing 2012

Microsoft

The Xbox 360 Media Briefing was quite the spectacle this year, despite no new console reveal. Rumors have been swirling around for months about the next generation Xbox, but it made no appearance here. Then again, is it possible that was a good thing? Are gamers really ready for a new console? Perhaps it was just backlash from the way the core gaming community felt they had been abandoned at last year’s E3. Today, Microsoft wanted to remind you that they haven’t forgotten about their roots, but also showed off they want to blend the best of both worlds when it comes to casual and hardcore gaming; and maybe blur the lines between a few other worlds as well.

This year, Microsoft did something all new by making a stream of the conference available to anyone with an Xbox 360. There were a few technical hiccups along the way, but nothing as severe as the Diablo III launch. If you missed out on the event, the streams are going to be available on the Xbox 360 as well as Xbox.com

The Xbox 360 Media briefing kicked off with a beautiful live action trailer for “Halo 4” which seamlessly transitioned into a campaign gameplay demo showing off an amazing looking game. Master Chief is going to be battling the Forerunners and battling with losing his A.I. counterpart Cortana. Everything has been upgraded, including Master Chief’s armor, the game’s graphics, and a lot of weapons. The demo started off feeling very reminiscent of Halo 3’s campaign, but suddenly the jungle environment felt incredibly unfamiliar when new glowing enemies showed up. Despite the many changes, it’s clear that Halo hasn’t lost itself, and it will be exciting to see what else 343 has planned for the all new trilogy.

Sam Fisher is also back with “Splinter Cell: Blacklist”. Gameplay looks very similar to “Splinter Cell: Conviction”, although the presentation, as well as Sam’s gear, has taken a step back to the older games. Once again, there’s actually a HUD instead of everything being artistically mapped onto the environments. “Splinter Cell: Blacklist” also supports Kinect integration. In the demo, the player called out, “Hey, you!” causing a guard to turn around surprised and confused so Sam could perform an execution. The player was also able to call in an airstrike using only his voice. All the while, everything was being done with the Controller, so much like with the integration in “Mass Effect 3”, it’s not being forced upon you, but could definitely supplement your gameplay nicely.

Following the voice command trend, “Madden 13” was briefly shown off and now features voice commands. Plays can be called verbally, audibles can be called at the line, and of course you can yell “hike!” to start play. All of this was demoed and appeared to work pretty well, although it also did a great job of highlighting Kinect’s limitations. There was a minor delay from command to execution, which will slow down gameplay significantly in comparison to the responsiveness and speed of a controller. Keep in mind, this is just an early build, although it’s highly likely the delay will still exist, at least to some extent, meaning this feature will probably be entertained briefly by all, but only utilized by quarterbacks who know every play and don’t have to wait for the menus to step them through each part of the play calling.

“Fable: The Journey” also made a brief appearance via trailer, although it didn’t actually reveal anything not already known. There was no exciting announcement to go along with it, and it wasn’t hardly even mentioned after the trailer was over. It seems as if it was only present to say “Hey, this game still exists… but it isn’t ready quite yet.” Likewise, “Gears of War: Judgment“ also had a trailer revealed, although it showed little more than a broad release date of 2013.

Next up, the Forza logo flashed on the screen, but surprisingly, it was followed by clips of street racing. Taking a drastic turn for the series, “Forza Horizon” looks a lot like the classic “Need For Speed” games meeting the ever-popular “Foza” series. It sported all of the neon lights and mountainscapes that have made appearances in past “Need for Speed” games, but also brought in the smooth gameplay, realistic physics, and unbelievably gorgeous car models Forza fans know and love. Also, it releases October 23, 2012.

Taking a break from games, Microsoft wanted to show off one of Bing’s new search features: the ability to search movies by genre. Additionally, Bing is being expanded to 12 new countries and will support more languages. To go with this, Microsoft plans to double the amount of entertainment apps in the following year. Partnership with Nickelodeon, Paramount Movies, Machinima, and Univision were all announced. NBA League Pass and NHL Gamecenter are also joining the lineup in the sports category. ESPN on Xbox is going to have live programing 24/7. ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN3, and ESPNU will all be available in HD.

Next up was the announcement of “Xbox Music”. With a library of over 30 Million music tracks, it appears as if this is Microsoft’s new direction with Zune. It’ll be available across Windows 8 PCs, Tablets, Phones and of course, the Xbox. From the looks of things, it appears as if Zune is no more, and has simply been morphed into Xbox Music. Although this hasn’t been confirmed, things such as the appearance of Smart DJ, the hint of Xbox Music being a music subscription service, and the announcement by Microsoft to discontinue their Zune MP3 players a while back make this seem like a highly likely turn of events.

Nike+ and Xbox now have a partnership, and are working to bring you “Nike+ Kinect Training”. It offers personalized training and feedback and even has mobile reminders to work out. The plan is to bring the massive Xbox Live community together with the massive Nike+ community. It will be fully integrated with everything Nike+ already has to offer, and its coming Holiday 2012.

Arguably the biggest reveal of the show was “Xbox SmartGlass”. It works across Windows Phone, iOS, and Android. This service looks to offer supplementary information to what you’re viewing on your big screen, and wants to put it all in the palm of your hand. Everything from background information on actors in movies to maps showing your where characters for TV shows are at within their universe. That’s just everything for the entertainment front.

Xbox SmartGlass also works with games. A little preview video showed off the gaming capabilities, and from the looks of things you can use it as a controller for Madden to draw up plays and actually run them as well. For Halo 4, it will have full WayPoint integration, which isn’t very surprising. It’s likely most other games will have features similar to that. SmartGlass also works like a touch-remote for Xbox, you can navigate it completely with your touchscreen, similar to how you already can with the Kinect.

The most exciting breakthrough SmartGlass offers, is the ability to finally browse the web on the Xbox 360 through Internet Explorer. SmartGlass will allow you to use your phone or tablet like a laptop’s touchpad for your Xbox 360. You can drag around with your finger as a cursor and fully manipulate the web on your TV. It will also support Kinect, giving you full control of the web with your voice. It launches worldwide sometime this fall.

Also making a repeat appearance from last year’s E3 was “Tomb Raider”. New gameplay shown was shown and the game looks great. Much like the first gameplay demo, this one reaffirmed the much more mature tone the game is taking on, and it seems like an excellent turn for the series. Also announced was that the first DLC package will be available first on Xbox 360, following suit with the Call of Duty series

Microsoft had three world exclusive premiers up their sleeves for games that will all launch in 2013. They weren’t much more than incredibly brief teaser trailers, but they certainly sparked lots of interest. First up was a new game from Signal Studios, the team behind the popular “Toy Soldiers” series. There new game is called “Ascend: New Gods” which can be played across both the Xbox 360 and Windows phone. It looks like it could be Xbox Arcade’s attempt at a “Shadow of the Colossus” game?

The brilliant minds at Twisted Pixel, Microsoft’s latest acquisition, showed a very vague glimpse of their next project, titled “LocoCycle”. A voice described a futuristic, super powerful motorcycle that looked like something straight out of “Tron”. First assumptions would be a sci-fi racing game, but then again, with Twisted Pixel at the helm of the project, you really can’t know what to expect.

Last for the exclusive reveals was “Matter” for Kinect. Not much was shown here either. All that could be gathered from the trailer was that it might possibly be a futuristic puzzle game, although not even that is certain. The glowing blue and orange eyes of the two silver sphere-shaped characters shown are very reminiscent of “Portal”, although no connection was confirmed.

“Resident Evil 6” had some gameplay to show off, and it clearly sported many improvements over its predecessor; the most notable of which is the ability to shoot and move at the same time. There were lots of real time events, a nice blend of shooting and hand-to-hand combat, and some pretty crazy action sequences. Many fans are expecting this to be the best of the Resident Evil series yet, and it does look to be shaping up that way.

Going back to Kinect was another brief mention, “Wreckateer”. It’s going to be exclusive to Xbox Live. The gameplay demo made it basically like the classic internet sensation, “Crush the Castle” for Kinect. A massive catapult is loaded with many different types of ammunition you can control and manipulate in the air. Points were awarded for destroying parts of castles, but the player was limited to just three shots in the one level shown in the demo. It’s likely they’re trying to hop in with the “Angry Birds” craze by bringing it to Xbox. “Wreckateer” launches on Xbox Live sometime this summer.

South Park is back and just as obscene, vulgar, and hilarious as ever. Have you ever wondered what it’d be like to put yourself in an episode of South Park? Now you can find out because you star in “South Park: The Stick of Truth” created by Obsidian. You’ll get to create your own personal “South Park” character and wander around the town as the new kid in town. Joining you will be Stan, Cartman, Kyle, and Kenny. “South Park: The Stick of Truth” is being written by the show’s creators, and will launch on March 5, 2013 with an exclusive “Mysterion Superhero Pack” for those who preorder it on Xbox 360.

Harmonix is bringing back “Dance Central” for the third time. It looks to be much of the same with a nice blend of new music. Prior to a surprise performance by Usher, he stated that he worked alongside the team at Harmonix to bring his exact choreography for two songs into the game. This could show that Harmonix is trying to bring more artist integration into the series much like they did with their work on the “Guitar Hero” and “Rock Band” franchises.

Closing out the event was a gameplay demo for the already announced “Call of Duty: Black Ops II”. The game’s presentation had a very familiar blockbuster action movie feel to it, much like the games in the past. The demo did show off some of the exciting new decision making features the game will sport. In the specific mission shown, the player was attempting to protect the president and escort her safely. On the edge of a blown out highway bridge, the player had the choice to rappel down with your group to do work from the ground or stay up top and snipe while your team moves the President below. The demo also showed off a few futuristic weapons, the use of support drones, and a nice section of vehicular combat. “Call of Duty: Black Ops II” will launch on Sept. 13, 2012.

Anthony Ortale writes news and reviews on behalf of Examiner.com. He does so much gaming in his spare time, it’s practically a full time job! If you like what you read here, please subscribe to his articles! You can also follow Tony on Twitter, or become a fan on Facebook! If you ever have any questions, comments, or concerns, feel free to email Tony any time at ortale.anthony@gmail.com, he would love to hear from you

[05.09.12] 'Minecraft' launches on Xbox Live Arcade

Microsoft

Maybe you haven’t played it, but by now, you’ve probably heard of it. Minecraft is an independently released sandbox-building game that took the world by storm even before its official release date back in November of 2011. Originally a PC only title, it has since made the jump to iOS and Android, and now is available on the Xbox 360.

What makes the Xbox version so unique and special is the full integration of Kinect. Now you have the power to build things with your hands instead of finicking around with a controller. It also supports cross-platform play with the PC version. Oddly enough though, it’s initially going to be quite different than its sister-game. The current version is lagging quite considerably behind the PC version; however, there are plans to update the game and bring it completely up to speed over time.

Aside from the Kinect support, other features were redesigned for the 360 as well. The crafting tool – a system used to make all the items used in-game – has been redesigned to make it significantly more user-friendly. Previously, item recipes had to be learned through experimenting and memorized to be recalled later. Fortunately, there is now an in-game guide that will remind you how to build items you’ve already discovered. Additionally, the ability to play with friends is something currently exclusive to the Xbox 360 version.

Perhaps because of the games current limitations, the XBLA version is just 1600 Microsoft Points – roughly $20 – compared to the PC version which is $26.95. That, combined with the exclusive features and sheer joy of building with Kinect, should be enough to convince anyone to buy it. If you’re hesitant though, there is a game trial available as well.

Minecraft for Xbox 360 Trial

Minecraft for Xbox 360 Full Game

- Via Major Nelson

Anthony Ortale writes news and reviews on behalf of Examiner.com. He does so much gaming in his spare time, it’s practically a full time job! If you like what you read here, please subscribe to his articles! You can also follow Tony on Twitter, or become a fan on Facebook! If you ever have any questions, comments, or concerns, feel free to email Tony any time at ortale.anthony@gmail.com, he would love to hear from you

[02.28.12] Microsoft announces Special Edition Kinect Family Bundle

Microsoft

Today Microsoft has announced they’re releasing a new limited edition 4GB Kinect Family Bundle which features two free games, 3 months of Xbox Live, and an all-white 4GB Xbox 360 Slim, controller, and Kinect for $299.99.

The white Kinect is nothing new; however, it was previously thought to be only available through the upcoming Star Wars Special Edition Bundle. Likewise, the white controller isn’t shocking to anyone who’s been with an Xbox for more than a year. In fact, it was the standard from the release of the console up until the new slim design came out. What’s puzzling is what Major Nelson had to say about the controller.

“A special edition white Xbox 360 wireless controller will be available for purchase separately for US $49.99”

Judging by the images provided, it doesn’t seem to be special at all. Even the new transforming d-pad that Microsoft recently developed is absent in favor of the traditional disc-shaped d-pad that was on the original white controllers. Everything down to the little bumps on the joysticks is intact. So what’s so special about this controller then? Probably nothing. This might be a publicity stunt to push out the remaining stock of white controllers they had sitting in a warehouse after discontinuing them. Then again, if Microsoft truly is starting production again for these ‘special edition’ controllers, perhaps they are just that naïve to believe the white controllers have gone vintage in just a year.

Regardless of the reason, if you’re dying to get your hands on one in a day or two as both the console and controller start shipping to retailers today.

Source: Announcing the the Xbox 360 Special Edition 4GB Kinect Family Bundle – Major Nelson

Anthony Ortale writes news and reviews on behalf of Examiner.com. He does so much gaming in his spare time, it’s practically a full time job! If you like what you read here, please subscribe to his articles! You can also follow Tony on Twitter, or become a fan on Facebook! If you ever have any questions, comments, or concerns, feel free to email Tony any time at ortale.anthony@gmail.com, he would love to hear from you!

[02.21.12] Alan Wake’s American Nightmare hopes to change the gaming industry

Remedy Games

Alan Wake's American Nightmare, the second title in the Xbox Live House Party lineup, is set to release tomorrow and with it comes more than just a fancy new title. This game signifies a major shift in the video game industry. Technology has made some exceptional advancements over the last few decades and despite pioneering some major developments - such as the recent motion gaming craze - the gaming industry has also found ways to drag far behind.

Everybody knows what video games look like. Depending on their age, they might tell you it's a little plastic cartridge with a faded and slightly torn sticker on it that you have to blow into and wiggle around to get to work. The more recent generations will jump to a description featuring a shiny disc that comes in a rectangular plastic case of varying colors with movie-poster graphics showcasing the star of their favorite title. Although they will spend hours shouting about the golden age of gaming and the processing power of their new machine, their arguments are entirely in vein because they're both wrong. That's not what a video game looks like. In fact, video games are so unique and so different, there's simply no way you could throw a blanket statement over them. What they're wasting energy disputing is various forms of media the game is distributed on. Besides, they're not giving the floppy disc guy a fair chance to share his opinions anyway.

The very media they are discussing is exactly what has caused the gaming industry to lag behind. Most games are currently distributed on a compact disc via a retail outlet. This has become the standard and nobody really questions it... but should they. Take a look at the music industry. There's no doubt it's thriving, but when was the last time you listened to a CD? It's a lot more likely you're either using an MP3 player or even your smartphone to take care of the majority of your music needs. This is because the music industry has made the move to digital.

Whether you love it or hate it, that's the way things are now. Buying full records seems absurd to consumers who would prefer to just grab a single track for 99 cents. This is done online and the file is received immediately, ready to be put on an iPod, played from the computer, or stored on a USB flash drive. Another popular alternative is to pay a monthly fee and have unlimited access to streaming content, usually with certain restrictions of course. Regardless of the method, the music industry was quick to adapt while the gaming industry has barely dipped its toes in the water.

DLC is huge in the gaming industry; although it has come under heavy fire recently. DLC stands for ‘downloadable content’. It’s extra stuff for your game, whether it is more campaign for the story, extra maps or songs, or a new outfit for your character. What many consumers have been upset with is so called ‘on-disk DLC’ which has shown up recently. That is, the supposedly additional content is actually already packed away on the disk but had to be purchased at a later time for an additional fee in order to gain access to it. The reason so many consumers are upset with this is because they feel as if they’ve already paid for the content, seeing as it’s stored on the disk they already bought. Additionally, some feel as if it hurts the overall quality of the final product because if this DLC was made before launch, it must have cut into the development time for the original title. This means either something was cut out of the game –likely the ‘DLC’ they just paid for – or that the time could have been used to fine-tune the release before the game went gold. Some people think this ‘on-disk DLC’ suggests that the developers are hesitant to go all-digital. However, even if the DLC is true DLC, it still is really just a baby step forward. If you think about it, DLC isn’t really the same thing as buying a track off of iTunes. It’s more like purchasing an extra verse for your favorite song.

In order to catch up with the music industry, the video game industry really needs to step up its game. They’re definitely getting there, but it’s happening pretty slowly. You can certainly find downloadable versions of full games, however if you browse through the listings on your PS3 or Xbox 360, you’ll notice all the available titles have one thing in common – they’re a little out dated. To anyone who plays on PC, this is a bit of a head-scratcher. The success of all-digital stores, such as Steam or EA’s new Origin, is undeniable. “I love it,” said Rex VanDorpe of Iowa City. “I personally don’t know what I would do without Steam. I can buy and download games in an hour, and I don’t have to leave my house.” He also points out that these digital stores are an excellent tool for promotion. “I find out about games that way, when Steam offers deals.” Not only that, but the ease with which a game can be purchased is added incentive to purchase and play games. “I find myself buying games that I probably would not go to a store and buy. Also, there are good odds I will play digital games more because I don’t have to bother finding an actual disc.”

The thought of not being able to get a new title on day one downloaded straight to their computer just seems silly to PC gamers, however it’s a reality console gamers must face. But then again, is it really affecting them? “Maybe I like going to retail stores at midnight and standing in lines and conversing with other geeky gamers!” Kellie Pickering of Cedar Rapids said. These midnight releases are huge in the gaming industry too. For the launch of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, arguably the biggest title of 2011, stores were opening as early as 9PM to prepare for the crowds. Pickering and Jessica Brierton, from Iowa City, also agree on another thing. “You can’t show off your game collection,” Brierton pointed out. She also made note of the fact that it’s horrible for the used games market, stating that it is “hurting retail companies like GameStop and consumers who like to buy slightly used new games for a good price.”

In 2010, GameStop posted record sales amounting to almost $10 billion. A large portion of this is, of course, their used games. If you’re tired of the game you bought or just flat out think it’s terrible, you can mosey on down to GameStop and trade that game in for some not so hard earned cash or maybe a little extra store credit to put towards another title you’re interested in. If you browse the used section, you can likely find the title you’re looking for at a nice discount. This is great for you and great for GameStop

So that’s a wrap. Everybody wins and everything is ok, right? Unfortunately, there’s one party that doesn’t win, and that’s the game developers. That’s because they get absolutely nothing from a single sale of a used game. “Digital is much more cost effective for game companies, encouraging cheaper prices and innovation,” said Ryan Hingtgen of North Liberty. “Honestly, Digital Distribution of games is good for the industry overall. If you need a good example of a game that has taken digital distribution to a whole new level, look at Minecraft.” He couldn’t be more right. Minecraft reached over one million units sold barely a month after going into the beta stages. This was ten full months prior to its official release and it has since sold over five million units. But this again just proves the success digital releases are having on the PC while developers for consoles are still hesitant to jump on board. That is, until now.

Alan Wake’s American Nightmare marks a big breakthrough for the gaming industry. The original Alan Wake came out in May of 2010 as an exclusive to the Xbox 360. It was highly anticipated, a great success, and it quickly developed a deep fan base. Alan Wake was such a unique title on so many levels. It was set up like a TV show with each chapter being a weekly episode. This allowed for the ease of additional ‘episodes’ being added on via the aforementioned DLC.

Unfortunately, this created a bit of confusion with the announcement of Alan Wake’s American Nightmare. Was this another chapter of DLC? No, it’s a full-featured follow-up title. So what’s the big deal with American Nightmare then? It’s taking the big leap. As part of Xbox Live's House Party, it’s going with an exclusively digital release tomorrow. It’s one of the first blockbusters to make the leap to an immediate and exclusive digital launch. There won’t be a single line outside of any store with people anxiously waiting to buy the game. Nobody is paying extra for a collector’s edition, and nobody will be filing the case away next to the other games in their collection. Outside of a minor gathering of fans that will wait up for the game to be published, most will probably go to sleep and buy the game whenever they get on Live next.

The big question is how is this going to affect the industry? Will GameStop and other local stores like Video Games Etc. or Gamers feel the pain of not being able to resell this title? That seems highly unlikely. There are so many other titles in circulation already, there’s absolutely no way one game could have a devastating effect on their sales; at least not immediately anyway. A lot is riding on the success or failure that American Nightmare is about to face. If it’s a massive hit, other developers will take notice and this could inspire many of them to go all-digital.

But then again, what if it doesn’t succeed? Things seem to be stacked in their favor, seeing as the digital format allows them to cut out the cost of the middle-man retail store, forgo paying the cost of materials for physical copies, and actually collect money from every single copy they sell… but at what cost? Its possible many gamers will choose not to purchase it since there’s no lower price option available. Sure that’s not a loss to the developers since they wouldn’t have collected money off the used sale anyway, but what about all of the other copies that would have inspired purchases? You can’t rent a digital copy and definitely won’t be able to loan yours out to a friend. All of those people may have been interested in buying it after they tried it, but now it’s likely they won’t purchase it at all.

There’s also the crowd that are boycotting digital distribution. Rob Nielsen, writer of the RedGoateeRob Horror Gaming Blog, is definitely not a fan.

“The thing that nobody seems to care about here is the impact on consumer rights. With a lot of these digital distribution services, I`m given to understand that if they go out of business or if someone accuses you of hacking or using a stolen credit card , they can revoke access to your entire game collection.”

He brings up valid points, many companies, even outside of the gaming industry, have taken hits for their insane and “intrusive” DRM. That hasn’t stopped companies from trying though because in the end, it always benefits them.

“The upshot is that digital distribution is great for the bottom line of the companies that are pushing it and utterly terrible for the consumer. I`ve never paid money for a digitally distributed game and I never will.”

His love of horror games isn’t enough to step away from his thoughts about digital distribution even for one day to try out this game, no matter how great it may end up being. That’s yet another lost sale that digital distribution has contributed to, and he’s not the only one that feels that way. There are many other gamers out there who loathe the idea of digital distribution. Perhaps what the companies need to do is find a happy medium.

Emily McKnight, from Iowa City, feels that way. “If the company offers it as a service alongside production of physical copies, that is probably useful to some people.” With the success the PC gaming market has found through side-by-side sales of both physical and digital copies; that really seems like the way to go. So maybe American Nightmare is a step too far, or maybe it’s not a step in the right direction at all. We won’t know until the initial sales numbers are released in the following weeks. So regardless of which side of the argument you fall on and whether or not you’re going to buy American Nightmare tomorrow, you’ll be speaking with your wallet and the entire gaming industry will be anxiously watching.

Anthony Ortale writes news and reviews on behalf of Examiner.com. He does so much gaming in his spare time, it’s practically a full time job! If you like what you read here, please subscribe to his articles! You can also follow Tony on Twitter, or become a fan on Facebook! If you ever have any questions, comments, or concerns, feel free to email Tony any time at ortale.anthony@gmail.com, he would love to hear from you

[01.10.12] Xbox Live Arcade House Party & Must Have Games returns

Microsoft

The last House Party on Xbox Live was such a success that Microsoft has decided to bring it back this year again starting Feb. 15. Each week, a new title will be released for four consecutive weeks, bringing must have releases straight to your console. This year’s line-up is packed with highly anticipated titles each and every week. Likewise, Xbox Live for Windows Live is getting some love with their Must Have Games feature. These titles will also be coming out roughly on a weekly schedule starting in February.

Warp

Warp is EA's highly anticipated puzzle-based stealth action title. As the little orange alien Zero, you must plan your escape after being imprisoned by the evil Commander in his underwater hideout. Using all your alien abilities, you must find your way to freedom as quickly and quietly as you can. Warp is set to be the first release for Xbox Live House Party on Feb. 15

Alan Wake's American Nightmare

Alan Wake (2010) was an instant hit, and many of its fans demanded a sequel. This year, they're finally getting what they asked for with Alan Wake's American Nightmare. Although it may not be the full featured release fans expected, this arcade title will dish out a whole lot more of The Darkness. With a new storyline, new location, and new game mode, this will definitely quench the thirst diehard fans have been feeling! Alan Wake's American Nightmare is set to be the second release for Xbox Live House Party on Feb. 22

Nexuiz

Nexuiz may be new to Xbox Live Arcade, but it's actually a classic to any PC gamer. This title is a fast paced arena first person shooter ready to dominate Xbox Live. Nexuiz takes place in an alternative universe where to alien races have been battling for years. Technically, they're in the middle of a truce, but it's so weak, they still agree to fight each other - but solely in a gladiator-like arena battles. Just like how the rules of the truce don't apply, in this game the rules of battle and the laws of physics don't always apply either. Feel free to bend them in any way you can to get any advantage you need. Nexuiz is set to be the third release for Xbox Live House Party on Feb. 29

I Am Alive

I Am Alive has been in the works for quite a while and in the time it's undergone a complete overhaul. Set one year after a cataclysmic event that wiped out almost everyone on the entire globe, I Am Alive is the typical story of one guy desperately hanging onto a thread of hope that his family might still be alive. What makes this adventure so interesting is that he's not your typical hero. The main character isn't portrayed as an over-the-top, super-powered action movie star but rather as the average Joe just trying to survive. You'll be forced to keep track of your stamina level and make sure you don't burn yourself out while venturing through the ruins, so make sure to come up for air every so often. I Am Alive is set to be the fourth release for Xbox Live House Party on Mar. 7

BulletAsylum

BulletAsylum is an upcoming arcade style shooter that seems to be a tribute to the classics with a modern twist. With an almost endless arsenal of firepower and eye-popping graphics reminiscent of Bizarre Creation's Geometry Wars (2003), these developers are hoping to set Xbox Live for Windows Phone on fire with this title; and later, the PC as well. BulletAsylum is set to be the first release for Must Have Hits sometime in early February.

Chickens Can't Fly

Chickens Can't Fly is the zany sequel to Amused Sloth's Chickens Can Dream (2011) where anything and everything goes... as long as it involves chickens. You're challenged to join forces with the world's top scientist to figure out just what chickens can and can't do! Players will steer a falling chicken down a trench past all kinds of deadly traps and obstacles. It's somewhat like the ever-popular Doodle Jump only in reverse and with chickens! Chickens Can't Fly is set to be the second release for Must Have Hits sometime in February.

Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit

Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit is an adaptation of the 2010 console release under the same name. Featuring two separate campaigns - one cop, one racer - set on 24 different tracks; players will be able to choose from any of the 20 high-performance vehicles in the game. Anyone who's played the original release will know exactly what to expect, however, it'll just be in a more compact design for phones. Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit is set to be the third release for Must Have Hits sometime in late February.

Splinter Cell: Conviction

Splinter Cell: Conviction will also be an adaptation of a 2010 blockbuster released under the same name. The only downside to Splinter Cell: Conviction is that unlike Need For Speed's mobile game, SC:C will be taken out of the hands of its original developers. The game is still supposed to be a true-to-the-original port for Windows Phones, so hopefully these developers will do the game justice. Splinter Cell: Conviction is set to be the fourth release in Must Have Hits and will likely release in March.

Toy Soldiers: Boot Camp

Toy Soldiers: Boot Camp is the third installment in the Toy Soldiers series that have been hit sellers on the Xbox Live Arcade. This follow-up to Toy Soldiers and Toy Soldiers: Cold War is hopping to build on the already solid tower defense and shooting gallery mixed game play its predecessors have established. Toy Soldiers: Boot Camp will be the fifth and final release for Must Have Hits and will likely release in mid-March.

[12.30.11] Xbox Live bans guns for avatars

This gem will be gone starting Jan. 1

Anthony Ortale

That’s right, starting Jan 1, 2012 Xbox Live is officially removing all ‘gun-like’ items from the Avatar marketplace. It seems a tad bit ridiculous honestly, but Microsoft has always had a weird set of restrictions as to what an Avatar can and can’t do. In just two days, Microsoft will be adding to that list by preventing the sale of any guns to avatars. If you’ve already purchased one you don’t need to worry because Microsoft isn’t banning the actual use of guns on Avatars; so you can still sport your gun proudly for the world to see. This means, however, that if you ever have or ever will want any sort of gun for your Avatar, you need to grab it now before time runs out! To make it easy as possible for you, here’s a list of all the items that might be disappearing with the start of the New Year:

-Brush Launcher

-Freeze Ray

-Gold Hammerburst

-Gold Lancer

-Halo Scarab

-Hammerburst

-Lancer

-Miniature Tank

-RC Goliath Drone

-Rick’s Tank

-Robocop Toy