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Friday, February 05, 2010

Microsoft Drops Xbox Live Support for Original Xbox Games

Bummer.

In mid-April, Microsoft's pulling the online rug out from under original Xbox consoles and games, including Xbox games playable on a Xbox 360, and the Xbox Originals they sell in the Xbox Live Games Marketplace.

While it sucks that they're going back on Xbox Live support for the awesome that was the backwards compatible games list [sic], it's surprising they're also yanking network support for their Xbox Originals, which are Xbox v1 games downloadable and playable on 360, that they sell on Xbox Live Marketplace (granted, only like 4 of them support mutliplayer, but hey -- it's the principle).

Bigger, though, is Microsoft calling out that this will also include Halo 2. Now, the cynical savvy side of me says H2 (and maybe other Xbox 1 games) are waaay to popular on Xbox Live, and cannabilizing sales on online play of other 360 (and maybe even, specifically, Halo titles).

This is far from conspiracy theory. Back when Microsoft's resident mouthpiece, Larry "Major Nelson" Hryb (majornelson.com), was actually reporting breakout of Xbox Live activity, Halo 2 was far and away more played than 360 titles. He at one point even briefly removed original Xbox games from his list, until people cried foul, and it went back on the report -- but without the unique user data that was pretty damning for Xbox 360 online titles.

Admittedly, holding on to and supporting older tech can slow down forward movement quite a bit (look at Sony's waffling about PS2 support, first supported with what was basically a physical PS2 inside the PS3, and then later removed from post-launch versions of the console).

Worst case, this reduces cost for Microsoft (which is balls as far as benefits for gamers, since it's not like cost savings will be passed on).

Part of me is hopeful that the upcoming breaking changes that are "incompatible with" original Xbox games will be so compelling that folks don't even miss the dropped support for original Xbox titles.

And honestly, as a guy working in games, I find myself playing fewer and fewer older titles on a recreational basis, since it's kind of like designing the next version of an operating system and using Windows ME as my reference materials.

But, I am concerned Microsoft is making this change "because they can" -- what are gamers going to do?

Anyway, here's the official announcement from Xbox LIVE GM Marc Whitten (Notwen):

http://gamerscoreblog.com/press/archive/2010/02/05/gh789.aspx

A Letter from Marc Whitten: Discontinuation of Xbox LIVE for Original Xbox Games

Dear Xbox LIVE Members,

On April 15 we will discontinue the Xbox LIVE service for original Xbox consoles and games, including Xbox v1 games playable on Xbox 360 and Xbox Originals. I want to start by saying this isn't a decision we made lightly, but after careful consideration, it is clear this will provide the greatest benefit to the Xbox LIVE community.

Seven years ago we laid out our vision for the connected console when we launched Xbox LIVE. We believed then that the power of the Internet to connect people would revolutionize living room entertainment. It started with amazing multiplayer games, and we've since seen that bet pay off again and again with the launches of Xbox 360, Marketplace, Netflix and powerful social features like Facebook, Twitter and Last.fm. None of this would have been possible without the success of LIVE as a multiplayer gaming network.

There’s no greater example of the power of the Xbox LIVE community than the “Halo” franchise. “Halo 2” has had an amazing run on LIVE, with a dedicated community more than five years after launch and well into the next generation of consoles. It has fundamentally changed the way we play video games. And while it’s difficult to see that run come to an end, the “Halo” franchise continues to act as the benchmark for multiplayer gaming in this generation, with “Halo 3,” “Halo 3: ODST” and soon “Halo: Reach” on Xbox 360.

Your Xbox LIVE community has grown to 23 million strong. And as we look down the road, we’ll continue to evolve the service with features and experiences that harness the full power of Xbox 360. To reach our aspiration, we need to make changes to the service that are incompatible with our original Xbox v1 games. We will contact the Xbox LIVE members directly impacted by this change and if this includes you, I encourage you to check your LIVE messages and associated e-mail account over the coming weeks for more details and opportunities. We view you as a partner in this process.

We’ll share more details soon, but in the meantime I want to assure you that the best is yet to come for Xbox LIVE. I believe we’ll look back on 2010 as a landmark year in gaming and home entertainment, and I couldn't be more excited about what we have in store with “Project Natal” and LIVE. The LIVE community is the driving force behind everything we do, and it’s because of the community that ground-breaking experiences on Xbox continue to be possible.

See you on LIVE,

Marc Whitten
Gamertag - Notwen
www.twitter.com/notwen

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SOURCES: Gamespot.com, joystiq.com, kotaku.com, Xbox.com, IGN, GameInformer, Official XBox Magazine, CNN, gamesindustry.biz, and others.

Wednesday, August 26, 2009

360 and PS3 go (commercially) head-to-head

(Or maybe it's toe-to-toe.)

Regardless, while a lot of GDC Europe and Gamescom did not float my boat (and Microsoft's presser certainly didn't), I am excited by the recent Sony / Microsoft tête-à-tête.

What tête-à-tête, you may ask?

Why, the $299 PS3 "Don't - call - me - 'Slim' - 'cause - Sony - says - it's - just - the - new - PS3", and the $299 Xbox 360 Elite.

So, now, both consoles have a 120Gb hard drive, both have HDMI, both are at the same price.

Now things are getting interesting.

The new Ps3 "not-slim" is smaller than the original PS3. But it doesn't have backwards compatability (which the 360 does for a boatload of titles, along with full game downloads). Online play is free for Sony-ites via its online service (PSN), whereas Xbox 360 charges $50 a year for access to Xbox Live (but you get a lot more content for that fifty bucks, so arguably you get what you pay for).

The PS3 has built-in Blu-ray support, and the 360's HD-DVD add-on is a dead goat (or something). But Xbox has streaming Netflix exclusivity, which is huge for me (and it has Netflix party, but in it's current state, I call a negative).

Microsoft has (for me) way more compelling arcade titles, and I like their indie games marketplace (though the crap to more-like-gold ratio is high). Sony is getting ready to launch "minis", which sound like cheap(ish), polished short-attention-span-theater-style games (which sounds great). But those are likely just PSP.

Sony looks like they're offering just the $299 version as a single SKU offering; Microsoft has both the Elite at $299, and the Arcade at $199 (which is cheaper than the Wii).

So ... does this change anything for you? Sway you one way or another? PS3 because of the new, smaller (not slimmer) form factor? Xbox 360 because the Elite is now $299?

Let me know in the comments. Though things could get more interesting. Microsoft's got more levers (what if they made Xbox Live cheaper? Free?). Sony could actually do something on their box (media wise) with all of the film, audio, and distribution studios and companies they own.

Etc.

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Monday, June 01, 2009

Microsoft E3 presser

Blergh.

Three different live feeds, stuff was slow as all get-out.

Anyway, freaking exciting stuff.

It started out with the announcement that 1 vs. 100 should be live tonight, Rock Band Beatles looks fantastic (and had Beatles on-hand to amp up the coolness, and has exclusive song "All You Need is Love" for the Xbox).

Square-Enix (producers from Final Fantasy XIII) took the stage, and demoed the game running on the 360 -- A big (to me, kind of surreal) deal for gamers / industry folk. And they announced a spring 2010 release date.

New games premiers:
  • Tony Hawk's new game (and new skate deck controller) looks sharp
  • Modern Combat 2 continues to impress, but the trailer looks like the one shown on Spike's E3 preview last week. The live gameplay by the game devs looks stellar (though I'm a bit bummed by it's presentation, because while things like first-person ice climbing and massive snowstorm particle effects are cool, they're a bit slow to show at a presser). Snowmobile fighting was very cool, though. Two Modern Warfare 2 map packs will be timed exclusive to Xbox 360.
Exclusives -- titles secured just for Microsoft's console:
  • Shadow Complex -- Epic's (Chair Entertainment, represented by Donald Mustard) next Xbox exclusive is a AAA XBLA title, and it looks like an uber bastard child of Gears of War 2 and Contra. Still gonna feel weird if Xbox gets an arcade exclusive and PS3 gets a full-title exclusive.
  • Joy Ride -- a Big Park Live XBLA title, which allow for in-game Avatar use,
  • Crackdown 2 -- I was so hoping for this, it looks amazing (though it was cut-scene only), and now the bad guys are super-charged, too. Couldn't tell if this is going to be more of the same(ish) crime family motif, or more adversarial / /co-op / multiplayer, etc. I would like all of the above, please.
  • Left 4 Dead 2 -- I am very surprised at how quickly this coming (I believe November), and that it's an exclusive (in addition to PC, of course; which also helps Microsoft).
  • Tom Clancy Splinter Cell: Conviction -- Looks like it got a much-needed makeover, and looks intense and grittier. I really like how mission objectives and info are projected on the in-game scenes -- almost like playing a French indie action film. Things like the "mark and execute" mechanic may make the thing much more usable (and brutal). It will be shipping this fall.
  • Forza Motorsport 3 -- The successor to the Microsoft racing franchise, from Turn-Ten Studios. Set to be the "best-looking racing game on any platform". The community-inclusion aspect of custom painted cars, community videos, etc. built into the game is pretty impressive.
  • Halo 3 ODST -- Joe Staten showed off new cut scene and playable footage. the playable character is primarily the "rookie" -- alone and separated from his squad. It looks to have nice gimicks for ODST visor and sound-suppressed weapons. And the pistol smacks of Halo CE awesomeness. I also like the gameplay device that flashes back to other playable ODSTs for gameplay diversity and "piecing together the mystery". I don't like that the voices sound like "Red v. Blue" cast voices, which takes me out of the gameplay. It will have co-op (yay!). Ships December.
  • Halo Reach -- The top-secret project from Bungie leaked though a forum gaffe this weekend, the game hits 2010, but people buying Halo 3 ODST will get a beta key for Halo Reach. Halo Whores, unite!
  • Alan Wake -- From Remedy Entertainment, the playable footage they showed gives me hope the the action genre is back. The flashlight-weakening mechanic to weaken enemies before shooting is cool, and the generator start up and flare gun was a cool twist on that.
  • Metal Gear franchise -- Hideo Kojima said the next title, Metal Gear Solid Rising, is in development for the Xbox 360 -- and will feature Raiden. Not sure this one is an exclusive, but given Microsoft's "everything from here on out is exclusive to Xbox 360", it seems like it.

Media convergence:

  • Last.fm -- Microsoft announced a music deal with Last.fm, making it available later this year to gold members for free. I know people there, and I am impressed they did not leak this to me. Though I would not have leaked the leakage.
  • Netflix -- They've updated the service to remove needing a PC to set up the download queue, and simplified it -- just click "play".
  • Sky TV -- Brings live TV to the UK. Hey, what about the U.S.?
  • Zune video -- Microsoft's updating the Xbox video library to full 1080p, there's going to be no delay in play, the user experience has been streamlined, and the service is expanding to 18 countries (from 8)

Social Technology -- special versions for Microsoft's console:

  • "Every Xbox Live game, music, and video experience can be an Xbox Live Party experience."
  • Facebook integrated with Xbox Live (friends, photos, status, and sharing screenshots to Facebook from in-game; sounds like games will need to explicitly take advantage of the functionality, and hopefully it's taken advantage of more than the PS3 YouTube functionality).
  • Twitter integration with the Xbox 360 dash (my office mate will hate this, and I will rub his face in it).

Hardware announcements:

  • Super controller "Natal" -- Microsoft announced its own full-body motion capture, voice recognition uber controller. Looks ambitious, and if it delivers -- boy howdy -- "Controller free entertainment". It will work with every past Xbox, and will ship with every new Xbox. Steven Spielberg joined Microsoft's Don Mattrick on-stage in pushing the new technology, is at least tertiarily involved in the project, and will be "coming up with some good stuff" to take advantage of the technology.

    Kudo Tsunoda was on-stage to narrate the demonstration of "Natal" -- I was wondering what he was up to since the Fight Night franchise, and did not expect this. As an aside, I think paint party is great fodder for a drinking game over Xbox Live . I am concerned about the "stencil" functionality :- . Very compelling live demo, though.

    Peter Molyneux was on-stage to show what Lionhead is doing with the Natal technology. The Milo demo -- a virtual boy with emotional demonstration and response -- was stunning. I had shivers. You have to see the video to believe it, and if it's real ...

Anyway, Microsoft is first out of the gate, and their media blackout may have done its job -- I'm 90% ready to declare a presser winner right now.

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Tuesday, February 10, 2009

Penny Arcade doesn't hate Gamebryo

(Ergh. There are so many things wrong with that faux endorsement, and I realize I'm setting myself up to be possibly harpooned by the brilliantly snarky (yet biting) barbs of Gabe and Tycho, but they've given me a launching point.)




I'm tickled Hidden Path Entertainment's Defense Grid: The Awakening, is doing so well (though the game's Halloweenie Website hurts my eyes).

As I've said before,
"I would characterize it as that new breed of title that is high production value, great bang-for-the-buck, and innovating under new challenging models of budget and timeline constraints. You should play this game."
Given how I feel about the game and the developer, I'm even more tickled the Gamebryo logo splashes at the game start up.

If possible, I'm even more more stoked Penny Arcade (or at least Tycho) loves the game. Not surprised, per se, because I think they like capable indie devs (and because I use "per se" quite a bit), but it's nice to see PA's appreciation for the game at PAX extending to a gushing about the "voice acting, production values, pretty much everything about it."

There's a free demo of the game, but at twenty bones to get a good game and support a good dev, you can save yourself a step by just buying the game.

Secondly, I'm regularly ridiculed at the office for my proclamation of love fanboy ardor for the Blood Bowl franchise -- So what? It's fantasy sports in an other-kind-of-fantasy candy shell, with gibbage filling. And now there's going to be a proper interactive video game for said gibbage-filled fantasies candy. And Tycho doesn't hate it.



(I'm sooo stoked for this game.)

And neither with Defense Grid nor Blood Bowl do Jerry or Mike (crap; broke the fourth wall) subject Gamebryo to their brand of intellectual belittlement.

So, that's something.

(Oh, and "gibbage-filled fantasies candy", "gibbage-filled candy", "candy with gibbage filling", and derivatives are (c) Copyright 2009 Adam Creighton.)

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Monday, July 07, 2008

Bungie Day 2008

(Forgot to post this this morning.)

It's Bungie Day 2008 ("the seventh day of the seventh month ..."), and there are some online and Xbox Live goodies for download -- with the Xbox Live goodies mostly available for today only (gamerpics and theme).

On Xbox Live Marketplace:
On Bungie.net:
 Get 'em while they're hot:

7.7.08 (Bungie.net)

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Sunday, December 02, 2007

The Xbox 360 Dashboard Update

(OK, I've had too many requests for this, so here's a shortish version.)

Microsoft is readying its next Dashboard update for December 4th, and it's a doozy.

You can find the straight list of features here, or a slightly differently packaged one here (which worked better for me). And if you want to an in-depth breakdown of video FAQs, go here (DivX, baby!).

There is a ton here. If I had to back up and extract some themes from the bulleted lists, I'd say "Social Growth" (Messenger, friends, etc.); "Increased consistency across Microsoft Products, Services, and Accessories" (XBL, Zune, Big Button, etc.); "Audio Video Performance and Functionality Enhancements" (DivX, media handling and streaming, etc.); and "Usability and Aesthetic Improvements" (a bunch, and some nice touches that could be considered "unnecessary").

The MSDN blog poster "IndieGames" gives some insight into the pretty impressive engineering feat showcased by the Dash update:
"Did you know our system update package is only 7MB in size? Or that the entire 360 O/S resides on a tiny 16MB filesystem and when running it is only given 32MB of system memory?"
As much as I dislike what I belabor as Microsoft's poor corporate decision to not guarantee a hard drive will be present on every console, the mother of necessity has pushed the team to do some cool stuff. And they're not dumping 5GB of game data on your hard drive, a la the PS3. (Allegedly.)

The other thing this got me to thinking about is in the rush to "own the living room", it really struck me that Sony is competing with the O/S, software, and media intersection might of arguably the bar in the industry. Puts a different spin on the competition for me.

Oh, and while I acknowledge the engineering feat here is impressive, I'm going to take quick issue with the MSDN blog poster's statement "Maintaining a twice yearly ship schedule is difficult."

Yeah, and water's wet, so cry me a river. Try maintaining a twice a year ship schedule on a multimillion code line, mainframe and distributed, six thousand concurrent transaction per second system. Or 12 releases of varying sizes across 7 services (my last gig) in less than a year. Or being a doctor. Or a divorce attorney. Or sewer employee. Or ...

Now just bring down the overpriced Xbox 1 games that are going to be available for download, and I'll be happier (and you'll make more money, Microsoft; unless you don't care if the downloads to cannibalize sales from brands you don't own, and won't realize any revenue from, anyway).

Ooh, Crotchety Game Dude is back!

Anyway, good stuff coming, and'll probably get better for gamers everywhere.

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Tuesday, November 13, 2007

Xbox titles downloadable!

The future is digital downloads.

Well, not the future, but a future. Or, more like a part of the future is digital downloads. Except they've been happening for a while now. So let's just say a part of the retro future is digital downloads.

Anyway, part of the Xbox Live Fall (?) Dashboard update will include (tambor rollo, por favor) the ability "to download and own full Xbox games, such as 'Halo,' 'Psychonauts,' 'Crimson Skies: High Road to Revenge' and 'Fable,' among others".

Download, own, and play games. Imagine. It's like GameTap on Xbox Live.

More deets*:
"With no disc necessary, and at just 1,200 Microsoft Points per game, Xbox LIVE members can easily rediscover these hit titles, or check out a game they missed the first time around. This launch lineup is only the beginning, as Xbox 360 owners can expect to see a growing catalog of Xbox games to download and own over the coming year."
`I can't find details on the list, but I wonder if it will be limited to Microsoft-published games (Brute Force, anyone?), or will include all of the backwards compatible titles (Breakdown downloadable? Sweet mother ...

Of course, 1,200 Microsoft Points per game is too ridiculously high -- $14.99. You can buy many of the games on the Xbox backward compatibility list for $9.99 (new) or lower (especially used), just like you can buy a DVD boxed set way cheaper than you can download all of the episodes from Xbox Live -- and someone's pocketing the difference, since there's no $4-$8 physical manufacturing cost.

It's in the right direction, though. Once they fix the pricing model across XBL, I bet they see an explosion in digital purchases.

*Like my street lingo? I'm trying to keep it real with the articulate online gamer peeps. Fuh ral, dat's da shizzle.

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Xbox Live turns 5; gamers win

Has it been five years already?

(Rhetorical.)

Xbox Live launched November 15, 2007, and this week sees a lot of love from the Big M (no, not The Mouse).

What do you get?

How 'bout a free Xbox LIVE Arcade game,(downloadable between 12:01 a.m. PST on Nov. 15 and 11:59 p.m. PST on Nov. 16); rumor says it's Carcassonne, which is an awesome board-to-video game adaptation.

Want more?

How about an all-night gaming session with classic Return to Castle Wolfenstein?

Get more info about the "5IVE" celebration at Xbox.com, or the various WMA/MP3/PodCast itnerviews at MajorNelson.com.

Enough about this. Now to write the post I really want to write.

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Wednesday, September 12, 2007

Tokyo Game Show (Microsoft)

I'll have to post more about this tomorrow, but here are some of the highlights from the Microsoft's Tokyo Game Show press conference (mostly lifted from Kotaku.com):
  • Lost Odyssey will be out December 6 (in Japan; probably)
  • Ace Combat 6 from Bandai Namco is exclusive to the Xbox 360
  • Gundam Operation Troy will be out in 2007, as will Katamari, and Gundam Musou International (that last one is a maybe)
  • Dynasty Warriors 6 will be out in November
  • Ninja Gaiden 2 was announced, and looks to be an Xbox 360 exclusive
  • Age of Empires, Crysis, World in Conflict, the new Viva Pinata party game will all be out for Japan's Games for Windows Live
  • New controller colors have been announced (possibly just for Japan): green, black, pink, and white
  • New XBLA titles include Rez HD, Every Extend Extra Extreme, Ikaruga, Trigger Heart, Exit, and Omega Five
  • New RPG Infinite Discovery was announced, a joint project between Square Enix, Microsoft, and developer is Tri-Ace
  • Square Enix's other project, The Last Remant, will be playable at TGS this week

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Sunday, August 12, 2007

BioShock demo out for 360!

BioShock, if for no other reason than because of its potentially challenging in-game moral dilemmas, is on of my most-anticipated games for the Xbox 360. And I think Ken Levine is pretty amazing.

And the demo just got kicked onto Xbox Live, so I'm downloading it now, and hope to rock my ethical grounds in an hour or so; or whenever the heck it finishes downloading.

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Monday, July 30, 2007

Comic-Con summary (UPDATED)

I've got an initial summary of Comic-Con over on my Acting / Ramblings blog, with more daily summaries to follow.

Those will be soup-to-nuts kind of things, covering acting, comic books, film, cartoons, toys, and video games.

A lot of stuff happened on that last front, and I had some great conversations with everyone from NCsoft to SEGA, and played stuff from the Cartoon Network MMO to TimeShift, and saw hands-off demos for things like Iron Man.

I'll post summaries as it makes sense, but you can also get a ton of Comic-Con content downloaded from Xbox Live (for a limited time), and hit up the following sites / posts for more Comic-Con video game goodness:

UPDATED: Added links for MajorNelson.com (Final Comic-Con content), IGN, and Newsarama.

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Friday, July 20, 2007

Transformers G1 themes ...

Oh, the world is set to remind me that I still don't have my Xbox 360.

It's not enough that I can't play any of my games, or the new ones like Overlord or The Darkness (which just released a demo today).

No, they have to go and release Transformers Generation 1 Xbox themes.

Hey, I like the new movie. But Old School -- that's where my heart is (I've got the original series on DVD, and the original toys).

And there are two themes available -- one each for the Autobots and Decepticons.

The latter is actually the better theme, with Shockwave, Megatron, Soundwave, Starscream, and a usable guide mini-blade. The Autobot theme has Bumblebee, Optimus Prime, Jazz, and Ironhide, but with no Jetfire / Skyfire and an unusable guide blade, it falls short of the Decepticon pack.

I typically don't buy themes for my 360, but if my truant box ever gets back, I'm picking up the Decepticon theme.

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Wednesday, July 18, 2007

No Halo 3 Live co-op ...

So, I'm pretty miffed. Commence pissy post.

In an interview with Electronic Gaming Monthly (EGM), Bungie's Frank O'Conner said online co-op (via Xbox Live) isn't likely to make it into the shipped Halo 3 in September:
"We know that people want it and we're trying to make it happen. I think the biggest problem for us for online co-op is that we have a situation where you can be in a Warthog with five troops, almost a mile away from the other player. That's a significant challenge. And there's lots of design things you could do to prevent that from happening, but they would make it not feel like Halo anymore. If we can make it happen in a way that works well, we will - and if it works badly, we won't."
So, I'm not working on the game, but brass tacks is it sounds like they didn't design this from the get-go, and they're making the decision now to short the feature.

Think of the original Halo, where you can co-op, and if you get behind, the lagging player is teleported to the same location as the lead player. Not ideal, but it is pretty smooth.

Now think of games like Doom 3 (also on the old Xbox) and Gears of War (on the Xbox 360) that do support online co-op. So, Halo 3, coming out a year (or years) after these other titles, not supporting the feature, is a bit of a setback, and arguably provides a stumbling block for the "king of the now-gen shooters" for which I'm sure Bungie is angling.

O'Conner does say the feature could show up later as a downloadable update, and that they know people want it ("We're not dumb").

I'm a manager and lead for development, projects, teams, and services, so I understand the prioritization of features, and some things need to get dropped to make dates.

Halo 3 has a high bar, though. Three years in development, and the stigma of a roughly ended Halo 2 and the missing (and badly stubbed out ) online co-op that seriously irked fans in that title. And they have new high bars to reach in the form of Epic's Gears of War, and their upcoming Unreal Tournament 3. Not to mention Ubisoft's upcoming Haze, which (according to their Website) will feature 4-player online co-op.

So, for a lot of gamers, September and Halo 3 isn't just about "finishing the fight"; as a trilogy ender, it's the expectation that Bungie "finishes the game."

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posted by Adam @ 12:42 PM

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Wednesday, July 11, 2007

Microsoft E3 2007 press conference ...

A lot of stuff came out of tonight's E3 press conference from Microsoft.

You can catch live blogs over at Kotaku.com and Joystiq.com, and I'm sure more coherent summaries and analyses are on the way soon.

After frustrating efforts to get online, with Xbox.com / G4 (never connected); Gamespot.com (never advanced past commercial); and GameTap (un-usable audio and video) all striking out, 1Up.com came through (after a several repeated efforts).

And, honestly, I'm amazingly stoked that Golden Axe from SEGA is downloadable right now from Xbox Live Arcade (remember my XBLA list?). And I am amazingly pissed my Xbox is still in a service center somewhere in Southern Texas.

Anyway, Naruta is an exclusive to the 360, which was a surprise, and the video shown has got me hyped for the game.

And some live gameplay of Call of Duty 4 (prefaced with an unfortunately unintended double entendre) looks more stealthish than previous entries. But the big news is there's going to be an Xbox 360 exclusive beta. Go to www.charlieoscardelta.com/ for details. The site is traffic (carpet) bombed right now, so good luck. And there are not details yet.

On the other surprise, big-guns exclusives front, it sounds like the new Splinter Cell is hitting the 360 first, and possibly by a big spread. On the Grand Theft Auto front, there will be two new episodes for GTA IV exclusive to the 360 in spring 2008 (though this has been discussed before).

It sounded like they said Virtua Fighter 5 is only online on Xbox 360. That's surprising to me, so I need to verify.

I'm curious as to whether Capcom's 360 / zombie love is going to make Resident Evil 5 an at least timed exclusive (it's the one game shown tonight that's post this holiday season).

Assassin's Creed look and plays stunningly. It was showcased by Ubisoft producer Jade Raymond, who (while also stunning) makes me want to slap game geeks and tell them to grow up. But I'm the sure the game will rock. Y'know, because she's pretty.

And despite the Rah-rah, Games for Windows has been struggling, and creating kiosks and store fronts is a far cry from creating market share. But the announcement of new partners (SEGA, Eidos, etc.) gives the efforts wings, but nowhere near as much as the (badly kept secret) announcement of Gears of War for Windows Live (XP and Vista), which will include 5 new single player chapters, and new multiplayer maps (and at least one new gametype). No word on crossplay between Windows and Xbox 360.

People, of course, want Halo news. And we got a few of neat versions of it.

First, there was the unexpected live action short from Neill Blomkamp, with props from Studio Weta. Think a teaser trailer that hints at a "we're-taking-on-the-Deathstar" army preparation.

Second, in addition to Halo 3, September will see the release of a Halo 3-themed Xbox 360 and related accessories. How much trouble will I get in if I buy that one? Y'know, after I buy one of the 100 Simpsons limited editions off of eBay? (I think the green and the yellow will go nicely together.)

Then there was new Halo 3 campaign video and gameplay. It looks like the Arbiter is back, but is he playable (I'm OK with "no"; make him an AI squadmate, if you must)? And was that Brute wearing a jetpack before he got sniped? Can I do that (wear and jetpack; and probably get sniped)? Please?

E3 is a weird beast, and even weirder in its stripped down, more industry-internal focused state. But some of the big announcements seem to have been lightly received, which has got to be maddening for Microsoft.

Take, for example, that Disney (all studios -- Miramax, etc.) are making their films available in Hi-Def on Xbox Live Marketplace as of right now. Content is King, and if Sony isn't soiling themselves right now, it's probably because they hired someone to do it for them (I don't know what that means, either). But they have a huge library as well (especially from the MGM acquisition), so if they can get out from behind the eight ball, and the E3 PlayStation Service outage heralds something big (and not just a big screw up), they could be fine.

The second huge announcement is Games for Windows functionality will be built into the Unreal Engine 3 technology. That's right, now it's even easier for devs to make their code work on that platform, when they use the middleware that everyone and they're grandma is using (I mean that in a good way).

That's the brief skinny. Fallout should be hitting soon, and it's only 10.5 hours to Nintendo's press conference, and 12.5 until Sony's.

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posted by Adam @ 12:37 AM

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Sunday, July 08, 2007

Things I'd like to see in "Halo 3" ...

The Halo 3 beta has come and gone, and it was a blast.

There are a lot of folks complaining the graphics and gameplay weren't "revolutionary", but keep in mind, this was a "beta".

The purpose of a software beta is to kick the tires and shake out the bugs, usually on a scale and load that internal QA is able to approximate, but not replicate.

Bungie, I'm sure, is making good use of the multiplayer data they received. Network (packet, lag, etc.) and other technical data, to be sure, but I'm guessing they also listen to folks' feedback on gametypes (seriously, "shotty snipers" sucks; and it wasn't just me saying it each night).

Also, it's a beta -- and this is Halo 3. I'm thinking there's a bunch more for us to get excited about come September. Some of this has already been revealed, like the Brute Chopper, flyable Pelican, and customizable armor.

All that said, for me the beta was a ton of fun. If that was the sum of the multiplayer component for the game, plus the reveals above, plus the additional "X button equipment" that's been promised, plus more maps? I'd be happy. But I expect there will be more.

Not that there aren't other things I want in the game. Here's my short list (I haven't checked online to see if any of these have been confirmed / nixed as of yet):

Multiplayer:

First and foremost, give me 4 player split screen same box. This is a staple for Monday nights on Halo 2, and I'm a bit concerned at the trend among 360 games to -- by design -- nix the in-room social appeal of gaming. I like to get four folks together and play in the same room on a projector. Good times. I will be angry if you take my good times away.

As far as co-op, I want online (not removed and badly stubbed, a la Halo 2), offline (same box), System Link (LAN), and drop-in / drop-out (the new hotness). The rumored 4-way co-op through campaign mode is appealing, and would be above and beyond. But give me two player co-op in all of the above flavors, por favor.

Movie replay:

This is a cool feature. For those not familiar with it, it saves a data file of what happened from the host machine's perspective, so you can replay the greatness (or embarrassment). The beta version was bare bones (yet solid), but we're promised more feature richness in September.

And since this is a data file, and given some of the ways the Xbox 360 works (in theory, for all games), I think there ways to expand the functionality in cool directions.

For example, how about an option to view the film from a "My Kills", "My Deaths", "My Medals", etc. perspective? I think this would be a great way to meet the sadists, masochists, and egomaniacs where they're at. (And let's not forget the sado-masochist egomaniacs.)

Also, given the 360's custom soundtrack option, it seems like you could play a "My Kills" montage with your track of choice, with auto fade in/out (not customizable audio, as that's probably too onerous and not really needed).

Licensing aside, it seems like a chance for some Bungie staff fun, too (say, Vivian Green's "Just One Of Those Days" or Limp Bizkit's "Break Stuff", or other Bungie-selected tracks).

Or licensing not aside: What if the Microsoft "Xbox Live Artist of the Month" is the auto track for recorded films? There's a cross-promotional opportunity some portfolio manager should be investigating (or did that go away?).

Regardless, it's a great feature as-is, and I'm grateful for it.

Gametypes:

Shotty Snipers -- I hate it. It needs to be said again. And again.

Gameplay mechanics:

Crouching should be toggle-able. That would be nice. A lot of games let you set whether it's toggle-able or not. They have for a long time.

I'd like to be able to hand weapons and objects to teammates (the flag, the skull, "X button equipment", etc.). In the beta, one screenshot seemed to indicate you can pass the oddball to each other in Team Oddball. That would rock. I want to play team rocketball and try handing off the ball. Or I want someone else to ("Double Kill" + "Carrier Kill" + "Stick-It" = hilarity.)

These are all wish list kinds of items. But I think all doable in the remaining time frame, or already done. We'll check back on these things in September, and expect a rant if my four-way splitscreen needs aren't met.

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posted by Adam @ 9:45 PM

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Saturday, July 07, 2007

Get yer free Halo stuff today only!

(Oh, this beyond sucks for those of us with our 360s locked in "Red-Ring-of-Death Repair Land".)

For the rest of you lucky S.O.B.s, log onto Xbox Live and tool around to find free new Halo / Bungie Gamer Pics and a Dashboard theme.

July 7th has been "Bungie Day" for a while, so these goodies are available today only. -- so get them before midnight. Otherwise, they're gone forever, Brigadoon style. (Don't make me start singing.)

You can also head over to Bungie.net to get a wallpaper of the full painting partially shown in Gamepro magazine, and some Quicktime 3D shots of the Brute Chopper and a Spartan variant or two.

Enjoy, and think of your 360-less brethren whose 'boxes have fallen in the field ...

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posted by Adam @ 10:56 AM

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Thursday, July 05, 2007

Pre-E3 coverage ...

Next week is E3, and even though it's a scaled-down, arguably insiders affair, the pre-coverage is pretty hefty, and pretty exciting.

GameSpot.com now has their E3 microsite up, and is tracking a wealth of E3, and tertiarilly E3 happenings, as is IGN.com.

Also, Eurogamer has (an at least current for now) list of the games of E3.

Not everything at E3 will be playable, but I'm looking forward to the playable, new announcements (a la Electronic Arts), and if anything anecdotally interesting comes out of the parties (mostly because I like the slant alliteration of the phrase "anecdotally interesting").

So what am I excited about? (List scalped from Kotaku.com, who scalped it from Eurogamer, who really should have just pointed to IGN.com.)
  • Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (PS3, Xbox 360) -- CoD is a stellar franchise, and I want to see what they do to the modern world.
  • Enemy Territory: Quake Wars (PC, PS3, Xbox 360) -- Battlefield, but with a cooler mythos. Hope it runs better than Quake IV.
  • Spiderman: Friend or Foe -- Anything comic book related for me. Anything.
  • The Witcher (PC) -- Dark, twisted, adult-themed RPG with moral ambiguity? Sounds like my toy job!
  • Fallout 3 -- Middlingly. I'm a big Fallout franchise fan, but this one's a ways out.
  • Devil May Cry 4 (PC, PS3, Xbox 360) -- You seriously don't need me to explain, do you?
  • Rocketmen: Axis of Evil (PC, PS3, Xbox 360) -- "The game is a top-down action title that is something of a mix of an old-school stage crawler with Robotron controls.... you advance through levels while plowing through countless numbers of unnamed soldiers."
  • Talisman (PC, PS3, Xbox 360) -- I think online board games are the New Hotness. Or the new flash-in-the-pan. Which still makes them hot. And this one is a fantasy-themed boardgame with 4-way play.
  • Cliver Barker's Jericho (PC, PS3, Xbox 360) -- Cliver Barker's Undying has some of the best audio on a game to date. And it had good gameplay. And Clive Barker's a talented storyteller. Twisted, but talented.
  • Rise of the Argonauts (PC, PS3, Xbox 360) -- Like comic books, anything mythology related. Please don't suck.
  • Turning Point: Fall of Liberty (PC, PS3, Xbox 360) -- In this alternate history FPS, the cab that hit Winston Churchill kills him, and the Nazis take over Europe. Now, it's 1952, and they're invading America.
  • Age of Conan (PC, Xbox 360) -- Bloody good fun.
  • Hellgate: London (PC) -- Just because I still like the premise, have been rooting for it for a long time, and want to see how the free-versus-subscribtion thing works out for them (and us).
  • Medal of Honor Airborne (PC, PS3, Xbox 360) -- Gameplay videos have been me excited about the franchise again.
  • The Simpsons (PS3, Xbox 360, Wii, PS2, PSP, DS) -- Hey, Matt Groening is the final boss!
  • Dungeon Hero (PC, Xbox 360) -- I have this unnatural attachment to all things GameCock (even if they don't return my Emails). But this is a dungeon crawler without the boredom. Sign me up!
  • Fury (PC) -- MMO without the grinding? PvP? Maybe I'll see you in the demo this weekend.
  • Hail to the Chimp (PS3, Xbox 360) -- Love this game. Man crush on Wideload and Alexander Seropian. 'Nuff said.
  • Mushroom Men (Wii, DS) -- Oddworld aesthetic. 'Shrooms. Need I go on?
  • Two unannounced titles from GameCock (One's probably Section 8)
  • Metal Gear Solid 4 -- I'd love an Xbox 360 announcement on this next week, but the game alone, with its hopefully challenging moral mechanics and deep storytelling, has got my attention.
  • Fracture -- This "terra-deforming-as-weapon" from LucasArts has be sweaty palmed. No new news on The Force Unleashed, though?
  • Kengo: Legend of the 9 (Xbox 360) -- I think this is Majesco's first next-gen game (it's at least their first 360 game). Looking for more info, but looks like a Dynasty Warriors-esque take with 9 historical Japanese figures.
  • Blue Dragon (Xbox 360) -- Really want to play this bad boy ...
  • Fable 2 (xbox 360) -- The single-player RPG to beat on the original Xbox, let's see what the former Lionheads do under Microsoft's watch.
  • Halo 3 (Xbox 360) -- You think this wouldn't make the list?
  • Halo Wars (Xbox 360) -- Just for the trailer. Fortunately, leaks about the RTS gameplay have been positive. But they have to go up against Tom Clancy's Endwar.
  • Lost Odyssey (Xbox 360) -- Gorgeous. Just brutal and gorgeous. "We are the Knights Who Say Ne -- Oh SWEET MOTHER! MY EYES! MY EYES!" [*gushing blood*]
  • Mass Effect (Xbox 360) -- RPG of the century? Mayhap.
  • Unannounced XBLA titles (Xbox 360) -- Knock my socks off. You keep dissing my proposals, but you keep giving me stuff I like. So we're good.
  • John Woo's Stranglehold (PC, PS3, Xbox 360) -- I'm excited about this. More I see, I'm excited.
  • Unreal Tournament 3 (PC, PS3, Xbox 360) -- Unreal Championship II was under-appreciated, maybe because it was a gamers game. This looks to be that and more.
  • Beautiful Katamari (Xbox 360) -- We've suffered long enough without beauty, thank you very much.
  • Dynasty Warriors: GUNDAM (PS3) -- Honestly, I just want to see if they can take this Artichoke and jelly mix and make it work.
  • AION (PC) -- An MMO without grinding, and a leveling system "not like you'd expect"? Demons versus angels (ish)? Wings for both factions (no @#$%^&! earning mounts crap)?
  • Dungeon Runners (PC) -- I'm playing the free version of this MMO from NCsoft, and really enjoying it.
  • Richard Garriott's Tabula Rasa (PC) -- He gets to put his name on it. I want to support that.
  • Condemned 2 (PS3, Xbox 360) -- Sequel to the early Xbox 360 sleeper hit, now bloodier, with a revamped combat system and (wait for it!) multiplayer!
  • Gas Powered Games' RPG (PC) -- I respect GPG, so I'm waiting to see this.
  • Iron Man -- Anything. Comic book. Related. (Anything.)
  • TimeShift (PC, PS3, Xbox 360) -- Rescued from the steaming pile of crap not being all it could be, the revamp looks to wow.
  • Heavenly Sword (PS3) -- This could be a console seller for Sony. Hey, it got teased on Heroes.
  • Killzone 2 (PS3) -- C'mon, show me something to wash the tast of the lied about "not-prerendered" debacle.
  • LittleBigPlanet (PS3) -- Have you seen the videos? How fun is this?
  • The Agency -- An MMO from Sony that's not fantasy-themed, and not half-baked sci-fi license. Just don't be stealing from the DC MMO talent pool, kids.
  • BioShock (PC, Xbox 360) -- I want to play this game. And struggle with the choices I've made.
  • De Blob -- THQ is a savvy publisher. And I really like the art aesthetic.
  • Assassin's Creed (PC, PS3, Xbox 360) -- I think they're hiding the full awesomeness that is this game.
  • FEAR sequel (PC, PS3, Xbox 360) -- The first made me almost soil myself. Raise the bar, Warner.

This is just the stuff we know about. I'm hoping we get some surprises from folks not yet announced. Certain Affinity. Junction Point. More GameCock than you can shake a stick at. And so on.

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Thursday, June 14, 2007

Back in the saddle ... (Updated)

I haven't written in a week. Fine. I've been on vacation.

Apologies to those of you who hang on my constant industry updates and insights, and ...

Y'know what, screw it. People who need daily updates probably stopped reading this thing a week ago.

For those sentimentalists among you, I'm going getting into the WayBack Machine and doing a post similar to the original "Xbox Buddies Newsflash" of years ago -- lotta brief summaries.

In brief:
  • Video game comics
  • Tenchu Z
  • Castlevania film update
  • Gamecock's EIEIO
  • Halo 3 "goodies"
  • Soul Calibur IV (video)
    (Updated)
  • Xbox 360 changes
    (Updated)
  • David Jaffe
  • Gears of War DLC
  • 3D Realms announces announcements
  • BioWare's 2009 MMO
  • Carmack's game engine (video)
  • Junction Point updates
  • Steamed Capcom?
  • Sony launches blog
  • Dark Sector due 2008
  • Episodic content expands
  • Usability and Human Factors
  • Peter Cullen (video)
Here we go ...

Video game comics:

It's not just Halo and Marvel -- now Gearbox Software and Dynamite Entertainment are going make a comic book series based off upcoming Brothers in Arms: Hell's Highway. Relative newcomer Dynamite is pretty amazing to me (check out their titles), and I'm looking forward to more comic book goodness from them.

Tenchu Z:

Tenchu Z finally hits the Xbox 360 stateside. The Japanese demo I played way back when left me underwhelmed, but I'm sure this thing has gotten at least two coats of polish since then. And there's the overwhelmingly redeeming facet of getting to fight pirates -- as a ninja. Seriously.

Castlevania film update:

Paul W.S. Anderson (Mortal Kombat, AVP: Alien vs. Predator) is out. Sylvain White (Stomp the Yard, Ronin) is the new Castlevania hotness. To quote Kotaku's Michael Fahey, "So we have a relatively untested director with one major sleeper hit under his belt, but White is also slated to direct Frank Miller's Ronin, and Miller's properties aren't exactly fluff that studios hand out to just anyone."

Gamecock's EIEIO:

This is mainly for its local Austin connection (and my respect for these particular industry folks). but indie-publisher-looking-to-break-the-deep-pockets-mold Gamecock Media is throwing a party at the same time as this year's greatly reduced Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3). Gamecock's shindig is called the "Expo for Interactive Entertainment: Independent and Original" ("EIEIO"; those guys are nothing, if not punsters).

The gig looks to be shaping up to be less inclusive and more Gamecock-y, but they've got 6 titles for which I'm already stoked, and promise two "major unannounced next-gen titles" (does anyone ever promise two minor titles?). I'm guessing at least one of those two will be from Big Rooster.

Gamecock has not knocked down my door and invited me to their party. I'll let you know if that changes.

Halo 3 "goodies":

Can't get enough Halo 3, now that the beta is over?

Get ready for two, limited-edition wireless controllers (one Spartan, one Covenant), and a limited-edition wireless headset. The controllers will set you back an extra $10 (at $59.99 MSP) over the non-LE wireless controllers, but you get a free Halo 3 figurine. Given the art and figurine are designed by Todd McFarlane (an amazing business and licensing creative), I'm looking for pretty-to-look-at, non-functioning tchotkies. One would hope this applies just to the figurine (Toddy, I like your stuff, but if they aren't fully articulated, it's just your take on the Precious Moments concept).

Better picts of the accessories are available at spawn.com.

(I wonder if JoyRide Studios lost the Halo franchise to McFarlane Toys? That would be sad.)

Soul Calibur IV:

I'm sorry, but weapons-gimmicky button-mashing franchise Soul Calibur is my favorite fighting game. I'm so happy Soul Calibur II now plays on the Xbox 360. And I don't feel like I missed out on the PS2-only Soul Calibur III, given critical and popular reception. But Soul Calibur IV looks to add beautiful interlocking fiber armor and more ... Ivy (fans of the franchise know what I mean). And, so far they're guaranteeing 60fps and 1080p when the game hits sometime in 2008. Buttery ...




UPDATED: I like this open letter to Namco posted on Kotaku.com.

Xbox 360 changes:

Picts of cracked open repaired Xbox 360s reveal something interesting. A new (additional) heat sink / pipe combo.

So, if we tally up the following:
  • Heat sink / pipe combo (now)
  • Quieter DVD drives (now; in new units and some repaired units)
  • Smaller, cooler, cheaper CPUs (July-ish)
  • Smaller, Cooler GPU (Fall 2007)

By this Christmas, we should see a quieter, more robust 360 -- a scant three years after the console's release.

UPDATED: From Microsoft (a la Kotaku.com):

"Regularly updating console components is commonplace within the industry
and is a standard aspect of the business for a variety of reasons including cost
reduction, improved manufacturability and improved performance."

David Jaffe:

The dude behind God of War and Calling All Cars might be making good on his "going independent" mutterings. Cell phone picts have surfaced on Jaffe's site, indicating an in-process build out, possibly of a development studio. Will he become a Sony "Second-party" Dev (playing it safe), or will he branch out and show some Wii, 360, PC, and other love? We'll see ...

Gears of War DLC:

A Gears of War free title update (with new achievements) hits late tonight (June 14th) / tomorrow. It'll add eight new achievements for the "Annex" game-play type and Hidden Front Maps. It also includes an improved version of the "Roadie Run" controls.

Also, according to Major Nelson:

'The "Annex" gametype is now available for free and the "Hidden Fronts" Multiplayer Map Pack is available on Xbox LIVE Marketplace for 800 Microsoft Points. All four multiplayer maps will be available for free after Sept. 3, 2007.'

3D Realms announces announcements:

3D Realms, the developers of the forever-in-development Duke Nukem Forever, have two upcoming non-DNF announcements. Says creative director Raphael Van Lierop:

"I can say that we have a big announcement coming in the next four weeks, and I'm not sure, but I believe we have another major announcement coming in the next four to six months... while I can't say exactly what these are, are they about Duke Nukem Forever? No."

BioWare's 2009 MMO:

BioWare Austin's (Star Wars-themed?) MMO opus won't be hitting until 2009. Yes, "9". Last I heard, they were using a middleware solution so they wouldn't have to build their own engine, so maybe all the extra time is for incredible MMO add-ons and deepenings. PvP newness. Branching paths to the nth power. Cross-platform play. Voice acting for every NPC organism (call me). Important stuff like that.

Carmack's game engine:

Demoing during a Steve Job's keynote address, id Software's John Carmack showed off the new "id Tech 5" game engine -- designed for Xbox 360, PS3, PC, and ... Macintosh. Looks slick, promises to make amazing development easy, blah blah blah.

It is cool that it seems to decouple the game play from the asset reworking, so, after finalizing game play, you can still "put artists on it to go ahead and make it look as good as we have time and resources to do."



Junction Point updates:

Another on the Austin gaming connection, over at the recently reworked junctionpoint.com, new concept art for unnamed game(s) is showing up throughout the pages. And there's a new, bare-bones WordPress blog for Warren Spector and other Junction Point devs to use as a pipe through which to share their brilliance with the rest of us.

Steamed Capcom?:

Capcom's jumping on Valve's Steam distribution / download service, which is huge. Microsoft, Sony, GameTap, RealNetworks, Valve -- there are a ton big (and a plethora of small) players in this space. As broadband speeds increase, ultra-wideband wireless becomes a reality, and fiber becomes the norm, the winners are going to win big.

Sony launches blog:

Joining the now-gen, Sony has launched an official Playstation blog, with the inaugural post by none other than President & CEO Jack Tretton. Some good, reasonably transparent stuff here.

Dark Sector due 2008:

For gamers, this holiday is going to rock. For those (like me) waiting for Digital Extremes' Dark Sector, you're going to need to wait until after the holiday. According to D3Publishing:

"We've decided to pull Dark Sector out of a very crowded holiday season and it is now slated for release in Q1 2008."

Episodic content expands:

Telltale Games got a $6 million influx. What they're using it for is more of their successful multi-platform episodic content.

Honestly, "Episodic Content" and "Digital Distribution" are two of the two New Hotnesses of gaming, so Telltale is on the forefront, and playing this wicked smart.

Usability and Human Factors:

Usability is not a choice. Good usability is. So I like this apropos Penny Arcade strip. Devs, take note.

Peter Cullen:

Peter Cullen, the voice of Optimus Prime in the 80s cartoon, upcoming Michael Bay Movie, and video game tie-in, gives a brief video explanation of his role and the voice of Optimus. As a voice actor, I'm inspired. As a fanboy, I have goosebumps.

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posted by Adam @ 5:55 PM

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Tuesday, June 05, 2007

Xbox Live adds country, anime, and gay content ...

This just in from "we're marketing to everyone, and damn your twentieth century contradictions":

Xbox Live is adding a ton of content from new partners Country Music Network (CMT), Logo (MTV's lesbian, gay and bi-sexual aimed channel), and anime distributors FUNimation (Samurai 7, Trinity Blood) , and Geneon Entertainment (Akira (in HD), Lupin the 3rd) -- who join current anime big-gun distributor ADV Films.

More at Gamasutra.com.

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posted by Adam @ 3:43 PM

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