Microsoft

Eventually, all Microsoft Games will Employ Kinect

For Microsoft, the E3 2011 recipe read much like E3 2010’s—Kinect, and lots of it. The head of Microsoft’s Game Studios noted the company’s focus on the device and said at some time in the future, all first-party games from the Xbox 360 maker will include Kinect support. “It’s not a mandate that everything we…

The Sights and People of E3 2011’s South Hall

I’ll give E3 this: It’s colorful. We did a few laps to see the big dogs: Square Enix, Activision, Ubisoft, Konami, Sony Ericsson, Microsoft…Robot Entertainment. (I can’t help it. Orcs Must Die looks really fun!) Photos by our fearless photog, Isaac Viel

Dance Central 2 Will Take Two to Get Down

Though the game only recognized one player’s moves, whenever someone broke out Dance Central at a party, invariably someone else joined the fun. Multiplayer, therefore, was priority No. 1 for Dance Central 2, and is the most notable feature of a game that still gets the best of the Kinect. A second player may drop…

Rise of Nightmare Recreates a Drunk’s Bloody Wander Through a Zombie Cavalcade

There is something wonderful about air chainsawing zombies. And air cleavering them. And air sheering them. I stand in a darkened room facing a big screen, feet apart, my hands are held in front of me as if I’m holding a chainsaw. On the TV I am. More specifically, two disembodied virtual arms and hands…

Graffiti Artist Takes A Stab At The Gears of War 3 Logo

LA-based graffiti artist OG Slick worked with Epic Games and Microsoft to create a cool alternative version the “Crimson Omen” logo from Gears of War as a limited edition tee for Hot Topic. The design got its debut last night in coaster form at Epic’s GoW3 Party last night. If you’re interested in the shirt,…

“Human Tetris” Squeezed Out for Kinect

Game show Hole in the Wall, a Western take on a “human Tetris” game, is coming to Kinect. The game will be released on Xbox Live Arcade sometime this year. It will have single player or multiplayer modes (up to four players). There are unlockables like helmets and silver spandex. Hole in the Wall started…

Welcome to Sunny Los Angeles

Awesome shots courtesy of Isaac Viel.

A Peek at Microsoft’s E3 Party

Microsoft is holding its E3 Preview Party at the Congo Room in downtown’s Live LA. In attendance are gaming press, game developers, famous folks, and a Gunstringer puppet.

Microsoft’s New Official 360 Steering Wheel Cuts the Cord [Update]

There’s been a wired Xbox 360 steering wheel for years now. I should know, there’s one in my closet gathering dust. There’s now a wireless Xbox 360 steering wheel. Think Mario Kart’s plastic wheel, only a lot more expensive. Due out in October, and priced at $60, it’s an…interesting looking peripheral. While being released with…

Does the New Xbox 360 Dashboard Look Familiar to You?

This fall the Xbox 360 gets a sexy new dashboard update, giving the service a look and feel that should be incredibly familiar to both Windows Phone 7 owners and folks that have gotten a peek at Windows 8 Microsoft is in the midst of a torrid love affair with squares and rectangles. They put…

Forza 4 Footage Will Rev Your Engine

Forza Motorsport 4 will change car culture forever. But before that, it’s getting an E3 trailer. Out October 11, Forza 4 will feature Kinect integration (headtracking and voice), community car clubs and rivals mode, the Top Gear test track, and over 80 car manufacturers. Can’t wait.

Nyko Zoom for Kinect Lets You Play in the Tiniest Apartments

A pair of lenses that clip onto your Kinect, Nyko’s Zoom reduces the distance you need to play Kinect by up to 40 percent. If it works, it sounds terribly useful, especially in New York City (trust me).… [Gizmodo]

You’ll Get a Kick Out Of Crytek’s Ryse

They might not be able to spell for shyt, but Crytek sure knows how to put together a compelling trailer, like this one for the hardcore-aimed Kinect battler Ryse. It’s madness!

This is Your 2011 Summer of Arcade Lineup

Every year Microsoft selects a handful of Xbox Live Arcade games it considers the very best the platform has to offer and releases them once a week as part of the Summer of Arcade promotion. With Ubisoft’s From Dust and Fuelcell’s Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet making the cut this time around, we’re in for one…

Kinect Makes Taking Your Kids to Disneyland Much More Affordable

Frontier Developments is giving parents around the world an amazing gift this holiday season: The ability to take their children to Disneyland for the price of the Xbox 360, Kinect, and Kinect: Disneyland Adventures As a soon-to-be father, the idea of a virtual Disneyland where I do not need sunblock, wads of cash, and more…

Watch a Very Intense Man Playing Kinect Star Wars

The man demonstrating Kinect Star Wars live on stage at Microsoft’s 2011 E3 press conference seems to be in danger of being swayed by the dark side. I sense much fear in him.

Dance Central Returns with Two Player Dance Battles

Harmonix took the stage during Microsoft’s 2011 E3 press conference today to lift the curtain on Dance Central 2, detailing some of the new features coming in the follow-up to the popular Kinect-powered body mover. It’s time for a dance off! Dance Central is a lovely game, but it was obviously pushed out in rather…

Master Chief Returns with Halo 4 in 2012

A teaser trailer for Halo 4 concluded Microsoft’s E3 news conference today. In it, the series’ longtime hero, Master Chief, awakens from cryonic sleep to the voice of Cortana, calling him by his name. He then grabs Cortana and flees the wreckage a ship hurtling toward some sort of portal. Microsoft’s Don Mattrick said Halo…

Halo 4

Ryse