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Xbox 360 May Get Its Own Avatar Arcade
The Xbox 360 may be getting its own retro-themed arcade space, an environment that looks remarkably similar to the one competitor Sony offers in PlayStation Home. The above pictures come from a rumored survey hinting at an “AvatArcade.” The name AvatArcade, despite its awkward camel-capping, is one of the better naming options being surveyed, according…
By Michael McWhertor Published October 7, 2009 -
Details About Project Natal Pricing Emerge
At an Microsoft event today in New York City, exec Robbie Bach talked about how the pricing for the upcoming motion controls Project Natal will work. According to Variety, Bach said that the pricing will start high and decrease over time. “Relative to Natal,” said Bach, “we’ll see how the pricing cost works out. But…
By Brian Ashcraft Published October 7, 2009 -
360’s Next-Gen Wireless Out Nov. 3?
GameStop is taking preorders for the Xbox 360 Wireless N adapter, whose existence was recently confirmed, but for which no launch date was given. It ships Nov. 3, says GameStop. For those not in the know, the 802.11n standard is a step up from the plebeian 802.11g. The other piece of news, this new product…
By Owen Good Published October 5, 2009 -
GTA IV, Left 4 Dead, Street Fighter IV Become ‘Platinum Hits’
Microsoft has decided that a fresh batch of Xbox 360 titles have earned the necessary amount of greatness to become “Platinum Hits,” garnering them a cheaper asking price and not so horrible, slightly modified box art. The new Xbox 360 Platinum Hits inductees are Grand Theft Auto IV, Street Fighter IV, Left 4 Dead, Saints…
By Michael McWhertor Published October 5, 2009 -
Molyneux, Asked About Natal/Fable, Jokes About His Assassination
Sure, Peter Molyneux‘s studio is developing Milo, the proof-of-concept Microsoft used to unveil Project Natal at E3. But he’s clear he “never said” Fable III wouldn’t incorporate Natal. Then he jokes about being eliminated for discussing it. In an interview at the PICNIC Conference in the Netherlands last week, Molyneux’s interviewer basically stipulates that there…
By Owen Good Published October 4, 2009 -
Stardock Boss Hauls off on Games for Windows Live
A recent apparent full-throated defense of Glenn Beck hasn’t left Stardock CEO Brad Wardell with a shortage of vehemence. He lashed out at Games for Windows Live, its certification process and the payments it requires to keep games patched and running. In an interview with Shacknews, Wardell was asked if he knew why Microsoft wasn’t…
By Owen Good Published October 2, 2009 -
Microsoft: Motion Is the New Multiplayer
While Project Natal, and its ability to allow Xbox 360 gamers to play video games completely free of a controller, will launch as a niche of sorts on the platform, Microsoft believes it will one day become the norm. Motion control, Microsoft Game Studios’ corporate vice president Phil Spencer told Kotaku, will change what gamers…
By Brian Crecente Published October 2, 2009 -
Peter Molyneux Haaaates Demos
Designer of the Fable series, Peter Molyneux is not a fan of game demos. Don’t freak out just yet — he has a good reason why. “Now, I hate demos,” Molyneux tells website Edge Online. “I think demos are the death knell of experiences. Over the years I’ve done demos and they’ve either completely ruined…
By Brian Ashcraft Published October 1, 2009 -
How That Stunning Halo 3: ODST Live Action Short Was Made
Halo 3: ODST’s amazing live action trailer didn’t just happen by itself. No, it took dozens of people, hundreds of man hours and a light sprinkling of movie magic to create. Here’s how. This behind-the-scenes look at the creation of the Halo 3: ODST spot offers more than just a peek at how Brute’s are…
By Michael McWhertor Published September 30, 2009 -
Dress Your Avatar For Mass Effect
My Xbox Live friends list should look a whole lot cooler now that Mass Effect space suits and clothing have hit the Avatar Marketplace. Not that my friends don’t look amazing right now, with their steampunk outfits and little remote-controlled toys and all that. I just think they’d look much snazzier decked out in full…
By Mike Fahey Published September 30, 2009 -
Xbox 360 Bundles Up For The Holidays
Microsoft will be cozying up retailer shelves this holiday season with a pair of bundles for the Xbox 360 crowd, including one that officially confirms this week old rumor. So, what’s in the box(es)? The big one comes carefully stuffed with a 120GB Xbox 360 Elite, one copy of LEGO Batman: The Video Game and…
By Michael McWhertor Published September 29, 2009 -
How To Dress A Tokyo Game Show Booth Lady
“They look cute,” says 20-something-year-old Takahiro Yamaguchi. “So cute.” He’s spent a good chunk of his day taking booth companion photos. “It’s not just how the girls look,” he explains, “but what they’re wearing. That’s what I’m taking pictures of.” Every year there are two shows at the Tokyo Game Show: the games that are…
By Brian Ashcraft Published September 29, 2009 -
A Little Bit Of Fable II For Free
Fable II finally gets a demo of sorts with the debut of Fable II: Game Episodes, the epic adventure split up into five bite-sized chunks, and the first one is free! Fable II: Game Episodes is the full version of Fable II split up into five easy pieces, with all of the achievements, co-operative gameplay,…
By Mike Fahey Published September 29, 2009 -
Don’t Buy Left 4 Dead’s DLC Yet! [Update]
Because if you do, you’ll be paying too much. Instead of the promised 560MSP price point, the Left 4 Dead expansion has hit the Xbox Live Marketplace at 800MSP. You might want to wait until it’s fixed. And fixed it will be, Microsoft’s Larry Hryb confirming that the price is indeed a mistake, and not…
By Luke Plunkett Published September 29, 2009 -
What Do You Think Of These TGS Natal Icons?
Natal is Microsoft’s new controller-free motion sensing tech. It does not have a logo or icons yet — apparently, Microsoft is still in the planning stages for that. At this year’s Tokyo Game Show, Xbox Japan whipped up these icons for the booth to help convey what exactly the heck Natal is and does. Thoughts,…
By Brian Ashcraft Published September 29, 2009 -
Microsoft Confirms that 2 GB is the New 50 MB
My how they grow fast, don’t they? Originally, Microsoft said that Xbox Live Arcade titles should be 50 megabytes or less. Today they’ve bulged well past the 1 GB barrier. Microsoft has confirmed that 2 gigs is the new max. At Tokyo Game Show, IGN brought up the ballooning size of XBLA games in an…
By Owen Good Published September 26, 2009 -
Booth Check: Microsoft
The Microsoft booth at the Tokyo Game Show included signs that showed the length of the wait to play most of the big Xbox 360 games there. How else to tell which game was best? The longest was Bayonetta at 90 minutes. The second longest, at 80, was for the Forza car set-up.
By Stephen Totilo Published September 26, 2009 -
Seven Japanese Developers Discuss Their Visions of Project Natal
Microsoft has released seven quick-take videos of top-flight Japanese developers discussing Project Natal and the opportunities they see in it for the next generation of game development. Keiji Inafune, of Capcom, sees Natal as a way to expand the means of control beyond the “limited interface,” a standard controller. Tecmo’s Keisuke Kikuchi sees Natal as…
By Owen Good Published September 25, 2009