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Xbox 360 Update Offers “No New Features”
A mandatory update has just hit the Xbox 360. According to Microsoft’s Larry Hryb, “This update addresses interruption issues that some Xbox LIVE users may have experienced when playing a limited number of Xbox 360 games.” Meaning? “There are no other changes or enhancements in this update…in other words no new features.” Xbox 360 System…
By Brian Ashcraft Published April 2, 2009 -
Greenpeace Once Again Gives Nintendo Low Marks
Every year that Greenpeace releases its “Guide to Greener Electronics”, one company is always at the bottom. That company is Nintendo. According to Greenpeace, “Nintendo remains in last place with a pitiful 0.8 points out of 10, scoring zero on all e-waste criteria.” Why did Nintendo score so low? Not providing information on things like…
By Brian Ashcraft Published April 1, 2009 -
A Look At How Microsoft Approve A Game For Release
Introversion – developers of Defcon and Darwinia – have a treat in store for us. Following “unprecedented approval” from Microsoft, they’ve uploaded a paper trail documenting the journey a game takes from pitch to release. And it is fascinating. Provided you find this kind of backroom stuff interesting, anyway. Available for perusal are bug reports,…
By Luke Plunkett Published April 1, 2009 -
Xbox Avatar Clothing — Serious Business
Your “New Xbox Experience” avatar has just gotten some grown up clothes, eight new pieces of formal and business casual articles that will be a hit at your next Xbox Live con call. New shirts, slacks, waistcoats and skirts are yours for the virtual closet raiding, provided you want your Avatar to look nice, but…
By Michael McWhertor Published March 31, 2009 -
Microsoft Discounts PS2 Price Cut
Sony’s Jack Tretton says that dropping the price of the PlayStation 2 to $99 will bring new consumers to the PlayStation platform. Microsoft rolls its eyes. Speaking to GamesIndustry.biz, Microsoft’s VP of the Interactive Entertainment Business Chris Lewis dismissed Sony’s announcement, suggesting that the key to staying competitive in the console market lay in developing…
By Mike Fahey Published March 31, 2009 -
Xbox 360 Has Sold A Million In Japan, PS3 Sold Three Million
Last we, we broke word that Microsoft would soon reach one million Xbox 360s sold in Japan. By soon, we meant this week, because that’s what has been announced today. According to sales figures from Famitsu publisher Enterbrain, lifetime sales for the Xbox 360 have crossed the million sold watermark in Japan with 1,001,191 units…
By Brian Ashcraft Published March 31, 2009 -
XNA Games Don’t Sell, Don’t Make Money [Update]
Much was made of Microsoft’s attempt at gestating a user-created gaming platform on the 360 with their Community Games service. But six months on from launch, how well is it faring? Here’s a hint: not very. Statistics for the service’s games have been made available (and then collected by GamerBytes), showing how many times a…
By Luke Plunkett Published March 31, 2009 -
The World of Fable II Wastes Less Than The World of Fable I
I wasn’t sure what to think of “The World of Fable II” when they played a blues song with the chorus “gonna give you a whippin'” before the panel started. What game had I been playing? I thought maybe I was in the wrong room, but then Fable II’s Technical Art Director, Ian Lovett, started…
By AJ Glasser Published March 27, 2009 -
Yes, Microsoft Will Still Publish PC Games
Microsoft used to publish lots of PC games. Now, though, they mostly don’t. Sure, there’s Gears of War, and a three years late port of Halo 2, but aside from that? Not much. And it doesn’t look like there’ll be much in the foreseeable future, either. The company’s internal Flight Simulator team has been canned.…
By Luke Plunkett Published March 26, 2009 -
Microsoft To Reach One Million Xbox 360s Sold In Japan (Soon)
The Xbox 360 went on sale in Japan in December 2005. The console was met by a largely indifferent Japanese game buying public. But, bit-by-bit and RPG-by-RPG, the console has started doing decent enough. According to online reports, the consoles current sales total in Japan is hovering dangerously close to the one million mark. During…
By Brian Ashcraft Published March 26, 2009 -
We’ve Never Wanted A Dev Kit This Badly
Not only do the new Microsoft development kits contain more debugging memory, they are some of the sexiest damn Xbox 360s we’ve laid our eyes on. Perhaps it’s just the soft black backdrop behind the development kits, or the Barry White we’ve got playing in the background, but there’s just something about that matte black…
By Mike Fahey Published March 24, 2009 -
What Is Gears Of War 2: Dark Corners?
The wonderfully twisted passages of the internet have unearthed an Asian product page advertising an April release for a Gears of War 2: Dark Corners add-on. The image, posted on Joystiq, was discovered by a Gears of War forum user in a now defunct thread, fueled by former Kotaku guest editor Geoff Keighley’s Twitter entry…
By Mike Fahey Published March 24, 2009 -
Microsoft Sued Over Gay Bashing
According to a former employee of Lionhead Studios, being openly gay at a Microsoft-owned development studio can be just as bad as having an openly gay Xbox Live gamertag. Gay video game designer Jamie Durrant is suing Microsoft for £45,000 in ‘hurt feelings’ and lost pay, claiming discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation. Durrant…
By Mike Fahey Published March 24, 2009 -
Microsoft Makes 360 Development Easier All Around
Microsoft makes game development easier for all levels of Xbox 360 developers, with new development kits for professionals and updated XNA Game Studio software that adds avatar and Live Party support. Both XNA community game creators and Xbox Live Arcade developers who utilize the XNA Games Studio will be able to add Xbox Live avatars…
By Mike Fahey Published March 24, 2009 -
Microsoft Pretties Up Games For Windows LIVE
Microsoft is adding several new features to their Games for Windows LIVE service in order to make it more attractive to gamers and publishers and less attractive to pirates. Microsoft first attacks PC game piracy with the introduction of zero-day piracy protection and server-side authentication, requiring that consumers verify their products before participating in online…
By Mike Fahey Published March 24, 2009 -
Castle Crashers Is The Xbox Live Game Of The Year
Microsoft has announced the winners of the 2008 Xbox Live Arcade Awards, with The Behemoth’s Castle Crashers walking away with Game of the Year. Castle Crashers actually won three categories in the Xbox Live Arcade Awards, the annual awards voted on by the players themselves. Along with Game of the Year, it was also awarded…
By Mike Fahey Published March 23, 2009 -
The Halo 3 Mythic Map Pack Happens On April 9th
Bungie teases, but Microsoft comes right out and says it. The Halo 3 Mythic Map Pack is officially coming out on Thursday, April 9th. We were pretty certain this was the case over the weekend, but you know how much we like to have solid facts to back up our solid rumors. Microsoft verified the…
By Mike Fahey Published March 23, 2009 -
Microsoft Responds To February NPD Sales, Seems Pleased
Microsoft had a good February. It was the Xbox 360 maker’s “best non-holiday month” with the exception of the release of Halo 3, not to put too fine of a point on it. That’s according to NPD analyst Anita Frazier, but the rest of the best is from Microsoft PR. Yes, the company is justifiably…
By Michael McWhertor Published March 20, 2009 -
Finally, Pirate Costumes Come To Xbox Avatars
For all their promise, the 360’s avatars look a little…drab. This isn’t 1998, Microsoft, nor the set of Frasier. Thankfully, Capcom are on the case, and with Crecente in mind will be releasing pirate costumes. Sure, there’s a marketing tie-in to wade through first. After all, Capcom have copies of Age of Booty to promote…
By Luke Plunkett Published March 20, 2009 -
Lost & Damned “Outsells Killzone 2”, Gives Us Sales Ballpark
Sadly, because it’s a digital download, we don’t know exactly how many copies of Lost & Damned Microsoft and Rockstar managed to sell. We do know, however, it’s more than 323,000. Microsoft’s Aaron Greenberg let slip the information in an interview with GameDaily – in which he calls the Grand Theft Auto IV expansion “the…
By Luke Plunkett Published March 20, 2009