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Frankenreview: Halo Wars
Twenty years before Halo: Combat Evolved the war between humanity and the Covenant was a much more strategic affair, as proven in Ensemble Studios’ swan song, Halo Wars. Halo Wars takes the familiar setting of the first-person shooter series Halo and translates into a console-based real-time strategy game, in which players build up and army,…
By Mike Fahey -
Microsoft: Windows 7 Great For Games
Do not fear Windows 7. Sure, the tests might show that Windows XP performs better, but Microsoft assures us all that the next version of their operation system will be “great for games”. So says Microsoft’s VP of the Interactive Entertainment Business for the EMEA region, Chris Lewis, speaking to GamesIndustry.biz about the future of…
By Mike Fahey -
Microsoft Overpaid Some Layoff Severances, Asks for It Back
“An inadvertent administrative error” meant that some of the 1,400 Microsoft laid off recently received overpayments in their severance packages. The company’s asked for the money back, making this a hat trick of HR Kops komedy. “We ask that you repay the overpayment and sincerely apologize for any inconvenience to you,” says the letter, which…
By Owen Good -
Microsoft Bankrolling “Games for Learning” Project
Microsoft has put $1.5 million into a “Games for Learning Institute,” to study links between video games and learning, and how to enhance them. The research wants to analyze the reactions and processes of avid gamers to see whether games develop learning skills that transfer to the classroom. Already the project has lined up middle…
By Owen Good -
Xbox Live Hacker Attacks On The Rise
Are Xbox Live users taking out contracts against their opponents? Microsoft is investigating a rash of attacks on Xbox Live users by hackers using data flooding tools to kick them offline. It’s the same sort of attack that’s been targeting PC users for years. Hackers get a hold of the IP address players use to…
By Mike Fahey -
The Most Innovative Companies In Gaming
Business magazine Fast Company has released a list of the 10 most innovative companies in the gaming industry. Where do Nintendo, Microsoft, and Sony rank? Well we can pretty much guess where Nintendo ranks on the list, can’t we? While Fast Company does note the fact that Nintendo hasn’t done well by the hardcore, it…
By Mike Fahey -
Expiring Email Accounts Can Eat Your Xbox Gamertag
Microsoft is investigating a problem with expiring email addresses that is causing some Xbox Live users to abandon their Gamertags and start fresh, losing any progress they’ve accumulated over the past few years. It seems that certain Windows Live ID email addresses that you need to have in order to set up an Xbox Live…
By Mike Fahey