Microsoft

XCOM, Recreated In…Excel

Having just learned how to code in VBA, crruzi thought the best way to practice would be to go and make a video game. So he went and made XCOM. In Excel. It’s not the entire game yet—the tactical battles are working, with the strategic stuff still under construction—but come on, it’s Excel There’s even…

The Art Of Halo 5

Say what you will about Halo 5 overall, but if there’s one thing Microsoft and 343 did not screw around on, it was putting together a roster of very talented concept artists to work on the game. The end result is mixed—I think the last two Halos have suffered visually from a confused identity, torn…

The Xbox 360 Is Ten Years Old Today

A decade ago today thousands of people stood outside electronics retailers in the bitter cold, waiting for their chance to sell an Xbox 360 on eBay. I blame those killer faceplates. I remember the Xbox 360 launch like it was yesterday, because in the grand scheme of things it was. I wasn’t going to get…

With its story concluded in Episode 5, Square Enix’s episodic adventure Life is Strange is ready to get its retail version. It’s coming out in the U.S. on January 19 for PS4 and Xbox One. To contact the author of this post, write to: [email protected]

Xbox One’s First Wave of Compatible Xbox 360 Games Has Hidden Gems But Not Fans’ Most Wanted Titles

Starting tomorrow this week, over 100 games originally made for the Xbox 360 will be playable on the Xbox One. But the titles that garnered the most votes in a Microsoft user poll are missing. If you were hoping you’d be able to play last-gen classics like Red Dead Redemption or Halo: Reach on your…

Halo 5 Player Snipes Entire Enemy Team Seconds After Starting A Match

Now this is how you start a Halo 5 round. Watch as Xbox player I Habb I opens up a Shotty Snipers match with a sick 4-player killstreak on Truth: [Source: XboxClips.com] That’s some sharp shooting, for sure. A well-earned Overkill! On maps like these, I tend to immediately run away so as to avoid…

A Ford-Inspired Xbox Controller Is Actually Pretty Sweet

This isn’t an actual controller, it’s just a marketing stunt by Ford and Microsoft. But, uh, Ford….I would maybe buy this It’s a mock-up for an Elite controller(via Windows Central) that has some specific changes made for driving games, like a custom driving thumbstick, and some racing pedals for triggers. Other touches include a carbon…

PSA: Here’s How To Turn Off Voice Chat In Halo 5

You just got home from a long day at work. Hoping to unwind, you hop into a match of Warzone in Halo 5. Suddenly, you hear it: the piercing, unforgettable sound of an eight-year-old bragging about his K/D ratio. Don’t worry—we’re here to help. In-game voice chat is enabled by default in the latest Halo…

Street Fighter EX Character Gets A Badass Tribute Video

It’s an awesome combo video with a twist: Street Fighter veteran Desk used Street Fighter IV’s Mexican luchador El Fuerte and one of the game’s new horror costumes to recreate the goofy fan favorite from the EX series. He even remixed Skullomania’s theme to make it perfect. To contact the author of this post, write…

Halo 5‘s Awesome New Multiplayer Mode Is Working Well On Launch Day 

Halo 5’s new Warzone multiplayer mode wouldn’t be nearly as exciting if it suffered from the sort of connection issues that plagued The Master Chief Collection months after launch. So far, so good. Earlier this week Stephen Totilo posted his early impressions of Halo 5: Guardians, subtitled “Mediocre Campaign, Promising Multiplayer.” The “promising multiplayer” bit…

Microsoft just announcedthat both the “New Xbox One Experience” (ie, a new dashboard) and limited Xbox 360 backwards compatibility will start rolling out to all Xbox One consoles on November 12.

Xbox Elite Wireless Controller: The Kotaku Review

The first thing you’ll see upon cracking open the box containing Microsoft’s new $150 premium modular Xbox One controller is a carrying case. You’re going to want to keep that. The care and handling of video game controllers in the Fahey household generally involves trying not to leave it on the floor. Packaging is torn…

Microsoft has purchased Havok, a company that makes middleware physics software (read: the technology that helps make objects in video games behave properly). Havok’s tech is used in various video games including Dark Souls II and Mortal Kombat X. And now Microsoft owns it!

Twisted Pixel has split off from Microsoft, and is once again an independent studio, according to a report from IGN This isn’t the first time Microsoft has allowed a developer to go off on their own; it happened to Bungie back in 2007. Given Destiny’s success, perhaps they regret that decision now. Contact the author…

Gears of War: Ultimate Edition Update Tries To Fix The Gnasher’s Bullshit

I have not raged as hard at a video game this year as I have Gears of War: Ultimate Edition—and it’s all because of the horribly inconsistent shotgun. Thankfully, the source of my anger is about to improve. To understand why this is such a big issue, I will refer you to the following GIF…

New Xbox One Controller Is Gorgeous

Alongside a new bundle announcement, Microsoft showed off this new Xbox One controller today. It’s official name is the “Xbox One Special Edition Lunar White Wireless Controller”. I like it a lot. The gold d-pad and central buttons are flashy enough to flash but restrained enough not to overwhelm the entire design, while the switch…

Coming to the Microsoft Store and GameStop in November, the Xbox One Elite Bundle packages a matte black one terabyte Xbox One console together with the $150 Elite Wireless Controller for $499. Pass, but I will take one of the GameStop exclusive Lunar White controllers.

How To Unlock “Very High” Quality Streaming From Xbox One To PC

You might have noticed that the Xbox One-to-PC streaming currently on offer via Windows 10…doesn’t always look as good as you might have hoped. Turns out there’s sometimes a reason for that. And, as luck would have it, a workaround as well. Users are finding that in many circumstances, even when their internet+wifi speed should…

Crackdown 3 Shows What The Xbox One Can Really Do

Much was made of the Xbox One’s “cloud capabilities” around the time of its announcement, but until now, the only prominent use of that technology was Forza’s “Driveatar” functionality, which essentially created a simulacrum of a player’s driving personality that lived on a server somewhere. Crackdown 3, however, has a much more interesting use for…

Unfortunately, Quantum Break Looks a Bit Rubbish

For two years, we’ve wondered what Quantum Break actually is. Having seen it, I’m now worried that Quantum Break is a bland-looking shooter interrupted with 20-minute episodes of bad television at the end of every chapter. It should be so much better. This post originally appeared on Kotaku UK The setup is that you play…