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Some Parts of Dragon Age II “Must be Improved” In Dragon Age III
Dragon Age II was, for many, a bit of a disappointment. Too many recycled environments, too many cheap waves of bad guys to chop through. It was, you could argue, a bit of a rush job If it makes you feel any better, developers BioWare have heard your complaints. On the company’s forums, writer Mike…
By Luke Plunkett Published May 27, 2011 -
One of the Fathers of the Xbox is Back In the Games Business
Seamus Blackley, formerly of Looking Glass and one of the key men involved in Microsoft’s original Xbox project, has quit his job at a talent agency and will be coming back to the games business. Not that he ever really left, as in his time at Creative Artists Agency he helped manage clients like Call…
By Luke Plunkett Published May 27, 2011 -
This is What Alice Looks Like Before She Tears You a New Asshole
If you happen to wander across sweet Alice during her travels in Wonderland and she should happen to flash red, white, and red all over, you’re probably going to die. This is Hysteria. Similar to the powerful effects of the Rage Box from American McGee’s Alice, the Hysteria power in Alice: Madness Returns infuses our…
By Mike Fahey Published May 26, 2011 -
Last Xbox Creator Leaves Microsoft (and Why That’s Depressing)
Entertainment & Devices is the division of Microsoft that makes the cool shit. Xbox, Zune, Windows Phone. Courier. J. Allard was its figurehead for years. He left. And now Otto Berkes, the last original Xbox founder, is gone too As the Seattle Times reports, Berkes didn’t just help create the Xbox, along with Ted Hase…
By Matt buchanan Published May 25, 2011 -
One Year Later, Did Microsoft Keep Their E3 2010 Promises?
Can you believe the hype you hear from Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo at each year’s big E3 circus of video games? Year after year, the big three make promises about their consoles and their games. Do they deliver? Each year, we check. Microsoft, last year we had to scold you for some of your unbelievable…
By Mike Epstein Published May 24, 2011 -
If You’ve Never Played Halo: Reach, Now’s Your Chance
There’s a new Halo: Reach single and multiplayer demo available on Xbox Live today, coinciding with a week-long $39.99 sale on the Games on Demand version. If you’ve been waiting eight months for a price drop, your time is now.
By Mike Fahey Published May 24, 2011 -
There you are, LEGO Portal Turret!
Here’s a lovely little Instructable that shows how to make a Portal turret out of our favorite plastic building bricks suitable for desk or headboard. Now you’re thinking with elements. LEGO Portal Turret Instructions [Instructables.com (Thanks, Kyle!)]
By Joel Johnson Published May 19, 2011 -
First In-Game Teaser for Dead Island Still Playing the Emotion Card
While it’s certainly not the game-changing first trailer for Dead Island, today’s just-released trailer attempts to give a tug to those same heartstrings with music right out of a Hallmark commercial matched to in-game footage. I’m still on the fence on this one—I just cannot get with Dead Rising at all, which appears to be…
By Joel Johnson Published May 17, 2011 -
Best Buy’s Giving Away L.A. Noire DLC at Midnight
According to a Best Buy circular, the first 16 lucky gamers who line up to get their copies of L.A. Noire at midnight tonight will get access to a yet-to-be-announced DLC case, The Nicholson Electroplating Arson Case. [Joystiq]
By Mike Epstein Published May 16, 2011 -
Action-RPG Darkspore Is or Was Coming to Xbox 360, PS3
In his resume, level-designer Jordan Patz claims to have “worked with Maxis to modify Darkspore for release on Xbox/PS3.” Wasn’t that just a PC game? The résumé has since been modified: it now links to a YouTube video of a flying cat. Very Suspicious. [joystiq]
By Drew Cohen Published May 16, 2011 -
According to Retailers, Perturbed PS3 Owners are Ditching the Platform, Migrating to 360
They’re sick of waiting. And now some are crossing over to the other side. According to a report in EDGE Magazine, retailers in the United Kingdom and elsewhere in Europe are claiming a dramatic increase in the number of customers trading-in PS3 units—either for cash, or, in many instances, toward the purchase of an Xbox…
By Drew Cohen Published May 13, 2011 -
Xbox Live Indie Studios Can Now Pick Their Publishing Dates
The Xbox Live Indie Games channel just put through a key change that should help publishers with marketing efforts for their games. Now, once a title has passed peer review, the developer may pick the date it publishes to the service. What this means for consumers is that collaborative events such as the Indie Games…
By Owen Good Published May 12, 2011 -
Portal 2‘s Erik Wolpaw Lecture Now Online for Your Viewing Pleasure
One of the writers of Portal 2, Erik Wolpaw, gave a talk last week at NYU’s Game Center. You may have become aware of this because of the number of stories that ushered forth from the talk, like Wolpaw’s passion for Rick the Adventure Sphere or why Chell doesn’t speak. Or perhaps you were one…
By Joel Johnson Published May 10, 2011 -
A Look Inside The Art of Building The Halo Universe
With the ten year anniversary of the release of the original Xbox shooter Halo looming, Titan Books is preparing to publish a collection of art from the series. We asked the publisher to send us a few examples of what people will find inside Halo: The Great Journey: The Art of Building Worlds. The book…
By Brian Crecente Published May 10, 2011 -
Xbox Live Update Will Add Paypal on May 19th
Microsoft plans to release an Xbox Live update beginning in less than two weeks, according to Joystiq. The update will add support for Microsoft’s new disc format and add Paypal as a payment option for Xbox Live. Meanwhile, Microsoft will also be launching Avatar Kinect on May 27th as a separate download. [Joystiq]
By Mike Epstein Published May 9, 2011 -
The Smithsonian Has Picked the Games of Its Art of Video Games Exhibit
The Smithsonian American Art Museum revealed the winners of its public vote to decide what games will be featured in their exhibit, The Art of Video Games, today. The exhibit creates a visual history of the evolution of gaming from its humble beginnings through the present. The vote, which took place between February and April,…
By Mike Epstein Published May 5, 2011 -
Accused Xbox Pedophile Indicted on 19 Sexual Abuse Charges
Richard Kretovic, accused of sexually abusing a 12-year-old boy he met through Xbox Live, has been indicted on nine counts each of first-degree criminal sexual act and second-degree sexual abuse, plus one count of endangering the welfare of a child.
By Mike Fahey Published May 4, 2011 -
How to Hack Your Kinect
When the Kinect first launched last November, gamers were (to put it charitably) a bit skeptical. Here was a device with incredible technological potential, and the most impressive game that came out with it was a dance simulator. Since then, though, the software problem has been solved. Not by Microsoft, whose Kinect releases have been…
Alex Castle - MaximumPC Published May 4, 2011 -
Developer reveals gameplay, character creation for D&D Daggerdale
Dungeons & Dragons Daggerdale is a hack-and-slash action game coming out for Xbox, Playstation and PC in late May. This visit to the Forgotten Realms is the first time console players have been able to play a D&D videogame in several years. Atari Producer Michael Fahrny answered a few of our questions about designing a…
By Ed Grabianowski Published April 29, 2011