Posts related to gaming or the game industry in general.
Announced at last year’s E3 as an XBLA title, Twisted Pixel has now revealed that their upcoming LocoCycle is coming to Xbox One as a launch title on the system’s new game marketplace. They’ve stated that the game is still (for now) in development for Xbox 360, though the release date has been pushed to a “further date.” I’m almost certain we’ll hear more about this at this year’s E3.
Source: Destructoid
From the studio behind Dead Island comes Mirror’s Edge (With Zombies). It’s a CG trailer, but the promise behind this game is interesting, so I’m keeping my eyes on it.
Just days before E3, the first title from Respawn Entertainment has been outed by the leaked GameInformer cover. Titled Titanfall, the game is supposedly coming only to Xbox One, Xbox 360, and PC. There were rumors floating around that the game would be an Xbox console exclusive, and those appear to be true. The game will be multiplayer-focused with the Xbox One version heavily utilizing the power of the cloud (one of the things Microsoft was touting for its next-gen console); the Xbox 360 version is being outsourced to a different studio. I’m sure we’ll learn more about this game in just a few days when E3 is upon us.
Source: IGN
A new entry in the Halo franchise is heading to PC and Microsoft’s mobile platforms this July. It’s a top-down shooter and takes place between Halo 3 and Halo 4. Trailer below:
Metal Gear Solid‘s long-time voice of Snake, David Hayter, will not be returning to voice the iconic game character in the upcoming Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain. It has been confirmed that 24‘s Kiefer Sutherland will be taking over the role. Series director Hideo Kojima has stated that he wants to take a new direction with this character and when confirming Sutherland as the new actor stated, “The game takes place in 1984 when Snake is 49 years old. Therefore, we needed someone who could genuinely convey both the facial and vocal qualities of a man in his late 40s. It’s different from anything we’ve done before.” Apparently Hayter’s tried and true rendition of Snake wasn’t sufficient for them.
Source: IGN
For several years, videogames have been the subject of heated debates on whether they cause or influence people to perform criminal or violent acts. Every time, it seems, that there is a tragedy, the finger pointing begins with the gaming industry often on the other end of those blame-casting fingers. Now, it seems, veterans of the gaming industry are ready to take on these misconceptions in a film of their own: Video Games: The Movie.
Featuring several high-profile developers, Video Games: The Movie will give viewers some solid information about violence and videogames and the effect it can have on people without rampant speculation and finger pointing. It’ll be nice to see the people who put together the games we all enjoy defend the medium.
Video Games: The Movie is scheduled for release this September.
Source: IGN
Electronic Arts recently announced that their future games will no longer incorporate the much loathed online pass. It seems now that existing online passes are available to gamers for free. Going through their past library of games, EA is allowing existing gamers who purchased the games used or are borrowing them from friends to get into the online action at no additional cost. This discount is currently only available on Xbox 360 but will be heading to other systems shortly. Additionally, it’s worth noting that American McGee’s Alice download for Madness Returns is also available at no cost. EA released a statement regarding this move:
As we discontinue Online Pass for our new EA titles, we are also in the process of eliminating it from all our existing EA titles as well. We heard the feedback from players and decided to do away with Online Pass altogether.
Players will see it first with some EA Sports titles, where a prompt to enter an Online Pass code will no longer appear in-game; with other titles we are simply making Online Passes available free of charge online.
These are rolling updates that are taking effect over the next several weeks. We hope players continue to enjoy our games and online services for a long time to come.
Source: GameInformer
Remedy Entertainment posted the official box art for their upcoming Xbox One exclusive Quantum Break. The game will be an innovative new IP that blends gaming and television with the television show in the works supposedly being tailored to the way gamers play the game.
Sonic: Lost Worlds is heading exclusively to Nintendo consoles later this year. It follows the announcement of an exclusive Sonic deal between Sega and Nintendo; Lost Worlds is first game in that partnership and it now has a trailer. Fans of Sonic games may see some Sonic Xtreme DNA in this upcoming title–Sonic Xtreme was the canceled 3D Sonic game for Sega’s short-lived Saturn.
Microsoft has been receiving a lot of bad press lately surrounding their Xbox One reveal. They weren’t exactly open with certain platform policies (such as an always-on connection, locking out used games, and blocking borrowing) which has drawn a lot of criticisms and gamers have sworn their allegiance to the PlayStation 4. While a lot of the speculation surrounding the Xbox One has been unfounded rumors (the system won’t be “always-on” but will require a periodic connection to authenticate games; used games are a part of the business and will not be blocked, though Microsoft and publishers will now see a cut of the profits; and borrowing and lending games is still much alive), it still looks, for many consuemrs, as though Sony is the better choice. It’s worth noting that Sony was equally elusive after the announcement of the PS4.
Little details beyond the fact that the PS4 is coming and it will, indeed, play games were confirmed. Sony, after the conference confirmed that the system will play used games, but didn’t specify anything beyond that. While Microsoft was a bit foolish in, well, talking and breeding speculation, Sony took what might be the smarter route by being quiet in not stating any potential scenarios. While many believed this to be a confirmation that Sony won’t be trying to get their slice of the used game pie, it may have easily been omission to make themselves more appealing.
GameTrailers’ Geoff Keighley has stated that it’s unlikely that developers would allow one platform (Microsoft’s Xbox One) to enable them to retain some of the profits of used game sales without the other embracing such a feature. There’s been a lot of hubbub surrounding this speculated used game DRM and fans have been crying out to Sony to not allow such a feature in the PS4. It’s worth noting that whether or not the developers and publishers see a cut of the used game sales, the consumers will likely be completely unaffected by this implementation. Business will carry on for us as usual–we will be able to buy, sell, lend, and borrow games as we normally would, just the workings behind the scenes would make the selling and buying of used games more ideal for the people who actually made the games.
Personally, I haven’t made any sound decisions on either console. I know I’m likely going to end up with both of them, but there are too many uncertainties to be, well, certain. I love gaming and I prefer doing it on a console, so I’m going to continue doing that until it is made incredibly undesirable to enjoy my games from my couch. E3 is right around the corner, so I’m sure a lot of these rumors for both systems will be cleared up soon.
Source: GameSpot
PowerUp Online 