A leak on the Korean Ratings Board has suggested that Halo Bootcamp is in the works. Microsoft followed up this leak confirming the project’s existence. They’ve stated that Bootcamp is not related to the the Xbox One or the Reclaimer Trilogy (which began with Halo 4). The description states that Bootcamp is a third-person shooter set within the Haloverse with a specific mention of Halo 3 and PC/online gaming. It’s likely that we will hear more on Bootcamp at E3 in just two weeks.
According to Polygon, apparently Xbox One owners will still be able to borrow and lend friends’ games without paying a fee. By the sounds of things, installing a game on your Xbox One registers you on Microsoft’s servers as the owner of that game, thereby deactivating the game on whichever account it was activated last. That is to say, if I have a game installed on my Xbox One and lend it to a friend, as soon as said friend installs the game on his Xbox One, the game is deactivated on my account and registered under my friend’s account until the game is returned to me. When I receive my game disc back and put it in my Xbox, it is reactivated on my account and deactivated on my friend’s account. From there, if my friend would like to continue playing that game, that’s when the fee would be required.
As convoluted as this sounds, it’s really not going to be complicated for the user. You as gamers will be able to borrow and lend your games as you normally would on current hardware with this activation/deactivation process being automated on Microsoft’s servers. It’s also a completely understandable measure. Since Xbox One game discs will not be required to play games after they are installed, if the game wasn’t deactivated on your user account, you would be able to play the game while it’s lent out. Having this authentication process ensures that your game behaves as it would under normal circumstances; i.e. if you lend out a game you own on Xbox 360, you’re not going to be able to play it until it’s returned to you, likewise an Xbox One game shouldn’t work for you while you’re lending it out.
This is certainly good news for gamers as it seems to alleviate the rumors that Microsoft would block us from being able to lend out our games. I’m certainly breathing a sigh of relief and this makes me a whole lot less skeptical regarding the Xbox One.
Source: The Verge
When I saw Remedy Entertainment take the stage at Microsoft’s Xbox reveal, I was hoping to hear that they were going to announce the highly anticipated sequel to 2010’s Alan Wake. While it was initially disappointing to see that what they have in the works is not Alan Wake 2, it’s exciting to see that they’re pushing a new IP for this new console.
Given that many, myself included, were expecting an Alan Wake reveal, Sam Lake, creative director at Remedy and creator of Alan Wake, prepared a message to us, the fans, to accompany the Alan Wake Humble Bundle. The video explains what exactly is going on and why we won’t be seeing Alan Wake again just yet. It’s an insightful video and a nice gesture from the studio.
The success of Alan Wake wasn’t immediate and, as such, it was difficult for things to fall into place for the much desired sequel. Fans and Remedy both want to continue Alan’s journey, but “the time wasn’t right.” Given that Remedy and Microsoft were willing to partner in this new venture and Remedy’s dedication to the Alan Wake IP, I think it’s safe to assume that Alan will be back sometime in the future after a Quantum Break.
As a fan of Remedy Entertainment, I’m glad to see that they’re willing to take a risk with something new even if it means waiting to see how Alan Wake’s story pans out.
For those of you who have yet to experience Alan’s journey into darkness, Remedy has discounted the Alan Wake games on Xbox Live and has provided a Humble Weekly Bundle. I encourage you to invest in these experiences and support Remedy and the talented folks who have worked hard on these games.
Microsoft has confirmed that their next console will not be compatible with Xbox or Xbox 360 games. The reason being is architecture of the x86 CPU that the utilizes won’t allow the games built for Xbox 360’s Power-PC core to run. So, hold on to your 360 if you’re looking to keep getting mileage out of your games because they’re not going to make the trip to the next generation. Xbox Live Arcade games also won’t make the transfer for the same reasons, as expected. However, your Xbox Live Gamertag and all the Achievements you’ve earned will be waiting for you when you boot up your Xbox One.
It’s disappointing that we won’t be able to carry our games of the now into the future, but it’s interesting to see how many similarities there are between the Xbox One hardware and the PS4. The similarities suggest that cross-platform play may be a possibility in the future, which is an exciting prospect.
Christmas Eve. Two years after the birth of The Bat. It’s safe to assume that Bats survives the night (given that this is a prequel to Arkham Asylum and Arkham City), but it looks to be one hell of a night.
Bethesda has announced a new installment in the Wolfenstein franchise. The brand has been dormant since under-performing Wolfenstein released in 2009. This new iteration in the franchise will be a reimagining while staying true to its action-adventure shooter roots and is being developed by MachineGames. MachineGames is composed of industry veterans who worked on The Darkness.
The New Order is being developed for PS3, Xbox 360, PC, and next-generation consoles for release in the fourth quarter of this year. The game will utilize id Tech 5 (first introduced with id’s Rage).
The upcoming first-person action game Hellraid from Dead Island developer Techland has a teaser trailer. It kinda looks like the offspring of the aforementioned Dead Island and Bethesda’s Elder Scrolls games. If they can iron out the bugs that plagued Dead Island, this might end up being a wonderfully addicting gaming experience.
Upcoming Ubisoft sequel to the long-running Splinter Cell franchise is bringing back the popular Spies Vs. Mercs multiplayer mode which was disappointingly absent from Sam Fisher’s last outing. Fans of the franchise have something to rejoice about amidst their complaints about the disappointing lack of Michael Ironside (which, granted, is a very valid complaint).
As posted yesterday, and all over the internet over the past week or so, Activision’s next Call of Duty game will be subtitled Ghosts. The game will feature an “entirely new story, setting and cast of characters, all powered by a new, next generation Call of Duty engine that redefines the series for the next generation.” As you can see, it’s very next generation-y. Ghosts is scheduled to release on November 5th and is in development for Xbox 360, PS3, PC and next generation consoles. The first gameplay footage will be shown at Microsoft’s next Xbox event on May 21.
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