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Xbox 360 Games - E3 2012 - Kinect Star Wars

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Is Microsoft Preparing For Free-To-Play Games On The Xbox 360?

Is Microsoft Preparing For Free-To-Play Games On The Xbox 360?: "

Microsoft may be working on bringing free-to-play games to the Xbox 360. Sources tell Develop that Microsoft is working behind the scenes, seeking out de ...

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E3 Microsoft Xbox Live Gold [3D]

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E3: Reactions From Microsoft’s Xbox 360 Press Conference

E3: Reactions From Microsoft’s Xbox 360 Press Conference: "


Earlier today, Microsoft held their Xbox 360 press conference. Many of you were probably expecting a slew of new and exciting titles, and while Microsoft had a number of multi-platform, and console exclusives that may have impressed some, many of you may have left underwhelmed. I have to admit that I joined many of you in yawning through-out and while I applaud Microsoft for once again abandoning the sales statistics in favor of announcing new products, most of them failed to appeal to my tastes. Aside from the handful of you who live for Gears of War and Halo, I have a feeling you may have felt the same.



Clearly Microsoft has spent a lot of time and effort developing titles for Kinect. The motion-based gaming has been a pain to market to the hardcore gamer, largely due to the fact that almost nobody wants to wave their arms around like an idiot. That didn’t stop them from pouring all their resources into forcing you to get with the program by incorporating it into most of their first-party franchises. On top of that, they’re trying to leverage the Kinect as the selling-point for upcoming third-party titles like Mass Effect 3 and Rainbow Six.

I found myself more impressed with the titles being offered from the third-party developers, and almost all of those were multi-platform. Below is a short list of some of the major licenses and franchises they announced.

Modern Warfare 3 (multi-platform)

The latest title in the Call of Duty franchise. If you’re big on blowing stuff up, you’re probably going to want this. The demo followed a team of operatives as they infiltrated an enemy submarine off the shore of New York in order to turn its salvo of missles against them. Looked neato, seems to do a decent job of continuing the story from the last game. Not sure if it’ll really be the same now that Infinity Ward is half the team it used to be.

Tomb Raider (multi-platform)



The new Lara Croft looks gorgeous, even covered in mud. The latest title will be a bit of a reboot, as well as an origin story. The short demo they showed takes place after Lara’s been shipwrecked on an island and captured by a crazy native and she ends up having to escape using only her wits. To be honest, you probably could have thrown Nathan Drake in the same situation and it could easily pass as a new Uncharted title. Still, it looked quite nice.

Mass Effect 3 (multi-platform)

Finally set for release March 6th, 2012, the latest Mass Effect will bring an end to the trilogy. Like we’ve seen with previous titles, the combat is once again squad-based and seems to retain the action-oriented feel of Mass Effect 2. Microsoft tried to leverage Kinect support by allowing you to use voice commands to direct your squad and choose dialog. Of course, I wouldn’t be surprised if you can just use a headset or camera to do the same on the PS3.



Gears of War 3





Gears of War 3 looks like more of the same. Of course, that’s not nessecarily a bad thing, but it’s pretty much what we’ve come to expect from the series. Muscles, guns, and action on an incredibly large scale. Additionally, the game will feature an expanded online experience. The horde mode — a fan favorite — will be making its return, and the recent beta has given Epic the chance to optimize your gameplay.



Fable: The Journey

The next Fable combines Microsoft’s Kinect with a first-person perspective. I wasn’t really impressed with it at first, but after taking a closer look at the visuals I can at least say the graphics and environments are quite beautiful. To be honest, I’m not fond of the idea of waving my hands around, but I suppose I can see the appeal for a younger audience.



Star Wars Kinect





Like most of you, I was really excited for this title. We’ve been waiting for it since Kinect was first announced a year so I’m sure many of you were expecting a bit more from it. To say the title looks unpolished might be an understatement, but then again, it’s not exactly ready for release quite yet. I’m sure they’re working on tightening up the control and eliminating as much latency as possible. Watching the lag from the movement to the screen seemed painful. The visuals on the other hand, look fantastic so far. Let’s hope they work out those kinks before the official release.

Minecraft

I’m not sure how I feel about Minecraft finally making its way to Xbox 360. In my opinion, the game’s indie roots were an intrical part of its appeal. It’s sort of a shame that they’ve decided to sell out in this fashion. Microsoft, for its part, made a fantastic investiment by securing the exclusivity. The title also boasts Kinect support, so it’ll be interesting to see how that’ll be used to build or mine accordingly.

Halo 4





Microsoft ended their show with a look at their upcoming trilogy of sequels — yes, you read that right, trilogy — for the Halo franchise with a teaser for Halo 4. Word has it that the new titles will lack the purple we often associate with the games — purple blood, atmospheres, aliens, etc. — won’t be returning and the teaser definitely lacked any of those tones. There wasn’t much to it. Master Chief returns, stuff explodes, and he steps outside the ship to find it being tractored in by a large alien vessel. If you want to spoil yourself a bit, beat Halo 3 on legendary to clue yourself in to what might be happening.
"

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Microsoft Is Bringing Live TV To Xbox 360 Owners

Microsoft Is Bringing Live TV To Xbox 360 Owners: "


Announced just moments ago during the Xbox 360 E3 press conference, Microsoft is set to bring live television to millions of Xbox 360 owners around the world.

While the details are scarce, and the overall price-point and actual series availability has yet to be announced, Microsoft has revealed that ABC’s Castle will be amongst the shows available when the service eventually launches.



Proving that they’re attempting to establish a broadcasting medium that has long been hoped for, Microsoft is foregoing any typical broadcast providing and instead is working directly with the content providers to make their shows available during live broadcast.

With the announcement that Xbox 360 around the world will have certain series available to them (according to regional availability), this is the first sign that the landscape is changing – and hopefully Internet television availability will be as widely available ...

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E3 2011: The Nick Pre-E3 Edition [PREY 2 TRAILER]

E3 2011: The Nick Pre-E3 Edition [PREY 2 TRAILER]: "

Here we are again. Just days before the biggest event in the gaming industry and we are once again caught up in the whirlwind of travel arrangements, appointment scheduling, and hair pulling. Our preparations have been rather significant when you take into account the new camera we purchased and the constant wrestling we have done with PR to secure appointments to see games like Elder Scrolls and Hitman. In the end, what’s done is done and our pre-E3 prep is complete, all that is left is to cover the show to the best of our ability. With that said, here are my initial thoughts and some pre-E3 thoughts about some of my most anticipated games of the show.

Nintendo

Perhaps one of the biggest surprises of E3 2010 was my impression of Nintendo after seeing their press conference. Games like Goldeneye and Donkey Kong Country Returns reminded me of the love and respect I had for Nintendo back in the day and the visual spectacle of their new 3D handheld was enough to reinvigorate those feelings. With the motion control craze fading into the background and a new HD console already confirmed to come out of the Nintendo conference, what should I expect from Nintendo? First and foremost, I expect nothing less than a blatant attempt to reconnect with the “hardcore” gaming audience.

With the reveal of their shiny new console and the rumors that the controller will double as a portable game device making headlines, I still feel like new software should be the star of the show. If they can remember to announce some new games on all 3 of their major platforms, i’ll consider this a success. Throw in some new 3DS games that don’t necessarily capitalize on the success of games from other consoles and other console generations and instead focus on the creativity that helped build Nintendo’s credibility in the first place. I just hope Nintendo remembers that E3 is about the games and less about tech.

Sony

Hot off the heels of the PSN debacle, Sony has a lot to prove to it’s following. The question I have is: how will they go about doing that? Hopefully Sony will not resort to several hours of trying to regain trust and apologizing. I didn’t fly to Los Angeles to see a bunch of executives apologize; I came here to see the games. If Sony is smart, I think they will spend a few minutes max, addressing their recent security issues before moving on to some great software and hardware announcements. I am crossing my fingers for a concrete release date for “The Last Guardian” and Ico/Shadow collection for starters. I hope to see them revisit some major third party titles like “Agent” and “Final Fantasy Versus XIII” as well. With security and infrastructure integrity has been the talk of the town in recent months, Sony would really benefit from some serious game announcements. With rumors of “God of War 4″ running rampant and Uncharted 3 on the horizon, I have a feeling that Sony has some big guns to fall back on this year.

There is also the topic of their impressive new handheld that is supposedly hitting shelves this Christmas. While the NGP certainly sounds amazing, I am looking forward to seeing a strong presence for the portable. I am eager to see how the handheld compares to the PSP in regards to comfort and functionality since that was one of the worst aspects of their previous handheld system. How does that touch pad work? Do the visuals really compare to the PS3? Will the touch screen really be used or will it fall to the wayside like the Six Axis controls on the PS3? All of these are questions that I want answered in the coming week.

Microsoft

While I already have a fairly good idea of what to expect from Sony and Nintendo, I am at a bit of a loss when it comes Microsoft. How much will they focus on the Kinect technology that they introduced last year? How much time will they spend talking about some crazy new TV service or Facebook implementation? In the past 2 years, Microsoft went from stellar to downright boring so who knows where they will fall on that spectrum this year. All I know is that if they don’t convince me that the Kinect is a viable, hardcore gaming peripheral, then I will be skipping out on the Kinect for good. I have rumors of that Kinect Horror game making an appearance and I would love to hear more about the Steel Battalion and Project Draco titles as well.

In the end though, I want to see Microsoft return to the thing that made their press briefing 2 years ago so great: the games. I would love to see a return to series like Splinter Cell and Alan Wake. It is also about time that we got a glimpse of Insomniac’s new multi-platform title and I think the Microsoft conference would be the ideal place to show that off. Outside of a strong support for Xbox 360 software and Kinect, I don’t expect to see much on the hardware front unless they surprise us with a new handheld system but I doubt that will happen. In less than 24 hours, all will be answered.

Games

Prey 2

Prey doesn’t necessarily resonate with me as the most memorable shooters that I have ever played but it did have a lot of promise. While the exciting gravity manipulation gameplay and the portal-esque mechanics are apparently absent from the sequel, the changes to the world structure and story is enough to warrant my interest. While some may choose to call the game’s name and relation to the original into question, I am excited to see a developer who is unafraid to make major changes to an established IP. If you haven’t already watched the E3 2011 trailer, feast your eyes on this:

The Darkness 2

Another sequel to a relatively low profile game that came out three to four years ago. The Darkness was a beautifully crafted world with some genuinly interesting characters and a premise that still stands out as one of the more memorable shooters i’ve played. With a new developer at the helm and a slick new visual style, the Darkness 2 is gearing up to be one of my most anticipated story based shooters to come out this year.

Tomb Raider

My foray into the Tomb Raider series started late with Tomb Raider Anniversary, Legend, and Underworld. While I adore Underworld, by the time I finished, I was already growing a bit tired of the formula. With Crystal Dynamics still at the head of the series, I am amazed to see such sweeping changes being implemented. By making Lara a more mature, vulnerable hero and dropping her in an open world, I think this reboot has the potential to be something truly special.

Aliens: Colonial Marines

To my surprise, despite Duke Nukem Forever just barely coming to market, Gearbox has apparently decided that it is finally time to pull back the curtain on one of their more mysterious titles, Aliens: Colonial Marines. While I did enjoy Aliens vs. Predator last year, it was the marine campaign that I enjoyed the most. The thought of playing an entire game built around that concept is incredible. I fully intend on getting some hands-on with this elusive title. This one’s for you Carlos!

Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

Do I even need to tell you why this game excites me? I didn’t think so. Bethesda Game Studios can do no wrong. I’m pretty sure that no matter what I see or play at E3, our appointment with Bethesda to witness the demo of Skyrim will be the highlight of my trip. Check it out:

"

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Rumor: Halo 4, Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary revealed early by Microsoft

Rumor: Halo 4, Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary revealed early by Microsoft: "

Halo 4? Halo: Combat Evolved ... Anniversary? Wait ... Halo 4?! Allegedly, these titles (and more) were revealed by Microsoft itself, hours ahead of its 10AM (PT) press conference, on the company's E3 community site. NowGamer supposedly spotted the posting, which has since been removed by Microsoft, but not before a mess of details were loosed. Among them: news that 'Halo 4 is on the way.'



A scene from the end of Halo 3 prefaces the news, which also teases 'but that's not all.' As we reported back in February, a Halo: Combat Evolved 'remaster' is also apparently in the pipeline. The image says nothing beyond the game being 'remastered for a new generation,' and dubs it 'Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary' -- just in time for the ten year anniversary of Halo 1's original launch in November of 2001. We've reached out to Microsoft for comment, but we imagine we won't hear anything back until Microsoft's official presser in a few hours.

Rumor: Halo 4, Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary revealed early by Microsoft originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 06 Jun 2011 10:46:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Loaded: Microsoft buys Skype

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News: Microsoft buys Skype for $8.5 billion

News: Microsoft buys Skype for $8.5 billion: "Report: internet telephone service to support Xbox 360 and Kinect.


Microsoft's just announced the purchase of internet telecommunications outfit Skype for $8.5 billion - the company's largest purchase to date.

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