Double Fine announces Happy Action Theatre
Tim Schafer More >
2Tim Schafer More >
2343 Industries has revealed how Kinect will be used in Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary during a panel at Comic-Con in New York. Most interesting of the functions is Analyze Mode, which brings a little of Metroid Prime's spirit to proceedings by allowing you to scan objects. Items, vehicles, characters and enemies can be scanned by placing your reticule over the intended target and saying, 'scan'. More >
A practised improvement to an already eye-catching routine.
Microsoft has announced that it has acquired Austin-based Splosion Man and The Gunstringer developer Twisted Pixel. Founded in 2006, the studio has built close ties with Microsoft, releasing four games for Xbox Live Arcade since 2009, while the recent game The Gunstringer was a boxed Xbox 360 exclusive that made use of Kinect. More >
1In a post on its forums, BioWare has detailed how Mass Effect 3's four-player co-op will work. According to community co-ordinator Chris Priestly, the co-op missions will have a "direct impact on the outcome of the single player campaign, giving players an alternative method of achieving ultimate victory”. The system, dubbed Galaxy at War, will influence your solo campaigns "Galactic Readiness" level along with other yet to be announced "platforms and interfaces". More >
1Mass Effect 3 will indeed have an online multiplayer component - a feature that has been rumoured for some time now - according to Australian magazine PC PowerPlay. More >
Not all of the 40 TV and entertainment providers who are bringing their content to Xbox 360 later this year will do so for free, and it appears that voice and gesture control using Kinect will also be restricted to Xbox Live Gold members. More >
2This trailer is our first look at Grasshopper's Diabolical Pitch, an Xbox Live Arcade title for Kinect in which players see off an advancing demon horde by throwing baseballs. More >
Gizmodo reports that Mastercard is currently working on a shopping and payment system, QkR, which uses Kinect for gesture-controlled shopping. While watching an advertisement for a t-shirt, a "wave to buy" prompt appears on screen, and should the user wave a further prompt appears allowing the user to select size, colour and a stored delivery address while the ad plays on in the background.
Goichi Suda's studio announced its first Kinect project at last year's Tokyo Game Show, giving it the working title Codename D. At Grasshopper's TGS conference today, it was revealed that the game's final name is Diabolical Pitch, which tasks players with seeing off a zombie infestation by throwing baseballs. It's set for release on Xbox Live Arcade before the year is out.
Kinect goes to the old west on Twisted Pixel's on-rails shooter.
Kinect gets mature with its first horror action game, but its ambition seems to defeat its interface.
13Plus concepts from an unreleased post-apocalyptic driving game and the best video game song ever.
1Future Publishing stablemate Official Xbox Magazine has relaunched its website with a complete redesign today, ushering in a new focus on Xbox Live. The site is celebrating with a selection of new articles, including an interview with Epic Games' Cliff Bleszinski as well as previews of Battlefield 3 and Modern Warfare 3. Head over to the site by clicking the source link below.
Microsoft has announced plans to bundle a downloadable copy of Tetsuya Mizuguchi’s musical shooter Child Of Eden with the current Kinect hardware offering, which includes Kinect Adventures. Launching in all Xbox Live regions excluding Japan, where Child Of Eden has yet to be released, the new bundle will begin appearing in stores next week for the same price as the existing one, “available in limited quantities and while supplies last”. While Child Of Eden is also playable with a traditional Xbox 360 controller, it is widely regarded as a highlight of Kinect’s software line-up. Our review, which you can read through the link below, labelled the game “a convincing example of how motion control can breathe new life into a niche genre” and, “more than that, a masterclass in audio design and the emotive power of CG imagery”.
Majesco shares rose seven per cent following the announcement of a Kinect game based on Hasbro's Twister, which is set for release in November. With support for up to eight players, Twister will feature 16 game modes in all, including one based directly on the original game. Majesco's chief marketing officer, Christina Glorioso, said: "This is using your full body as a game piece," presumably willing us all to ignore the fact that the 45-year-old original game is as well.
"Most kids' games are cheaply made," says Warner's Jon Katz, who plans to break the pattern with Double Fine's Sesame Street: Once Upon A Monster.
A Microsoft spokesperson has confirmed to OXM: "Microsoft and LucasArts have elected to move the launch of Kinect Star Wars standalone game beyond holiday 2011 to ensure the full potential of this title is realised." The delay also applies to the Star Wars-branded Xbox 360 console, sadly, and Microsoft has declined to pin down revised release dates.
1Platform holder admits struggles but hopes Kinect can help turn around Xbox 360's fortunes.
27Microsoft has confirmed at its Gamescom Playday event that Frontier's Kinectimals will be released on Windows Phone 7 this autumn, with touchscreen inputs replacing the 360 version's gesture controls. It supports cross-platform play to an extent too, with a Microsoft rep explaining to VG247: "There's a QR code element built into the game where you are able to transfer your cat that you've developed there, or you can reverse that and take your animal from your phone to your Xbox."
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