I see what you did thar. Also, new screenshots and buzzpoint list.
Did you buy a copy of FIFA 14 for Xbox 360? Cast it to the floor and spit on it, as you would a loathsome rodent, then quickly pre-order a copy of the game for Xbox One, to purge the stain upon your soul. EA has released new details - or at least, creatively repackaged old details - about the next generation version of this year's best-scored footie sim, and producer Nick Channon has said a few words on the subject to Click Online.
Also, 7 of the biggest IPs in entertainment since 1859 have been console games.
At the recent Gaming Insider Summit in San Francisco (courtesy of TheAlistDaily), former EA CEO John Riccitiello was in a contemplative kind of mood. Looking back on some of the biggest success stories in gaming, he pondered what contemporary gaming franchises could learn from one another going forward, and imparted his advice to the traditional gaming industry on how to stay relevant.
"The ID@Xbox program is true self-publishing, all the power of the machine," says Harrison.
Microsoft's ID@Xbox program and associated Xbox One publishing policies represent "the best approach to getting the most developers and the best games on the platform", corporate vice-president Phil Harrison has declared. Moreover, the company apparently no longer distinguishes between developers and publishers in terms of game size, existing reputation and the like - the platform is built to ensure that quality gets rewarded.
Wilsoooooooon!.
Another day, another dollar to spend on yet another zombie game. At least XBLA title How to Survive is doing something besides beheading zombies with a chainsaw. I mean sure, that's in there too, but between bouts of zombie battling you'll also have to keep yourself alive by performing more mundane tasks like finding food and building shelter.
A few snippets of intel from Sweden.
Morning all. There appears to be hardly any Xbox news happening, so here's a quick insight from Johan Andersson, technical director at DICE's Frostbite team: there are apparently over 15 Frostbite games in the works, presumably including known projects like Dragon Age: Inquisition, Need for Speed: Rivals, Star Wars: Battlefront, Mirror's Edge and BioWare's new Mass Effect game.
Does have a collectable statuette and an artbook, though.
Oh, Respawn. You're such rebels, bucking convention like a Titan bucking a renegade Pilot into the gutter, where he or she can be unceremoniously stamped on. EA has revealed Titanfall's Collector's Edition alongside its release date (that's 14th March 2014, if you're a UK player), and in a demented twist, said Collector's Edition doesn't appear to contain any exclusive DLC. Nope, not even a custom weapon skin. It's like I've tumbled into a time warp, right on back to 2007.
New shooter to land on 11th March in North America.
Swaggering mech blaster Titanfall will release for Xbox 360, Xbox One and PC on 11th March in North America, 13th March in Europe and 14th March in the UK, EA and developer Respawn Entertainment have announced. Mark your calendars, Pilots.
"Somehow I don't think that's entirely accidental," suggests Aoife.
What do you mean, you'd forgotten that Battlefield 4 has a single player mode? Good heavens, the internet has talked of literally nothing else since DICE revealed the game in March. This year's offering isn't your usual corridor crawl, either - according to preliminary reports, it's a much roomier corridor crawl with naturalistic leaf shadows, and you can shoot through the walls. Also, one of your squadmates gets to punch a dog. Hmm, that could almost be a reference to something or other. Isn't there another game out soon that has a dog in it?
"You might not understand what we've gone through to get there," says Patrick Bach.
A few release day Battlefield 4 bugs are inevitable, executive producer Patrick Bach has told OXM, as DICE hasn't "played safe" with the supporting technology. In general, however, he expects this to be the franchise's least glitchy launch to date.
Get your tape measure out.
Shocking news, everybody - the Xbox One is, indeed, slightly larger than the Xbox 360. A whole 6.3 cm longer, in fact. Forget making space beneath your television - you're going to need a living room extension to accommodate that behemoth. Add in the new Kinect sensor, and you might as well just knock a wall down and mount your flatscreen on the wall across the street. Honest.
"All of this is done to keep things as fair and as fun as possible," says developer.
Rockstar's decision to cut GTA Online mission cash and Rank Point payouts by half on replay via the latest GTA 5 update hasn't been terribly well received - some fans object that this is just a ruse to make more players buy Los Santos dollars with real world money. According to the developer, however, it's all born of a wish to "keep things as fair and fun as possible".
Savings on The Walking Dead DLC, Limbo and Ghostbusters titles too.
Rejoice, lover of shiny fast cars and holder of an Xbox Live gold account, for fortune smile upon you this day. An Xbox Live sale is slashing prices on a whole mess of Need for Speed content, meaning this is the time to stock up on games, DLC packs and any mod unlocks you missed.
Plus, new screen, thoughts on new IP and story-driven multiplayer.
With the possible exception of Destiny, Titanfall is the most-anticipated next generation game on the shop right now. I know this because I've just plugged my patented Anticip-O-Meter into a random USB port, and Respawn's shooter totals a whopping seven point five pairs of soiled underwear out of ten - well ahead of the pack. Producer Drew McCoy is beginning to feel the pressure.
The explodingest 1 minute 13 seconds of your life.
Explosions! Explosions on planes! Explosions on boats! Explosions in the forest! Explosions in space! Basically, the gameplay launch trailer for Call of Duty: Ghosts - oh, explosions on trains! - packs a whole lot of firepower. And also an evil pack of wolves for Riley to face off against. You tell 'em, Riley.
UPDATE: Microsoft denies that "all" W8 apps work on the console.
Online PC retailer Dell seem to have outed that when the Xbox One launches next month you'll immediately have a absolute truck load of apps to choose from, because it'll support the running of all Windows 8 apps.
See the Batcave, equip new gadgets, punch some faces.
Batman's everywhere today, isn't he? This morning we wrote about two new Arkham Origins villains and Bruce's relationship with Alfred - now, Warner Bros Interactive has gone and released 17 whole minutes of gameplay footage, revealing the Batcave, the mostly-familiar combat system and a whole lot more besides.
Players can visit their butler in the Batcave to seek his sage advice.
Batman: Arkham Origins launches this Friday. As anyone following the game's development will know, it's an origins story taking place on the Christmas Eve of the second year in Bruce's career as the Dark Knight, when he meets some of the villains that come to define his role as Gotham's protector. What hasn't been touched on quite so much, however, is that Origins will also explore Batman's relationships with several of his closest allies. Most important among these? Alfred Pennyworth.
Could this be the Creative Assembly Aliens title we've been waiting for?.
You'd have thought that after the PR nightmare that was Aliens: Colonial Marines's colossal case of crashing and burning, the Aliens franchise would have been put out to pasture for the foreseeable future. Or at least, until everyone had forgotten about the Gearbox monstrocity.
"In the end it's all about the games," acknowledges Patrick Bach.
There's nothing quite like the build-up to a console launch for dilating the fabric of space-time, turning minutes into hours, hours into days, days into more days. I don't know about you, but the past few months have absolutely ground past for me, as one controversy spawns another like some enemy-dispensing sideroom in a Modern Warfare game.
Now that GTA 5 has launched, could an announcement be on the cards?.
The eagle-eyes behind AllGamesBeta have spied a listing on the LinkedIn profile of Rockstar New England employee Doron Feinstein, which mentions the "next version of a famous IP", in development since at least September 2010. Could John or Jack Marston be getting ready to ride again?
