Intergalactic terror now marginally less terrifying, thanks to nerfed melee.
343 will release another Halo 4 matchmaking update on Monday, 1st July, introducing a bundle of new maps (most community-created), game types and tweaks. The big addition from my point of view is a new Flood gametype "Hivemind" where the Flood kill in two hits, not one. How you like me now, odious deep space gremlins!
Partnership gives developers access to Unity engine and toolkits.
The often-rocky relationship between Microsoft and indie developers is looking a lot rosier this week. News broke yesterday that the company has dropped its policy of charging developers to update their Xbox 360 or Xbox Live games, and today it announced a new partnership with developer toolkit company and engine-maker Unity to offer free access to development tools and the Unity engine.
"Many brands of wired gaming headsets" on the way in the near future.
Following the news yesterday that Microsoft is working on an adaptor that will allow wired Xbox 360 headsets to be used on the Xbox One, the company has confirmed that it's working on "solutions" to allow third party brands of gaming headsets to work on the next-gen console.
4J Studios announces much-coveted world skinning feature.
Time for a dash more news before you sign off? It's Minecraft-flavoured. 4J Studios has announced that the forthcoming title update 12 will introduce custom texture packs alongside a new Tutorial World and various new mobs and block types, allowing players to reskin entire realms to suit the mood.
Cancelled game allowed players to build a base and improve on it over time.
Obsidian has spoken out about their doomed RPG Aliens: Crucible, which was cancelled in 2009 after publisher Sega claimed it needed to "take a step back and carefully consider the type of game we want to release." And I think by now, we all know how that turned out.
Multiplayer, Zombie Mode issues quashed.
A new Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 game update will roll out today on Xbox Live, Treyarch has announced - it nobbles problems with regular multiplayer and Zombies Mode. Has your own, personal snafu been pounced upon and torn apart by ravening hyenas with degrees in computer programming? Only one way to find out. Scroll down... slowly.
8.4 million units sold across the country over the last 8 years.
It's official: we are legion. GfK Chart-Track has named the Xbox 360 as the UK's best-selling home games console of this generation, with 8.4 million units sold in the country to date.
Index Corporation's debt said to total over #163;160m.
Atlus, the publisher behind Catherine and Persona 4 Arena, could be facing hard times ahead after parent company Index Holding files for bankruptcy.
Based on a "translation error", apparently.
In pleasantly weird news, somebody reported last night that Microsoft would begin releasing Xbox games on non-Microsoft hardware, such as iOS and Android. The firm's Studios boss Phil Spencer has stepped in to debunk the claim, which is apparently the result of a translation error.
Update: OXM sources confirm no charge for patches, simpler XBLA certification.
Microsoft has quietly dropped its policy of charging developers to patch Xbox 360 and Xbox Live Arcade games, as reported on Eurogamer and confirmed by OXM sources. Any chance of that Fez update now, Phil Fish?
"More details as we approach launch.".
So, the big scandal of the past few days is that Xbox One doesn't ship with a headset, because it ships with Kinect. "Fear not," says Uncle Microsoft - the manufacturer's now working on an adaptor for existing Xbox 360 headsets. Will that ship with the console, Microsoft? Or will it be sold separately?
"We probably haven't done the same job shining a flashlight on it," says Spencer.
Speaking to OXM in our latest issue, Microsoft Studios corporate vice-president Phil Spencer has once again rebutted claims that the firm doesn't care about smaller-scale or "indie" game development on Xbox, but conceded that Microsoft hasn't highlighted its contribution to the same degree Sony has.
Hideous monsters have never been so beautiful.
Alright, so there isn't a huge amount of new information to be gleaned from these new Witcher 3 screenshots. In fact, a few of them seem to be the old screenshots from a slightly different angle. And yet, we can't seem to stop looking at them.
Manufacturer needs to demonstrate "meaningful capabilities" to consumers.
Activision Publishing boss Eric Hirshberg is a Man with Opinions about Xbox One's $499/#163;429 price tag. Earlier this week he expressed those opinions in audible form to GamesIndustry.biz, which has done us the favour of converting the chat into written English and placing it upon the internet.
Frostbite 3 demonstrates capacity for dramatic sunsets.
The first proper Dragon Age: Inquisition screenshots are here, care of DSO Gaming, revealing various characters and locations. Have a look.
Gold subs get gladiatorial.
Ubisoft has released free-to-play brawler Spartacus Legends on Xbox Live Arcade (that's "free" providing you have Xbox Live Gold, yes). Got two gigabytes of HD space to spare? Why not fill those gigabytes with screaming, bare-chested bodybuilders from Ancient Times? Queue up your download here.
It's more about the "experience", less about the digits.
Microsoft Game Studios vice president Phil Spencer isn't all about the numbers, people. First off, he's keen to quash assumptions that the new Halo game is actually Halo 5, and secondly, he reckons that digits don't mean a thing when it comes to releasing Halo 2 Anniversary.
"Believe me, we're frustrated too," says Undead Labs.
Good news! Undead Labs' second State of Decay title update has yet to meet with any nasty accidents during its progress through Microsoft certification testing. Bad news! State of Decay itself has been denied an age rating by the Australian Classification Board, which appears to be on some sort of banning spree.
Gameplay footage for four new maps and new zombie level inside.
Activision has just released a new Replacers trailer for Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 DLC pack Vengeance, first leaked via an illicit snap of promotional material.
Stage reveal at 21st May event "wasn't accidental".
I've just had a terrifying vision of the next 18 months of games reportage, everybody. It's going to consist of me writing increasingly desperate news stories about Microsoft Studios boss Phil Spencer's eternal love of, but failure to actually do anything with, the Crackdown franchise.