Kinect just too damn good, apparently.
In news that'll probably rile those already riled by Xbox One's #163;429 UK pricepoint, the console doesn't ship with a headset as standard. Microsoft has now released a statement via Ars Technica addressing this. It probably won't surprise you all that much.
Speedy types rule in new gameplay footage.
Famitsu's got hold of four new Dark Souls 2 gameplay videos, showcasing four new character classes - the Warrior, Temple Knight, Sorcerer and Dual Swordsman. Aoife and I have just been discussing the options, and the consensus is that the Sorcerer's going to kick arse against entry-level competitors in PvP. That wide ice sword attack looks pretty hard to dodge.
Board rules that game "offends against standards of morality, decency and propriety".
Volition and Deep Silver's Saints Row 4 has been denied an age rating by the Australian Classification Board, because it "rewards" in-game drug use and features "interactive, visual depictions of implied sexual violence". As a consequence, it'll be illegal to sell or display the game in stores across the country when Saints Row 4 launches in August. Woe unto artistic license, etc.
Hideo Kojima on The Phantom Pain's marketing misdirection.
In an E3 interview with GameReactor, Hideo Kojima has shed a little light on his motivations for initially announcing The Phantom Pain under a false studio name.
Tonnes of Arcade greats get discounted.
Everybody try to stay calm. With the exception of the icky Bloodforge, this week's (Gold-exclusive) Xbox Live Arcade sale makes for rather pleasant reading - no fewer than six of the offerings are the recipients of OXM eights and nines. Might want to put your debit card in the fridge for a bit, so it doesn't overheat when you splurge on the below.
Dark Souls 2 director on difficulty: take away "nuisances" and you don't have a game any more.
In an interview with GameInformer at E3, Dark Souls 2 director Yui Tanimura has explained the difference, as he sees it, between a challenging game and a game that's just too hard. He's also shed a bit of light on the decision to keep the game current gen.
DICE "stumbled constantly" before creating the Frostbite Engine.
Battlefield 4 might be the same old bundle of ironsights, blood flecks and brick dust at its core, but where the aesthetic underwhelms, you can't fault the quality of DICE's Frostbite 3 engine, which is showcased to astonishing effect in the below trailer.
Cloud support lets developers focus on actual game design, claims Respawn.
Respawn's Jon Shiring has taken to the developer's official site to answer questions about Titanfall's cloud processing support, the benefits of which remain a little too intangible for comfort. Cost, it seems, may be the key incentive here.
"We don't know what the future of State of Decay is right now," cautions Undead Labs.
Speaking to Polygon, Undead Labs co-founder Jeff Strain has offered a bit sight on State of Decay's forthcoming survival sandbox mode, which could be released for a fee if Microsoft deems this appropriate. He also chatted briefly about the game's missing multiplayer component, and the possibility of a sequel for Xbox One.
The original "missed completely" on difficulty, didn't nail the story either.
DICE has been trying to crank out the right Mirror's Edge 2 concept for years, EA Games executive vice-president Patrick S#246;derlund has confessed to CVG in an E3 interview, but the franchise's future was never really in doubt. As is the way with post-reveal exec pronouncements, he was unable to share much about how the long-awaited sequel will play, but did cite story and difficulty as key areas for improvement over Mirror's Edge 1.
Former People Can Fly man gives his take on "Xbox 180".
Astronauts co-founder Adrian Chmielarz has written a rather forceful editorial for Edge, in which the former People Can Fly developer defends Microsoft's now-retracted Xbox One game licensing policies, if not the manufacturer's presentation of those policies.
New RPG isn't a direct sequel.
EA has quietly knocked the "3" off Dragon Age 3: Inquisition, in order to resituate BioWare's cross-gen open world RPG as a standalone story. Speaking to IGN, labels boss Frank Gibeau also touched fleetingly on differences between the current and next generation versions of the game.
New investment "supports the growing demand for Microsoft's cloud services".
Microsoft has rummaged around down the back of its sofa and pulled together the princely sum of $700 million to fund a new data centre in Des Moines, Iowa, which will power Xbox Live and the company's other cloud-based services.
We Are Watching You - or are we?.
Microsoft's plans for Kinect - which comes bundled with the Xbox One as standard and must always be connected to the console in order for it to fully function - may be subject to drastic revisions in the US if new legislation is upheld.
Bethesda unveils "new pricing", declines to sing about reductions.
Morning all. Bethesda says it has "new pricing on a number of games and add-ons across Xbox LIVE". I've just spent a not inconsiderable number of minutes trying to work out whether "new pricing" means "cheaper pricing" (Joystiq seems to think so). Conclusion: inconclusive. Would you mind having a look, and letting me know if anything strikes you as conspicuously good value?
Retailer estimate, or the real deal?.
Amazon's just listed Xbox One for release on 27th November. We've yet to hear anything along those lines from Microsoft, but November is the key month, so you might want to make a possibly premature note in your diary while I mail for comment.
Now in certification testing, says Undead Labs.
State of Decay title update 2 has been submitted to Microsoft for certification testing, developer Undead Labs has announced - expect it some time next week, all going to plan. Executive producer Jeff Strain has also released the final patch notes, which I've pasted below.
See anything new?.
There's still "a lot to do" on Minecraft Xbox 360 update 12, 4J Studios has announced, but the developer has managed to snip off a quick screenie of the redesigned Tutorial World, which you'll find below.
Fable 3 gives way to Assassin's Creed 2 and Halo 3, later this summer.
Microsoft has detailed exactly when Xbox Live Gold members will get their hands on two free games, as promised during the manufacturer's E3 presser. Get your diary out, and draw a big smiley face on the 1st and 16th of every month between now and the end of the year.
"Microsoft tried to and ultimately couldn't have it both ways.".
He's already taken on the internet over used games and digital licensing via Twitter - now, Gears of War co-creator Cliff Bleszinski has written up a lengthy blog to fully explain his thoughts on "this whole debacle," offering a "more surgical explanation behind some of my more...inflammatory posts on Twitter."