Four multiplayer maps and Mob of the Dead.
Major Nelson has uploaded a 'behind-the-scenes' video for Black Ops 2's upcoming Uprising map pack. It specifically focuses on the 'Mob of the Dead' Zombies expansion, including famous prisoners, mobsters and celebrities of the era. See more on the inside of Alcatraz after the shamble.
Titles include Ryse, new Forza, a zombie game and a Pixar-style family game.
Crytek's Roman-era punch-'em-up Ryse and Microsoft's own next-gen Forza are both rumoured to be launch titles for the putative and unconfirmed (but daft if it doesn't happen) next generation Xbox (itself rumoured to be announced at the end of May.)
Capcom USA boss admits sales are poor - but he's not giving up.
As a lover of silly, impossibly difficult fighting games and of murderous, red-hooded huntresses, it saddens me to report that Darkstalkers Resurrection hasn't sold well enough to be considered a success, according to Capcom.
Creative director leaves after "always online" spat.
It's being reported that Microsoft Creative Director Adam Orth has resigned. Orth was recently involved in a controversial spat with Bioware Designer Manveer Heir concerning the possible next Xbox being online or, as he put it, "the drama about having an 'always on' console".
Rotoscoped classic recreation revealed.
It might be lacking the retrotastic appeal of the original, but there are surely some nostalgic hearts out beating slightly closer to coronary level at the news that Flashback has been remade and is coming to XBLA. Amazingly, the original was the once the best-ever-selling French game.
Tanimura reveals all.
The Dark Souls game director Yui Tanimura has revealed a new gameplay trailer, replete with impressive new locations, new more-aware, telligent enemies and gruesome deaths. Oh and a giant skeletal dragon. Eek!
Players may connect in a variety of ways in future Bethesda titles.
Perhaps you happily poured hundreds of hours into Skyrim without ever pining for company. Or maybe you plodded along, smiting as you went, but could never quite shake that niggling feeling that it could all have been so much better with a few friends in tow. I'm firmly in the former camp, but it's hard to disagree that nowadays most developers ignore multiplayer and all its guises at their peril.
"F2P games have done a great job of disrupting other platforms," says Spartacus dev.
Speaking to OXM as part of a wondrous feature on free-to-play, published in our very next, scintillating issue, Spartacus Legends producer Josh Mast has claimed that the business model is going from strength to strength, and will play a significant role on next generation consoles. Spartacus Legends, in case you hadn't sussed, is a free-to-play brawler due out later this year.
800 MP for no end of hair-raising stunts.
Microsoft has released Avatar Motocross Madness on Xbox Live Arcade, an updated version of the classic racer which sports eight player online and two player splitscreen multiplayer. The price? 800 MP. The file size? 1.48 GB.
But "the customers have the decision to buy or not to buy as they see fit".
Everyone can have an opinion, but not every opinion is an informed one - so says Bethesda vice president Peter Hines, as regards the controversial business of day-one DLC. Speaking to us during the latest OXM Podcast, Hines commented that while Bethesda's add-on packs tend to arrive somewhat later, he can understand why other companies ship their digital offerings at launch, and thinks particularly vocal gamers should give developers a break.
But you "have to focus on the bottom line".
Dr. Greg Zeschuk used to be BioWare's big cheese, but nowadays he writes about beer for a living. Don't know about you, but I'd certainly patronise a real ales bar run by Zeschuk. Just think of the tales you'd hear over a glass of unbearable fluid. Stories about Mass Effect 3's ending. Stories about how BioWare evolved from the pre-eminent RPG company to a somewhat bashful standard bearer for proportional representation in videogame plots. And of course, stories about currently undisclosed projects, such as the next generation Mass Effect sequel or BioWare's new IP, announced the day Zeschuk and co-founder Dr Ray Muzyka announced their resignations.
Also: pre-Penguin Cobblepot, new environments.
The first Batman: Arkham Origin screenshots are here, care of Game Informer, care of All Games Beta's roving fingers. If you can't call a morning complete without staring into Bruce Wayne's crotch as he kicks some ne'er-do-well in the chops, scroll down.
Microsoft presumably looking into it.
Xbox Live is down with case of the digital measles, people, which is bad news if, like me, you're trying to get a game going in MMO shooter Defiance. Yesterday I said I'd give the latter a shot for the purposes of some diary pieces. Presumably, this evening's connection woes are karmic retribution of some kind.
Warner Bros Montreal takes the lead on prequel project.
Warner Bros has announced Batman: Arkham Origins for PC, Wii U, PS3 and most importantly, Xbox 360. As rumoured, it's a prequel which takes place several years before the first two Arkham games, introducing many of the franchise's most important characters.
Two XBLA sales, Black Ops 2 DLC, Motocross Madness, Halo 4 sale.
Not much to write about on the Actual New Games front this week, but the latest Xbox Live Marketplace round-up does contain some decidedly attractive reductions, covering Counterstrike, Bionic Commando, Marvel vs Capcom, Halo 4 and Hell Yeah! Wrath of the Dead Rabbit.
We'll make "considerably more noise" in 2013 than 2012.
Of all the long-established firms nurturing next generation console projects, the one I'm most anxious to hear from is Bethesda - custodian of three of gaming's greatest licenses in the shape of Doom, The Elder Scrolls and Fallout. Speaking to us in the latest OXM podcast, company vice-president Peter Hines has hinted that announcements may happen soon.
Vice-president Peter Hines on the future of Elder Scrolls.
Some developers would have you believe that releasing DLC months after release is like burning money, but the intimidating success of Bethesda's various Elder Scrolls and Fallout DLC packs suggests otherwise.
4J now awaiting Microsoft certification on bug fixes.
4J Studios has whisked the wrappers off Minecraft Xbox 360 update 10, thus making our partial list of known and fixed bugs from earlier this morning rather surplus to requirements. Bad developers! Bad! Oh wait, you've sorted out the one where we can't use ladders? Good developers! Good!