Another Live Action Halo Trailer In The Bag

It's that time again folks, another live action commercial for the latest Halo game.

If you feel like this trailer is missing something, don't worry, the "full" commercial will be available for Xbox Live Gold subscribers tomorrow.

Sims 3 Heading Over To Consoles This Fall

Last years best-selling PC franchise is heading over to consoles later this year. The game will becoming to the Wii, PS3, Xbox 360, and the Ds, all of which are scheduled for a fall release.
 Skimming through EA's press release tells us that The Sims 3 for consoles will include all-new features make it easier than ever to mess with life as players can unlock the ultimate “Karma Powers” for instant control and unleash them on their Sims. Players can help their Sim “get lucky,” bless them with “instant beauty” or be deviant and curse them with an “epic fail.”

Now this isn't the first Sims game to make it onto consoles, but it defiantly seems like this is going to be one of the most complete "Sim experiences". Keeping with The Sim's casual appeal, the Xbox 360 and PS3 version will come with a "single-use serial code" that will allow gamers to share achievements with friends through Facebook.

The Live Action Alan Wake Prequel Has Arrived

Bright Falls is a prequel to Remedy's up-coming title, Alan Wake. These first two episodes give of a very Twin Peaks meets modern thriller vibe, which is great because that's exactly what Alan Wake is going for as well.
The first episode is about 5 minutes long, and if your at all interested in Alan Wake I'd highly suggest you check it out.

if you liked that episode, you can check out the second one here, at the offical New York Times website.

Alan Wake Gets Pitched To Us Gamers

Have you ever been at a board-meeting of a multi-billion dollar company and sat through numerous pitches of video game ideas. Wait, you haven't?.. Well now's your chance to see what that "might" be like.
Here's the newest piece of marketing for Remedy's latest game, Alan Wake.

Saying this was a pitch to a big publishing company might have been a bit much, but come on, that narrator sure knew how to spin it.
As you might know, I'm a big fan of 3rd-person horror games, and so Alan Wake is right up my alley. I can't wait to see more of this game, and how it's going to handle its episodic DLC when it launches later in May.

Natal Successor Already In The Works

Even though Project Natal is still 8 months away, Microsoft is already working on the next motion sensor. Research Asia department director Hsiao-Wuen Hon spoke to The Sydney Morning Herald (via Spong) that they are already thinking of a new version.
“When we invent something first like Natal, while we have a researcher working with the product group for the first version we already have a researcher thinking about the second version down the road,” said Hon. “We certainly hope we will continue to be holding that technology.”

Now don't get worried. This doesn't mean that Microsoft is planning to "annualized" releases of Project Natal, or that they think the first one sucks so they're making a new one. This is just big companies think way into the future in order to stay competitive with everyone else. Chances are that we might never see Natal 2.0 hit retail stores, although I find that to be pretty unlikely.

This sure does say something about people's belief in motion control however, many developers think that motion control is just some type of fad rolling through the games industry at the moment. When companies like Microsoft keep investing into newer/better motion control, it might be something that's here to stay, even though some don't want it.

 
I'll keep you guys posted on more Natal 2.0 info, but don't expect more anytime soon. We still have to go through Microsoft's Natal heavy E3 keynote, sometime between June 15-17.

No Epic Games Coming Out This Year

 Many people were expecting a Gear of War 3 announcement last week at GDC, considering the first two games had their debut at previous GDCs, but this year its a bit different.
We actually got some news from from Epic Games VP Mark Rein, that was the complete opposite at GDC this year.

 "We don't have any games coming out in 2010, so from a games standpoint, it's more about our customers' games, right? Already this year we've seen some pretty great games this year-- Mass Effect 2, Bioshock 2, and Arkham Asylum's coming out in 3D, the GOTY version, so that'll be kinda cool."
Even though Epic isn't releasing anything from their studio directly this year, you can be sure that they are hard at work on Gears of War 3, and of course their Unreal Engine.
Personally I thought that Gears of War 2 was pretty lacking in overall gameplay, and so I think its for the better that Epic isn't going to rush out Gears 3 this year. Then again, I'm sure Microsoft wants to give Halo: Reach as big of a spotlight as possible this year, and so we might see many other major releases getting pushed back a bit this year.

Source

Fable III Might Be Headed For The PC

Early this week Peter Molyneux held a Fable III panel during this week's GDC. The usual things were said, and the usual things were asked...except one thing. When Peter was asked if Fable III might ever make it to the PC, or any other platform, the answer wasn't the usual "We have nothing in the works right now".
Instead Peter said "I can say, mystically, that I love the PC. I love what’s happening to the PC, and I would love to see the Fable franchise on the PC."

 It sure isn't an actual conformation, but it is a bit more than a simple "no". I guess only time will tell if Fable III will make it to the PC, but seeing how Microsoft has been more aggressive with their Games For Windows branch lately, it might not be as far off you as you might think.

First Modern Warfare 2 Map Pack Coming March 30

Are you suffering from an illness, but you can't figure out what it might be. Well don't worry, because Infinity Ward, Activision, and Microsoft have teamed up to cure millions of folks of a new illness....Mapathy.

The picture above pretty much says it all... I have to say though, pretty clever marketing for something as common as a DLC map pack.

Halo Reach Multiplayer Beta Trailer

Bungie just released a trailer for the Halo Reach multiplayer beta, which is coming out May 3.

I gotta say, even though I'm not a Halo fan in any way, that trailer looks very cool! There's no doubt in my mind that Bungie will make this, their last Halo game, one to remember.
If you're interested in getting into the beta, you have to own Halo 3: ODST, which includes a beta code. I'm sure you can find a copy for a little under retail price considering its been out for a while now.
I'll be sure to keep you guys posted on any new Halo Reach info.

Just Cause 2 Won't Run On Windows XP

Unfortunately, for some, Avalanche Studios' next game "Just Cause 2" won't be able to run on the Windows XP operating system. The reason is becuase "Just Cause 2" is a DirectX10 only game, and since XP doesn't support it, "Just Cause 2" won't run on XP.
Although this leaves out a pretty large size of the PC gaming community, I feel that this sort of change had to happen eventually in order for the industry to grow. At least Avalanche didn't try to make a scaled down, but inferior, version of "Just Cause 2" for XP users, and in that respect I fully support this decision.
If your current PC rig can't run Just Cause 2 for whatever reason, don't worry, its still coming to the Xbox360 and the PS3. I personally think that these type of 3rd person games are better played with a controller, rather than mouse and keyboard, so it isn't the end of the world.
Here are the rest of the "Just Cause 2" specs, if you plan on getting it for the PC, make sure to check them out.
Minimum:
- Operating System: Microsoft Windows Vista or Windows 7 (Windows XP is unsupported)
- Processor: Dual-core CPU with SSE3 (Athlon 64 X2 4200 / Pentium D 3GHz)
- Graphics Card: Nvidia Geforce 8800 Series / ATI Radeon HD 2600 Pro with 256MB memory or equivalent DX10 card with 256MB memory
- Memory: 2GB RAM
- DirectX: Microsoft DirectX 10
- Hard Drive: 10GB of free drive space
- Optical Drive: DVD-ROM drive
- Sound Card: 100% DirectX 10 compatible sound card
- Internet Connection: Internet connection required for product activation
- Input: Keyboard and mouse (Microsoft Xbox 360 controller optional)

Recommended:
- Operating System: Microsoft Windows Vista or Windows 7 (Windows XP is unsupported)
- Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo 2.6GHz or AMD Phenom X3 2.4GHz
- Graphics Card: Nvidia GeForce GTS 250 Series with 512MB / ATI Radeon HD 5750 Series with 512MB or equivalent DX10 card with 512MB memory
- Memory: 3GB
- DirectX: Microsoft DirectX 10.1 with Vista SP1
- Hard Drive: 10GB of free drive space
- Optical Drive: DVD-ROM drive
- Sound Card: 100% DirectX 10 compatible Dolby Digital 5.1 sound card
- Internet Connection: Internet connection required for product activation
- Input: Keyboard and mouse (Xbox 360 controller optional)

Peter Molyneux Promises He Has Learned His Lesson About "Over-Promising"

The main man behind the Fable series, and Lion Head Studios, Peter Molyneux. Has come out and said that he has now learned his lesson about "over-promising" how his games will actually end up. Molyneux is known for having many genius ideas, but then not being able to actually deliver them in his finished games. This time, according to Peter Molyneux, it will be different.

“I definitly have learnt my lesson about over-promising.” he promises. “There is a ton of work to do for sure, and the team are working hard. I truly believe.”
I'll believe it when I see the finished copy of Fable 3, but until then, I'm taking everything Molyneux says with a grain of salt.



"Whatever it is, it ain't natural. Burn it, boys".

More Project Natal Info Soon

Microsoft is planning to release more information about Project Natal, perhaps including its games and even a final name, at E3 this summer, director of product management for Xbox 360 and Xbox LIVE, Aaron Greenberg has confirmed.
“I would say to expect us to share news around E3 time,” he said when asked when the company might reveal the final name of the upcoming motion controller. “But right now, we’re obviously in a codename status.”
“We just unveiled this thing about seven months ago at E3, so it’s an entirely new category of games and entertainment. We are still in codename status, and we haven’t shown any of the actual games. There’s a lot more to share.”

I was getting pretty used to calling it Project Natal, so I'm very curious to see what they're actually going to name this thing. Maybe it will end up like MAG and just keep its codename...

Alan Wake Doesn't have An Ending Yet

For the past five years, Remedy studios has been working on an interesting title called "Alan Wake". It's gone through many different changes, from a solid game, to being split up into chapters/episodes. With all that work put into it however, Alan Wake still doesn't have an ending.
 "We really feel there needs to be a satisfying conclusion," says writer Sam Lake. "But at the same time, it needs to end in kind of a cliffhanger and we need to open doors for a larger story beyond this one.
 "How Alan Wake as a whole will end? We have ideas and have mapped out the storyline quite far, but time will tell. I'm sure it will live a life of its own and things will change along the way. We certainly would like to do more, but ultimately if people want more, they will get more."

 I guess this is one of the many positive things about an episodic release on the studios part, they will be able to tune not only the gameplay, but also the story itself to what the players will want to see.

[X10] Crackdown 2 Pre-Order Bonus and Box Art

It seems that today's Microsoft even X10 might as well have been called "Microsoft's Release Date Event", but then they wouldn't have been able to give us any of this Crackdown 2 info.
Although Crackdown 2 didn't get a release date yet, they did release a bunch of new screen shots. One of the screen shots shows the pre-order bonus, and another picture shows us the official Crackdown 2 box art

This time around Crackdown isn't offering any beta access with their pre-orders, but they are offering four exclusive sets of armor. The armor is called the Agency suit, and it will come in  gold, brushed, red, and blue metal

[X10] Alan Wake coming May 19, Limited Edition Announced

As if Microsoft's [X10] event hasn't released enough info today, Remedy came out to say that their latest game is scheduled for a May 19 release. Along with a release date, the official Limited Edition was shown off today, along with all of its extra goodies.

There will be 3 discs, the game, a soundtrack, a bonus disk, and some art. All of this will be packaged in box which looks like a hard cover novel.

I personally think that this whole set looks a little too plain, too much blue, but regardless I am still very interested to see how this survival horror game is going to turn out.

[X10] Xbox Live Arcade: Block Party

Coming straight from Microsoft's [X10] announcement is XBLA's Block Party. Block Party is a promotional name for Microsoft's plan to release a ton of games for download starting March 3rd.
Toy soldiers will be the first game released on March 3rd, and the following month Scrap Metal, Perfect Dark, and Game Room will launch as well.

After many years of fans wanting to see one of Rare's greatest titles ported over to a "next-gen" system, it seems that they finally got what they wanted. I for one am very excited for all of these releases, and am curious as to what else Microsoft has planned for XBLA this year.

[X10] Left 4 Dead 2 to Recieve New Content

Valve announced today at Microsoft's X10 event, that there will be some new Left 4 Dead 2 content coming up soon. The content will for the both of the game's platforms, PC and Xbox 360.

The announcement also stated that in this new level "The Passing" the Left 4 Dead 2 crew will have a chance to interact with our beloved Left 4 Dead 1 gang. The Passing will also have some new enemies in store for us, including a new special infected call the Fallen Survivor. "The Passing" is scheduled for a "late March" release, but when you convert that to Valve-time, it might as well be coming out 2012.

[X10] Dead Rising 2 Dated for Aug. 31

If you're still not tired from all the zombie games that have come out over the past years, then here's a new game for you. Capcom's Dead Rising 2 will be coming out August 31 in North America.

  This will be the sequel to the popular game Dead Rising, which was one of the Xbox 360's first major titles. Capcom has also announced that Xbox 360 owners will get some exclusive content when the game releases. It's not completely clear as to what this content will be yet, but Capcom has said that it will be "Prologue content that will link the first and second game together", sounds interesting.

Be sure to stick around as Microsoft's X10 event unleashes more news throughout the day!

[X10] Halo Reach Beta Starts on May 3, 2010

Seems that Blizzard isn't the only one announcing Beta releases this week. At Microsoft X10 event in San Fransisco today, Bungie announced that the Halo Reach Beta will start on May 3, 2010. They also said the beta will be for folks who have bought Halo 3: ODST only.

A bit later after their beta announcement the official Halo Reach cover was shown, as pictured below.

[Update] Xbox 360 gets a Final Fantasy XIII Bundle

According to recent retail listings, it seems that Microsoft and Square Enix are partnering up to bring a Final Fantasy XIII bundle to North America. When the game launched a couple months back in Japan, there was a special edition PS3 bundle which contained a 250GB PS3 Slim system which had a special Final Fantasy XIII case. The Xbox 360 bundle won't come with any such case, but it will include the 250GB HDD (same as the Modern Warfare 2 bundle) and it will cost $399.
It seems that Microsoft is releasing these "bundles", which consist of a game and a 250GB HDD, for any major release in order to generate a bit more hype. All of this talk about a 250GB HDD however, has sure got me to believe that we'll see a stand alone version of the drive in the very near future.

Even though Square Enix or Microsoft haven't offical announced any of this yet, its safe to say that if your in the market for an Xbox 360 and FFXIII, this might be the "bundle" for you.

Update: It seems that the 250GB HDD included in this bundle will have special Final Fantasy XIII markings on it. There will also be a limited edition face-plate, and exclusive DLC will be added to those purchase this giant bundle of Final Fantasy goodness.