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Take Forza Horizon 2 out for a test drive next month
The demo for Forza Horizon 2 will be available for players to download on September 16. Playground Games' open-world racer will launch in full on September 30 for Xbox One, and will feature over 200 cars at launch. Microsoft also disclosed the game's achievements list, which can be found at Xbox Wire. The developer did not reveal which vehicles will be available to drive in the demo, just that the selection is limited to a "handful" of cars that have been picked to "give you a brief taste of what to expect" when the full version of the racing game rolls to retail. Forza Horizon 2 will debut without microtransactions and will feature a Kinect-enabled assistant known as "ANNA." [Image: Microsoft]
Killer Instinct: Season 2 hits on Oct. 15
Killer Instinct's second season launches on October 15, bringing along two new fighters, game modes and a revamped interface. Season 2 includes the characters TJ Combo and Maya. The Killer Instinct: Season 2 Ultra Edition includes eight new fighters to be released one per month after TJ and Maya, some costumes and accessory packs, and Killer Instict 2: Classic. The Ultra Edition runs $40. The Combo Breaker Pack is $20 and includes the eight new fighters, one per month. Individual fighters cost $5 each. Purchase the Ultra Edition between September 23 and October 14, and snag TJ early. [Image: Microsoft Studios]
Microsoft's 'Project Spark' game creator headed for October release
Microsoft's Project Spark has already been available to early testers for the better part of four months, but gamers have been kept in the dark over when it'll finally go on general sale. Until today. The company has announced that the retail version of its game-creation title will hit Xbox One and PC in October as part of a phased worldwide rollout. It'll be available first in the Americas on October 7th, then make its way to Asia-Pacific countries on October 9th before hitting Europe on October 10th. Microsoft is pricing the Project Spark Starter Pack for Xbox One at $39.99/£29.99 and will include packs full of sounds, effects, animations, props and "advanced creator features" that will help you create a virtual world that you (and hopefully others) can be proud of. It'll also feature the first sci-fi pack Galaxies: First Contact, Champions Quest: Void Storm, special characters and the first episode of what the developers are calling an "epic campaign adventure." The good news is that there's plenty of time enjoy the open beta , check the source links below to get involved (and earn achievements in the process).
Forza Horizon 2 features Kinect-enabled assistant called ANNA
Road trips are a blast if you've got someone to talk to, but not everyone can just drop their life for weeks at time to attend driving festivals. You're an exception to that rule in Forza Horizon 2, but Turn 10 Studios Creative Director Ralph Fulton shared some good news with Examiner: Horizon 2 drivers will have a companion in a Kinect-supplemented AI partner called ANNA, which means the prime passenger seat real estate is open for a kickin' snack buffet. While ANNA probably won't keep your meal upright in hairpin turns, Fulton explained that she acts like a digital, navigation-savvy assistant. She'll suggest events to try, let you know when friends sign on and supply a recap when you slip back into the driver's seat. Sounds like ANNA will help you keep your eyes on the road then! When your view isn't darting between the windshield and your passenger side smorgasbord, that is. [Image: Microsoft Studios]
Powerstar Golf now free-to-play with full game unlock on Xbox One
Zoë Mode and Microsoft Studios' Xbox One golfing sim Powerstar Golf is now free-to-play with upgrade options available for players who wish to purchase the full version. Originally priced at $19.99, Powerstar Golf is currently available as a free download that includes a single hole from every course featured in the full game. Players can test out the game's stroke and match play modes and earn XP and credits that can later be transferred to the paid version. "Powerstar Golf is now a free-to-play title," a Microsoft spokesperson told Joystiq. "Players who've already paid for Powerstar Golf will get all the content updates for free - including the new course which is available today. Players who download the game as free-to-play will have to pay for additional characters, courses and in-game features." [Image: Microsoft Studios]
Forza 5 Meguiar's car pack lets you be the fast prince of Bel Air
Now this is a story all about how Xbox got flip-turned upside down ... Okay, it's not. It's actually about how Forza 5 developer Turn 10 has released 10 new cars for players to download and burn rubber with, including two Aston Martin models and the 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air (see where we got the joke from now?). The Meguiar's Car Pack is available now for $9.99, or at no additional cost for season pass owners. The full list of cars included are as follows: 2013 BMW M Performance M3 Racing Car 1986 Alfa Romeo GTV-6 1958 Aston Martin DBR1 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air 2011 Aston Martin V12 Zagato (Villa d'Este) 1967 Chevrolet Chevelle SS-396 1940 Ford De Luxe Coupe 1966 Ford Lotus Cortina 1973 Mazda RX-3 1968 Dodge Dart HEMI Super Stock Carlton dance DLC not included. [Image: Microsoft Studios]
Slide until you die in Xbox One's crazy Sunset Overdrive
Sunset Overdrive is a goofy explosion of vivid colors and anything-goes attitude, though it's not without shape. The outline resembles Jet Set Radio, with weapons on loan from Ratchet and Clank, and a dash of Fable's fuck-you to dying. We all know it's a video game, but listen - Sunset Overdrive is conspicuously a video game. In some ways it's a beacon of independence for Insomniac Games, which has historically aligned itself with PlayStation on major franchises like Ratchet & Clank, Spyro the Dragon and Resistance. Some players probably think the developers at Insomniac make up a huge studio owned by Sony – or that they are Sony – but here we are, talking about an exclusive game for Xbox One from a 20-year-old independent studio.
Microsoft hiring for a 'well-loved strategy game franchise'
Microsoft Studios is working on a new entry in an established, AAA strategy franchise at its Redmond, Washington, location. A job post dated April 28, 2014, describes the game as follows: "Microsoft Studios is looking for a highly experienced senior games developer to help build and lead the team for a new AAA title within an established and well-loved strategy game franchise." A series that isn't just loved, but well-loved. Microsoft Studios has a few established strategy franchises in its wheelhouse, including Age of Empires and Halo Wars. Both were developed by Ensemble Studios, which closed in 2009 after finishing Halo Wars. [Image: Microsoft]
Deadlight now free for Xbox Live Gold members
As promised, the Tequila Works-developed survival game, Deadlight, is the latest freebie for Xbox Live Gold members. The Xbox 360 game – regularly priced at $15 – will remain free until April 30. In her review of Deadlight, Joystiq's Jess Conditt said the game "shines in its detailed world-building," though its gameplay "fails to live up to the standard" set by the game's "glorious" art direction. The Xbox Live Games with Gold program offers two free titles per month to Live subscribers. Earlier this month users were offered a free copy of Hitman: Absolution. Unlike the program's PlayStation counterpart, players can continue to enjoy any games they have downloaded if their Live subscription lapses. [Image: Tequila Works]
Forza 5 lets you race The Stig's Digital Cousin in new Top Gear DLC
Some say he invented the Internet, and that his laugh produces glass-shattering soundwaves. All we know is he's not The Stig - but he is The Stig's Digital Cousin, and a challenge against him is coming to Forza Motorsport 5. A new Top Gear-themed DLC pack is racing toward the Xbox One-exclusive game, and it includes not only a challenge in which players get to face off against The Stig's Digital Cousin for prizes, but 10 new cars, including an Xbox One-themed 2013 Holden Commodore VF. You can see the full list of vehicles included in the Top Gear Car Pack after the break. Though each of the 10 cars included can be purchased a la carte, you'll need the pack if you want to take on Top Gear's famous masked man in the official challenge. It's available now for $9.99. Those who complete the challenge will receive an in-game credit reward, while those in the top 10 for the challenge will receive additional prizes. The number one driver against The Stig's Digital Cousin will win a special Stig Prize Pack from Top Gear. And don't worry, it won't take you long to get into the driver's seat and onto the asphalt. Dan Greenawalt, creative director at Forza series developer Turn 10 Studios, recently announced that cars bought as DLC - such as those included in the Top Gear Car Pack - no longer need to be purchased with in-game credits after their pack's installation. Instead, cars can be added to a player's garage immediately. Greenawalt wrote that this applies to both current and future DLC purchases. [Image: Microsoft Studios]
Linkin Park's 'remixable' music video created in Project Spark
Musical group Linkin Park is now one step closer to the world of video games thanks to Project Spark developer Team Dakota. The developer created a "remixable" music video for Linkin Park's "Guilty All The Same" in Project Spark, which includes an audio remix station so players can build anything they want in the level. Project Spark is a robust game creation tool currently in beta for PC and Xbox One. The "Guilty All The Same" level isn't the first time an interactive game experience was built around an existing piece of music. Just last month, Radiohead launched an experimental iOS and Android app called PolyFauna for imagery and sounds from its song, "Bloom." Microsoft opened Project Spark's beta version to all Xbox One owners this month and also removed the game's Spark Time microtransactions. [Image: Linkin Park]
Project Spark launches Xbox One beta today
Microsoft is inviting Xbox One players to give Project Spark and its game-crafting tools a test run in a new beta that launches today. The beta is global, and requires players to sign up to receive an invite - those who've been on the Windows 8.1 closed beta automatically get access to the Xbox One beta. On Xbox One, players can use Kinect to animate characters using motion capture as well as give them triggered vocals, and Team Dakota's Sax Persson previously said the studio is also considering implementing gameplay control via Kinect. "Part of the reason why we're in beta is to hear what people want to make," Persson told us last year. "If everybody tells us that we need to make it so I can play my Kinect games, then that's the next thing we do." [Image: Microsoft]
Zoo Tycoon chooses first Community Challenge, Microsoft to donate $10,000 to tiger conservation
Sumatran tigers will be the first species to benefit from a partnership between Microsoft and the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA), wherein Microsoft donates $10,000 to a wildlife-oriented charity every time players of Zoo Tycoon complete a chosen Community Challenge. Developer Frontier also released the above dev diary detailing the studio's collaboration with the AZA, including how the studio studied real-life zoos to reproduce realistic animals, behavior and habitats in-game. Frontier also translated what they learned from the real world into the game's Zoopedia, a collection of facts about the animals players take care of. The more you know! [Image: Microsoft]
Former Nokia CEO Stephen Elop selected to oversee Xbox
After choosing Satya Nadella to replace Steve Ballmer as CEO, Microsoft has elected to appoint Stephen Elop as head of its Devices and Studios division. The news comes from an internal memo posted over on TechCrunch. Microsoft's Devices and Studios wing oversees Xbox, Surface, entertainment and games. Elop was the former CEO of Nokia, which Microsoft announced it intended to purchase last year. Elop will replace Julie Larson-Green, who will shift roles from hardware over to Microsoft's My Life and Work team, a subdivision of the Applications and Services Group. Prior to her appointment as head of Xbox last year, Larson-Green was in charge of all Windows products. At one point, Elop was in the running to replace Ballmer at Microsoft, at which point insiders claim he was considering selling off the Xbox division. Elop served as CEO of Nokia for three years. [Image: Wikimedia Commons]
Killer Instinct patch to help fighters avoid Jail time
Spinal's introduction to the Killer Instinct roster hasn't been as smooth as Microsoft would've hoped. After adding the character and a new "Jail" feature, where players who habitually disconnect from online matches get paired up with similarly unstable brawlers, players started experiencing consistent game crashes. An upcoming patch from Double Helix hopes to mitigate these issues. Double Helix says all Killer Instinct "Jail" stats will be wiped by the patch, and that the designated threshold for tossing a player in jail will be raised. Another bug where both players would be sent to "Jail," even when only one of them purposefully disconnected, will be squashed. This patch will also fix Spinal's teleportation move, a major cause for the game crashes and de-synchronization that has plagued online matches recently. A bug preventing players from retaining progress will also be addressed and perfectly executing an Ultra Combo will soon guarantee a match win in Killer Instinct. Double Helix hasn't said exactly when this patch will be available on Xbox One. Killer Instinct's next and final season one character, Fulgore, is due in March. Hopefully his addition doesn't yield as many issues as his boney post-launch counterpart.
Microsoft to announce new 'development partner' for Killer Instinct
Microsoft plans to unveil a new "development partner" for Killer Instinct soon, following yesterday's acquisition of Double Helix by Amazon. Double Helix developed Killer Instinct on Xbox One, and the Irvine Studio was bringing regular updates to the fighter as part of the first season content. In a statement provided to Polygon, Microsoft said it'll be working with a new team on the franchise, but left it unclear whether that pertains to the Xbox One game's first season, the expected second season, future games, or a mixture of the three. "We have thoroughly enjoyed working with Double Helix and wish them success in their next endeavor," a Microsoft spokesperson told Polygon. "We want all of our loyal fans to know that the Killer Instinct team at Microsoft is not changing and that the franchise will remain with Microsoft Studios. We remain dedicated to delivering a great experience and plan to announce our new development partner soon. We're excited about the future of this popular franchise." As it stands, the revived fighter's next update is due next month, when it's set to receive classic combatant Fulgore as an addition to the roster. [Image: Microsoft]
Free-to-play shooter Warface goes beta on Xbox 360 today
Crytek's Warface: Xbox 360 Edition enters its public beta phase today. The free-to-play shooter is powered by the company's own Cryengine technology, the same engine used in games such as Crysis 3 and Ryse: Son of Rome. Players can register for the beta on the game's official site. The PC version of Warface went live for the public in October 2013. While the game is free for FPS fans to jump into, it is only playable by Xbox Live Gold subscribers. This continues a trend for free-to-play and subscription-based games, as both Wargaming's World of Tanks and the full version of Happy Wars require a paid Xbox Live membership to play. Even the upcoming Bethesda MMO The Elder Scrolls Online, which itself requires a monthly subscription, will need a Gold membership on Xbox One.
Deja Review: Fable Anniversary
This is a Deja Review: A quick, unscored look at the new features and relative agelessness of a remade, revived or re-released game. Ten years after hitting the original Xbox, Fable proves that, contrary to popular belief, Peter Molyneux is a man of his word. The eccentric former chief of Lionhead, prone to exclamations about the insane emotional experiences hiding in the games he makes, actually never delivered on dreams of simulating a hero's life in exhaustive detail. No acorns are planted at the beginning, and no mammoth trees sprout in their wake by the time its shaggy dog revenge story comes to a close. All the basics Molyneux promised, however, made it in. In interview after interview during the development of Project Ego – Fable's early code name – he passionately described a role-playing game that would change depending on how it was played, a deeply personal reflection of your choices. Use a sword more than the bow, and your hero will gain better opportunities to build up strength and stamina. Cast lightning on the regular, your hero's flowing locks will turn shock white and arcane sigils will coat his body. Play the bandit, people will fear you; escort the weak through dangerous lands, citizens will cheer when you walk through town. Fable Anniversary, Lionhead's admirably spit-shined remaster, has a surprise for those looking back at Project Ego. It's Albion, not the hero fated to save it from certain doom, that makes Fable worth playing today. How you play about its countryside, not how you build your character's stats, is what reflects and rewards the player.
State of Decay developer hires MMO veteran Patrick Wyatt
En Masse Entertainment and NCsoft West alumnus Patrick Wyatt has joined up with State of Decay developer Undead Labs to assist the team with upcoming projects. Previously, Wyatt oversaw design and development of TERA's game publishing platform, helping to launch En Masse's MMORPG in 2012. Wyatt additionally developed core server and network platform technology for Guild Wars during his time with ArenaNet, a studio he co-founded before it was purchased by NCsoft West in 2002. Wyatt's role within Undead Labs has not been disclosed, but he may assist in developing Class4, an MMO project that stalled last year during the studio's negotiations with Microsoft. Undead Labs later signed a multi-year contract with Microsoft Studios, suggesting the project may be back on track.
Microsoft Studios acquires rights to Gears of War series
Microsoft Studios has purchased the rights to the Gears of War franchise from Epic Games, Microsoft announced. The publisher will take over all existing and future games in the series, and will hand development of future games over to Vancouver, BC developer Black Tusk Studios. Formerly Microsoft Vancouver, Black Tusk was said to be working on a new AAA game for Xbox One as of June 2013. Rod Fergusson, former Director of Production at Epic Games on the Gears of War franchise, is joining Microsoft and will play a "key studio leadership role" at Black Tusk. The last time we heard from Fergusson he was launching a new studio for 2K in the Bay Area; it would appear that relationship didn't work out. Each entry in the four-game Gears of War series was published by Microsoft since its introduction in November 2006. The last Epic-developed game in the series was Gears of War: Judgment, which launched in March 2013.
