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Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 will continue DLC exclusivity on Xbox
Sure, we expected as much since Microsoft has Call of Duty DLC locked until 2012, but Microsoft still saw the need to announce a continued partnership with Activision for Call of Duty DLC anyway, those rebels. During the Microsoft E3 press conference, Don Mattrick revealed that Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 would continue the trend of offering DLC first on Xbox 360.
Twisted Pixel's next game is LocoCycle [Update: Trailer and more details added!]
Since acquiring Twisted Pixel back in October, Microsoft has seemingly wasted no time putting the Texas studio to work. Announced today during Microsoft's E3 press conference, the outfit's new project has been revealed: LocoCycle, a game that is about a really advanced motorcycle.Update: We've got the trailer embedded in the post now, and there's a press release with some more information just past the break.
Porsche joins Forza 4 lineup today
Porsche was not included in the launch of Forza 4 due to complications with EA, who had the license at the time. But Porsche makes its return to the Forza franchise today (as promised) with the Porsche Expansion Pack DLC.The Porsche Expansion Pack is available to download right now for 1600 MS Points ($20) in Forza 4, and adds 30 new rides to the virtual garage and new Porsche events in World Tour and Rivals modes.
Porsche makes its Forza 4 debut in May
Porsche was absent from the racing lineup in Forza 4, much to the disappointment of many series fans -- including Turn 10 creative director Dan Greenwalt. It was with visible pleasure, then, that Greenwalt announced the return of the iconic German roadsters at an Xbox showcase event last week.Set to arrive in May, the Porsche Expansion Pack -- priced higher than the usual DLC, Greenwalt said -- adds 30 new cars to the game, seven of which are entirely new to the series Greenwalt wouldn't go into specifics on the lineup, but confirmed the Porsche Expansion Pack adds 20 new Porsche events, fully integrated into the main campaign, and brings the total number of cars available in Forza 4 to 625.
Commandeering Anomaly Warzone Earth on Xbox Live Arcade
We've read the books, we've seen the TV shows and celebrated the films. Whether it's a skirmish with the neighborhood bullies or full-on worldwide war, everyone knows that you need to have a Keanu Reeves-type person on your side if you hope to win.Yes, that's from South Park, but it doesn't make it any less true. And in the Xbox Live Arcade port of Anomaly Warzone Earth, everything rests on the shoulders of one man: the commander.%Gallery-141838%
Dance Central 2, NFS: The Run demos available now
Chain that freestyle with the running man, because Dance Central 2 and Need for Speed: The Run demos hit Xbox Live Marketplace today. The Dance Central 2 demo includes simultaneous multiplayer and Dance Battle modes. It also features the reworked Break It Down mode (which is great), voice commands, with tracks "Club Can't Handle Me" by Flo Rida ft. David Guetta and "Bulletproof" by La Roux. Fans of the first game shouldn't miss out on the sequel. Need for Speed: The Run is also available in a demo set in the desert, with players driving the Lamborghini Gallardo LP 550-2 Valentino Balboni. Referring a friend will unlock another vehicle, the Porsche 911 Carrera S.
Gears of War 3 sold over 3 million units in first week
Microsoft announced this morning that Gears of War 3 surpassed three million sales during its first week at retail. The publisher also reveled in this small window of opportunity to say that Gears 3, in just one week, "has already grossed more than any 2011 video game to date." That's a record it'll be lucky to hold past November 8 when Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 drops. The success of the latest sequel also pushes the Gears of War franchise over the billion dollar mark in lifetime sales, Microsoft claims. It is also the only Xbox 360-exclusive franchise to reach this milestone after being introduced during the current console generation -- ruling out the longer-running Halo for that ultra-specific sales commendation.
Gears of War 3 campaign preview: 'End of the world, baby'
It's been two years since Jacinto fell at the end of Gears of War 2. What little is left of the COG army in Gears of War 3 clings to a massive tanker, the Sovereign, which sails the coast, dispatching search parties to look for supplies. For the humans on Sera, it is their darkest hour. The Lambent Locusts, infected by the imulsion -- the natural-flowing energy substance that once powered mankind's machines on this planet -- are the latest threat, a much more savage (and explodey) enemy. Both human and the vanilla Locust are on the run. But with such a cliffhanger ending in Gears of War 2, why not just pick it up from there? "We wanted time to pass," executive producer Rod Fergusson told me. "We wanted things to settle in and the novels fill that gap between the second and third game. We wanted time for the weight of the war to settle in on people, for the civilization to collapse and for Dom's beard to grow in. If we [picked up from where Gears 2 left off] then we wouldn't have that weight of it being about survival and then we'd have a game where you're just cleaning up after that big battle. We wanted to make it a more personal story." %Gallery-130531%
Forza 4 dev diary takes a lap around the Bernese Alps
A lot of work goes into creating a course in Forza Motorsport 4. Turn 10 Studios toured the Bernese Alps, taking countless photos to recreate the famous mountain range. See a recounting of that process in this developer diary.
Crimson Alliance trailer reveals Gnox the mercenary
Potentially free XBLA dungeon crawler Crimson Alliance's first character trailer reveals what happens when one runs a poker scam in their world. Hint: It involves trekking into dank, dark monster-infested places fraught with danger.
Gears of War 3's Anya briefs us on Horde 2.0
While we've already said our two pennies' worth on the revamped Horde mode in Gears of War 3, some of you may appreciate having actual pictures to look at, as opposed to those mental pictures we try to paint with words. And this video is, like, a ton of pictures -- moving ones, at that!
Gears of War 3 single-player preview: Two paths coming together
During Microsoft's E3 2011 press conference, Cliff Bleszinski and Ice-T took to the stage to show off some single-player co-op action in Gears of War 3. In a small room high above Microsoft's booth here at the LA Convention Center, I was given an extended look at that sequence by Bleszinski himself, who was keen to show me the destructive capabilities of the mech, which I would ultimately get to see more of in my time with Horde mode. As you can imagine, the Silverback mech is pretty powerful. But before we could get to that, Bleszinski set the scene. "The section we saw at the press conference showed Marcus and Dom on a flotilla, dealing with a Lambent Leviathan. It's ultimately taken out by them in a Silverback while Cole and Baird up above take a giant crate of Tickers and empty it onto it. Once we're done with Marcus and Dom, we're going to swap over to Cole and Baird and play with them during that same sequence." %Gallery-125877%
Watch Chainsaw, play Gears of War
Microsoft is launching their Match Made in Hell promotion for Gears of War this week, and what better way to show off the game's chainsaw bayonet than at an advance screening of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning? On Wednesday (Oct. 4), AMC theaters in New York, Chicago, LA, and San Francisco will be treating select attendees to a bloody big screen demo of Gears. There are only a limited number of tickets available at the official site, but Microsoft is planning additional events before the game arrives Nov. 7.
Gears of War should look great on your crap TV
Gamers will be pleased to learn that all missions in the upcoming Gears of War should be easily accomplished without the need for excessive squinting or unanswered pining for a better television set. According to an entry on the official Epic Games forums, the upcoming, Unreal-powered and unbelievably macho tale of man versus monster has been tested on "small, non-HD TVs, to make sure you can read the writing." Presumably, the legible on-screen text in Gears of War will not be conveyed by a lonely security guard who calls at the worst possible times. Though this news will allay the fears of those still confined to the realms of standard definition, developers shouldn't expect a pat on the head whenever they cater to a huge part of their audience. This just in: Gears of War will totally work on your Xbox 360. Thanks for going the extra mile, Epic![Via 1UP]See also: Dead Rising: patch chance lost! Mea culpa for 360's Kong In defense of Sony's HDMI.O.U.
Xbox 360 launch ad for India
MTV India has been airing a promotional spot for the Xbox 360 that celebrates the unifying power of games, and at the same time, shows just how localized marketing can get. Whereas the 360's "Jump In" commercial targeted stateside urban youth, this new documentary-style ad focuses on the sport of porok, a human version of cock fighting that is supposedly a tradition in certain parts of India. Do you think the symbolic approach of not showing the actual 360 console is an effective cross-cultural strategy?See also:
