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People Can Fly doing Gears of War prequel trilogy 'a likely scenario,' says OXM
Here we are, roughly six years into the "next-generation" lifecycle and we're seeing the third installments of major franchises. In a one-year period, we'll see Resistance 3, Modern Warfare 3, Uncharted 3, Mass Effect 3, Assassin's Creed: Revolution (sort of), and Gears of War 3. And while not all of these episodes represent the end of a considered story arc, Epic Games hasn't been shy about calling Gears of War 3 the end of the line for Dom and crew. Which raises the question: Who will handle the lucrative Gears franchise going forward? "Gears of War will live on, of course, but in what form?" the latest issue of Official Xbox Magazine posits, via CVG, before suggesting "a prequel trilogy developed by Epic-owned People Can Fly (Bulletstorm) as a likely scenario." With Bulletstorm failing to reach profitability (and presumably failing the basic litmus test for being franchised), People Can Fly will be looking for something to work on. With three Gears titles under their belts, the core North Carolina-based Epic team may be eager to move onto greener pastures. For now, they're working on RAAM's Shadow, the first piece of campaign DLC in the Gears trilogy, and notably a prequel. Sounds like a nice way to hand things off, doesn't it?
Hulu Plus comes to Xbox 360 April 29th according to OXM
Here's something to ponder -- will Hulu Plus launch on the Xbox 360 before or after we can sign back into the PSN and change our passwords try out the PS3's latest version? Sony better hurry, since copies of the June issue of OXM have been spotted that claim the service will launch April 29th, kicking off a month-long giveaway of items including vacations, game systems and Hulu Plus subscriptions to random users. Joystiq confirmed with OXM that the date is actually in the magazine so all that's left now is the official word, a new app on our dashboards and plenty of gesture and voice controlled madness.
Hulu Plus available on Xbox April 29
Hey, here's some good news about a new online service coming out on a console that can currently use online services! That'll be nice for a change. According to a legit-looking scan of the June issue of OXM, Hulu Plus will launch on Xbox 360 on April 29 -- this very Friday. The last official word was "spring." According to the magazine (if, of course, the "magazine" isn't a well-executed fake) Microsoft will promote the launch with a contest, wherein each week from April 29 through May 30, prizes will be awarded to randomly chosen Hulu Plus users. The prizes range from Beaches Resort trips to free Xbox 360 bundles and Hulu Plus subscriptions. We've contacted Microsoft, but the company has yet to confirm or deny this report. Everyone there is probably having a TV party. [Thanks, Curtis!]
What ever happened to 360 faceplates?
As stock in new Joystiq offshoot PlateTweetz (360 faceplates that can update your Twitter feed, of course) has continued to decline, we look to someone, anyone for answers. Turns out OXM has our backs, asking Microsoft global marketing director Albert Penello about that very topic. "The idea wasn't bad ... people used to put faceplates on their cell phones. Rewind five years, faceplates were what everybody wanted to do," he said. "Turned out nobody bought it. So [we stopped] making them. We killed that one pretty quickly." Well, thanks for telling us now, Albert. We suppose you'll be explaining this to our stockholders?
Codemasters' new FPS, Bodycount, announced briefly
Codemasters' new FPS from Black creator Stuart Black has been revealed by OXM UK -- and then promptly unrevealed, when the article was taken down. Bodycount is not based on Ice-T's metal band Body Count, because the world couldn't possibly be that beautiful. However, the cover of OXM (accessed through a Google cache of the article) calls it "the ultimate shooter." Since there won't be any shooters after this one, we assume that means it's really cool. We'll find out more this week as the magazine arrives in UK homes, and presumably when an announcement is put online for good. Given the venue of announcement, we at least know it is an Xbox 360 game. [Via Destructoid]
Splinter Cell: Conviction (aka Badass: The Game) will take about 12 hours
Splinter Cell: Conviction will take 12 hours to complete on normal says the game's creative director, Maxime Beland, in the latest issue of OXM. There will certainly be a harder difficultly level for folks that are into trial and error for 30 hours, but the "normal gamers" will get a well-sized adventure. Beland says this was done because he wants people to actually finish the game. That's quite a good idea.Also, at around 12 hours of gameplay, Badass: The Game won't wear out its welcome -- if it keeps the action going. Of course, there'll be multiplayer to extend the experience, but we likely won't be able to crack skulls in urinals there ... or maybe we will, which would then confirm Splinter Cell as game of the year.[Via 1UP]
August OXM comes with exclusive Left 4 Dead NXE theme
CVG reports that the UK version of Official Xbox Magazine will include a free, premium Left 4 Dead theme in its next issue's disc. We contacted OXM's US offices and have confirmed with Senior Editor Dan Amrich that the theme will also be appearing in same issue of the US publication. The theme, incidentally, was actually crafted by Valve. Amrich also mentioned that the disc will have five Left 4 Dead gamerpics as well. The issue should already be arriving in subscriber mailboxes and will hit newsstands next Tuesday.Oh, and the magazine has info about Left 4 Dead 2 in it too, so that's a plus. If you'd like to pick one up for yourself, keep an eye out for the Left 4 Dead 2 cover, which you can check out after the break.
OXM cover shows familiar face to promote Mass Effect 2 preview
The July issue of Official Xbox Magazine, spotted by Deeko News, features a Mass Effect 2 character that may actually be -- the supposedly dead -- Commander Shepard. To be honest, considering Mass Effect allowed players to customize the look (and even gender) of Shepard, who knows who this sleep-deprived chump is. Maybe it's a new character! Maybe it's a race of clones taking over the galaxy! Okay, to be honest, it probably is Shepard ... and he's totally a zombie.
Revel in OXM's Brutal Legend cover story
How's this for objectivity? We love every scrap of Brütal Legend we've ever seen and when it comes out it's going to be so good and we're going to love it so much that we can't think about it too long or our hearts start to hurt a little. Keeping all that in mind, it should come as no surprise that we didn't just read the OXM cover story on the game that's finally online. We bathed in it, letting its digital ink and virtual pages seep into our every eye pore. Could you have read most (or all of this) in the magazine? Sure. But not everyone's a subscriber and besides, it's been more than a month since we've had to go searching for our umlaut key, so there.And hey, imagine your delight at discovering even small details like the name for Eddie's massive, literal axe (The Separator) and his metaphorical axe (Clementine). Will those of you who haven't read the print version of this story find even more delectable details? Read on, friends, and find out!%Gallery-41208%
Future's future in print not looking bright in the US
Despite an uptick in UK magazine sales it seems that Future Publishing is not seeing quite as encouraging numbers in the US. Its magazines in the region (Nintendo Power and the official Microsoft and Sony mags) have seen the company's revenue fall by 2% over the last three months, calling into question how sustainable that particular medium is in the current economic climate. Print advertising revenues fell by 4% during the same period, while online advertising revenue increased by 25%. 2 million new users have been accessing its web content (which includes GamesRadar) since September, bringing the total to over 20 million. A far larger reach than is realistically possible with a magazine. All the signs are pointing to the death of print media in the US; you need only think back a few weeks to the closure of EGM to realize that. Future is putting on a brave face, stating that it will "remain confident that we're in the best shape we can be to deal with whatever challenges lie ahead and are on track to deliver against expectations for the full year." The company's gaming section is proving to be less resilient to the economic crisis than its other sectors, such as music or technology. With almost a third of its entire library devoted to video games, however, this decline is certainly troubling.
Future Publishing experiences increase in gaming mag sales
If you're an aspiring print gaming journalist, you could probably use a hug right about now. The recent, foreseen collapse of EGM served as undeniable evidence that that particular periodical niche isn't exactly thriving -- but everything isn't doom and gloom in the gaming mag universe. Future Publishing, owner of PlayStation: The Official Magazine and the Official Xbox Magazine, recently divulged a few surprising facts in their preliminary annual finance report -- despite near-universal hardships for the rest of the magazine industry, Future's profits and circulation numbers soared in 2008.In an interview with MCV, Future CEO Stevie Spring chalks the success up to the strength of the industry that many of Future's magazines cover -- console video games. According to Spring, readers of the console-specific mags were "aided and abetted by all three consoles being in uplift mode the world over." Sadly, the same can't be said for The Official Ceramic Cat Magazine, one of Future's lesser-known specialty publications.
Variety: Gearbox approached about Halo Game
Following up on yesterday's rumor out of OXM that Gearbox may be handling Halo 4, Variety's Ben Fritz reports that his source close to the dev confirms that it "has definitely had conversations with Microsoft about doing a new Halo game and is very excited at the prospect," but that "there was no deal in place." For those who might not remember, Gearbox has a history with the Halo franchise, having handled the PC version of the original game.Fritz reckons it's "quite possible" Gearbox will helm a new Halo project ... it's just "not a certainty yet." If it happens, that would make at least four Halo-related titles in the works: Halo Wars; the Halo game that Bungie was supposed to reveal at E3; Peter Jackson's interactive take on the Halo universe; and whatever Gearbox may or may not be crafting. Given that OXM's rumor regarding Halo 4 as a launch title for 360's successor (if there even is one), we should expect to hear something official either way in, oh, the next year or two.
First Grand Theft Auto IV review, perfect 10
It should come as no surprise that the very first review for Grand Theft Auto IV comes to us from a British magazine – the May issue of Official Xbox Magazine UK to be precise. Not only do magazines have a longer lead time but British ones are published in the future (well, five hours ahead of Joystiq Standard Time anyhow). While one review isn't nearly enough to go on, it's worth sharing that the mag's reviewer used every one of his digits to award the ambitious next-gen debut of GTA an impressive 10 out of 10, calling it "utterly stunning in every respect."Of course, he doesn't really mean "every" respect, as there are a couple minor detractions including a temperamental cover system, an "over-enthusiastic" lock-on, and some immersion-killing pop-up, though he prefaces those quibbles by reminding us he was playing a not-quite-finished version. Either way, if the myriad previews haven't convinced you of this game's depth, news that the Xbox 360-exclusive DLC – scheduled to be released in August – will "be at least 10 hours long" should help give you some sense of perspective. Has the hype train reached your station yet?
Rock Band Weekly: OXM disc now for download
The Rock Band songs featured in the February issue of OXM are now available to download for a dollar each. For those looking to save a couple bucks, there's always the option of hunting down an old issue of OXM at the local library and checking if the disc is still miraculously in there.HMX pack (240 MS points / $3) "Rock Rebellion" - Bang Camaro (80 MS points / $1) "Shake" - Count Zero - (80 MS points / $1) "Super Sprode" - Freezepop (80 MS Points / $1) Videos for this week's Rock Band DLC can be found after the break ... yes, enough people asked, so we're going to keep doing it. Don't forget to download "Still Alive," which is available for free. The songs will be available next Tuesday for Xbox 360 and PSN owners will have it available when the store goes back up sometime in April.
OXM hints at imminent Ikaruga
It seems the April issue of Official Xbox Magazine has some information about the highly anticipated XBLA release Ikaruga. Specifically, it sounds like the game will be coming out very soon, as the magazine notes the game is already available with a graphic that reads "Out Now." It doesn't get much clearer than that. Unfortunately, given the nature of magazine lead times (people get April issues in March, etc.) it's hard to say exactly when Ikaruga will show up, but it's probably safe to say it should be out before the end of April. Oh, and for what it's worth, OXM gave Ikaruga a 9 out of 10, so things are looking up.Update: Upon closer inspection, the review appears to be in the UK Official Xbox Magazine.[Thanks, Teddings]
Exclusive Rock Band songs in Feb. OXM
The February issue of Official Xbox Magazine will have three "completely exclusive," albeit obscure songs for Rock Band. The disc contains Freezepop's Sprøde, Bang Camaro's Rock Rebellion and Count Zero's Shake (like our Rock Band weekly feature, we've placed videos of the songs after the break; though we're currently missing Shake).OXM Editor-in-Chief Francesca Reyes tells Joystiq, "You'll be able to download the songs from the disc onto your [hard drive] and they will remain there with or without the disc in the drive." Does this mean Harmonix could eventually offer retail expansion discs stuffed with songs? That idea is pure speculation, but we'd welcome it in lieu of a full-priced 'Rock Band 2.'
OXM getting exclusive Rock Band DLC
Official Xbox Magazine got its grubby little hands on 3 exclusive tracks for Rock Band. The tracks will be offered on the disc bundled with the February issue of the magazine, set to be in subscribers hands "soon" and available on store shelves January 15th. The three tracks to be included are: "Sprøde" by Freezepop "Rock Rebellion" by Bang Camaro "Shake" by Count Zero (warning: Myspace link) It's definitely an interesting collection of tracks. The article on OXM Online doesn't mention whether or not these are master tracks, but given that the Freezepop and Bang Camaro tracks available with the retail version are master tracks, we're betting these are too.[Via Evil Avatar]
Sony refuses to let OXM review Bravia HDTV
OXM started a new monthly feature in their magazine where they do reviews of various brands of HDTVs seeing that tons of gamers are in the market for new sets. And their monthly feature has been going fine until recently, when they contacted Sony to get a Bravia HDTV for a review in their next issue. Let's just say Sony didn't want any part of the review.Upon giving the Sony Bravia folks a ring, OXM was taken aback to hear that they refused to send them a Bravia to review due to OXM's affiliation with the Xbox 360 platform. They're probably scared that a magazine with "Xbox" in their name would be biased towards a Sony brand TV. Funny thing is, OXM's Dan Amrich owns a Bravia set and loves it to death. Snap! So, OXM didn't get a Bravia HDTV and thus no review will get published. We guess Sony Bravia doesn't want Xbox 360 fanboys to purchase their televisions. Sucks for them.
OXM online relaunched
A few of our readers have pointed out that OXM Online has relaunched successfully on Monday. The site includes a blog, previews, reviews, and even the nifty video feature embedded above. All in all, the website does everything it's supposed to do, although apparently some of the stories are less than fresh. We imagine that will be rectified as new items are added (like this review of Kane & Lynch for instance). Our only question is how much content the OXM folks will be willing to post when they're trying to sell magazines. We expect a relationship similar to the one between 1UP and EGM, in which there will be print exclusive content and web content that expands upon it. Welcome back to the web OXM. Let's be friends, mkay?
OXM online relaunches Monday
After being saddled with a dastardly "under construction" message over a year, the Official Xbox Magazine website is finally set to launch on Monday, November 12. The website will come with all the features you've come to expect from similar sites, including blogs, web-only content, contests, and info on upcoming issues of the magazine and what to expect on the demo discs. It's been a long time coming; here's hoping the folks at OXM can turn the website into a worthwhile resource. This reminds us though, what happened to OXM Digital, the content that was planned for XBLM? Perhaps we should look into that.Anywho, the information was revealed by OXM's Dan Amrich in a cipher he posted on the Xbox.com forums. You can find said post and the following brouhaha by clicking the "read" link below.[Via nukoda]
