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2008 Yearbook: Microsoft Game Studios
var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/xbox/2008_Yearbook_Microsoft_Game_Studios'; After a solid year for the Xbox 360 in 2007 many thought the system could never showcase the same amount of quality exclusives in a single year.In the 2008 Microsoft Game Studios Yearbook, we've compiled a list of this year's graduating class with a detailed account of each title's current status and the stories surrounding them.From heartbreaking cancellations, surprise feature announcements and expected sequels, the 2008 MGS Yearbook is filled with fun facts and information on your soon-to-be favorite titles. Also included in the yearbook are special joke awards given to each title that releases in 2008 that poke fun at the details most commonly argued about in the comments.From Ninja Gaiden II to Alan Wake, the 2008 Microsoft Game Studios Yearbook will have something for everyone.Ladies and gentlemen allow us to introduce the 2008 Microsoft Game Studios graduating class ...
Fake EGM GoW2 details mention stamina bar and new multiplayer modes [update]
Update: Rumor official debunked. Cliff Bleszinski popped up on the NeoGAF forums to discredit these supposed EGM GoW2 details saying that whoever published this news is "making shit up". Thanks for the clarification Cliffy.We've been eagerly awaiting the arrival of EGM's special July issue featuring Gears of War 2 awesomeness that's set to hit newsstands on June 3rd. But, if the rumors are true, we won't have to wait until June to get the new feature reveals, because a helpful EGM subscriber claims to have already received his July issue and has spilled all the exclusive Gears 2 deets.Over on the GameSpot forums, member Prosecut0rGodot claims to have already received a copy of EGM's July issue and posted a recap of all the new Gears 2 details that were revealed. If true, EGM is said to reveal new GoW2 features including co-op specific cut-scenes and decisions that'll affect the game's ending, a brand new stamina bar has been added and will dictate a player's performance, a never before seen "Acheron" Locust creature will make an appearance and two new multiplayer modes were announced including the chainsaws only "En-Garde" mode. A few other goodies were supposedly revealed, so make your way towards the break to read the entire list of the rumored GoW2 info.
Bleszinski gets questioned on all things Gears 2
Epic's Cliff Bleszinski recently sat down with GameDaily for a feature called 10 Questions, where an esteemed member of the gaming industry is asked ten fan submitted questions. Cliff was thrown Q's from everything related to breaking into the industry, why he ditched a Dodge Viper and how to make it in today's gaming world.Of course Gears of War 2 was a hot topic and fans asked how it will stand-up to it's Game of the Year winning predecessor. "With the sequel, we're able to significantly streamline the online experience with a far more robust package that enables players to kick more ass online with their friends," Cliff answered.Without giving away too much information on the single-player experience, Cliff said the game must throw more interesting scenarios at players in between combat situations to stay fresh, "In Gears 2, we've got dozens of surprises in every level that will keep people talking for months to come."With changes to Epic's premier gaming engine fans wondered how updates to Unreal Engine 3 will change the Gears experience. While Cliff was tight-lipped, he assured gamers the environments would add to the experience with a wider capacity for damage. "Players will really feel like they're in a sci-fi multiplayer version of Black Hawk Down."Gears of War 2 hits Xbox 360 this Novemeber.
Rumor: Multiple playable characters in Gears 2 campaign
Oh CliffyB Cliff Bleszinski, it seems you're always almost confirming features in Gears of War 2. First there was the "four co-op players" vs "for co-op players" mix-up, and now this. In a recent interview with Gamerscore Blog, Cliff more or less stated that players would not be strictly confined to playing as Marcus in Gears of War 2. "You're basically being Marcus and you're being other squad members throughout the campaign," said Bleszinski. The statement came in response to a question regarding squad commands (at about 2:00 in the video), which were utilized rarely in Gears of War and have been removed entirely from Gears of War 2. While it certainly seems more clear-cut than the four player co-op mix-up, there is still the possibility that Bleszinski was referring to co-op squad members, similar to how Dom was controlled by the second player during co-op sessions in the original game.Still, switching between characters would be in keeping with assertions that Gears of War 2 will have a deeper storyline. We can already imagine situations where playing as another character would add significant depth to the story (such as Dom's search for his wife). The only question now is whether or not the second level will have gamers playing as a Locust.[Via OXM UK]
Squad commands axed for Gears of War 2, other answers
Gears of War 2 designer Cliff "Don't Call Me CliffyB" Bleszinski (note: yes, we have turned his name into a text macro to avoid misspellings) has confirmed with Microsoft's Gamerscore blog that the squad-based commands of the original game have been axed for the sequel.Bleszinski also talked about the chainsaw vs. chainsaw system, which is not random like the original but based on whoever hits the B button the most. "I didn't want it to be quick time event because I think I'm kind of tired of those in most games," he said. In the video embedded above, he also talked about the use of the crowd system for epic battles and what he likes to label the "summer blockbuster type video game experience." Gears of War 2 is due this November. Gears of War 2 was just one of the many games Microsoft showed off at this year's Xbox 360 Spring Showcase. Check out our coverage of the event, including new screenshots and hands-on impressions.
Cliff Bleszinski gets serious, kills CliffyB
Today marks a sad day for gaming journalists as we're forced to learn the proper spelling of Gears of War 2 lead designer Cliff Blezinski, um, Kowalski, crap, Bleszinski, there we go. Speaking with MTV Multiplayer blogger Steven Totilo, Cliff confirmed that he would be dropping his CliffyB moniker, which he's used since the 90's.It's "time to grow up a bit," Cliff wrote in a note stating the nickname doesn't suit his 30-something lifestyle and that he's more focused on working to perfect Gears of War 2 and doesn't have time for silly nicknames. At least nicknames he'll publicly endorse.Pour one out for CliffyB folks, it was a wild ride.
Gears of Wars 2's storyline said to rival BioShock's
In an interview with OXM, Carlos Ferro (the actor hired to voice Dom Santiago in Gears of War 2) reiterated the fact that Gears 2's story will be much more emotional and deeper this time around. So much so that he feels it goes "beyond" what BioShock had to offer. "A lot happens" says Ferro, "it's going to be more emotionally effecting than BioShock." Really?Now, we must say, we're hugely optimistic that Gears of War 2 will deliver come November, with the features and badass'ness that Epic has already promised, but to say its storyline will go beyond BioShock's? Well, that just seems super ambitious. Though, we have full faith in the Epic crew, so we say go get 'em guys. Write your Epic hearts out and deliver an emotional Gears experience that we yearned for last Emergence Day.
Beware of the 'Meat Shield'
Sometimes it almost feels like people are trying really hard to start controversy where there isn't any. Arizona's KTVK-TV is the latest in a long line of videogame fear mongering by warning parents of the horrors of the 'meat shield,' according to Game Politics.Citing a Yahoo!Games report detailing features in Gears of War 2 KTVK-TV warns, "A popular video game for the Xbox 360 is getting a sequel this year - and it seems to be raising eyebrows with its level of gore and detail ... The game certainly attracted attention for its realistic visuals and battle scenes, but caused some pause when game designers showed off a new attack players can use in the game."The report continued to warn, "Players can pick up the corpses of fallen enemies and use them as a "meat shield" to protect themself from enemy fire as they engage in battle from behind the corpse."As good as Gears 2 looks, calling it's visuals realistic is like saying E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial is based on a true story. Are we really resorting to hyping-up hate for a game months before it releases?
Wait, did Cliffy confirm GoW2 four player co-op? [update 2]
Update 2: As much as we'd like to think Cliffy was referring to four player co-op, the evidence is proving otherwise. For the time being, let's all let go of our four player co-op dreams until Epic talks deets.Update: It has come to our attention that Cliffy may have actually said "multiple difficulty settings FOR co-op players", meaning different difficulty levels for all co-op players and not confirmation of four player co-op. Though, there is a noticeable vocal pause between "settings" and "four" or "for". Meh, make your own judgment and be just as confused as everyone else.Gears of War 2 multiplayer details were noticeably lacking at this year's Spring Showcase, as Microsoft sticks to their well thought out marketing plan by feeding eager fanboys nuggets of GoW2 info piece by piece . But sometimes information leaks prematurely from loose lips, loose Cliffy B lips that make us believe that we can count on four player Gears of War 2 co-op come November.Why do we speculate four player Gears 2 co-op? Well, because we think Cliffy B actually let slip the secret in a recent interview with Gamespot. You'll have to click towards the jump to watch the video interview (stupid Gamespot embedding works like crud), fast forward to about 4:12 and listen carefully to what Cliffy says. From what we can tell, it sounds like Cliffy says "the co-op is drop in, drop out, multiple difficulty settings, four co-op players, uhh, much more multiplayer modes." Four co-op players? Hmm, he either confirmed GoW2's four player co-op secret or said something about "more co-op players". Either way, we're interested in hearing what's the real word.[Via XboxFocus]
By golly it's Carmine, alive and at Comic Con!
Even though we can't quite figure out how it's possible, we've been informed that Carmine will in fact be back in Gears of War 2 with or without his head attached. Knowing this, the action figure gurus over at NECA created an Anthony "Tony" Carmine action figure that's set to release exclusively at this year's Comic Con. This seven inch tall Carmine figure comes complete with Lancer and Gnasher in hand and will only be available at the convention between July 24th and the 27th. We wonder if his head is detachable? Pics below.%Gallery-14215%
Epic to set limits on GoW2 achievement progress
During their interview with Cliffy B, the guys over at CVG learned an interesting Gears of War 2 achievement fact that will probably make "achievement whores" a bit furious. Scratch that, it will make achievement whores furious.As it's currently planned, Epic will be "throttling" GoW2's achievements by limiting how much unlocking progress can be made per game or round. Cliffy gave an example of the unlocking system by saying that "if you're going for headshots, you get one headshot that counts and any other headshots won't count towards your Achievement" which is being done "so players don't just play to get headshots the entire round just to get Achievements." It's an interesting idea, but one we aren't sure we (or any achievement addicts for that matter) fully embrace.[Thanks, shay07]
CliffyB: Gears of War 2 co-op will be "bigger and better" etc.
Alright, that's it. Nobody is allowed to describe any aspect of their game as "bigger and better" anymore. Let's try and expand that promotional vocabulary, people. Let's go for, "Hey, my game is greater and grander!" Or perhaps, "My game's online mode is sicker and more substantial!" That's roughly what Epic designer, CliffyB, had to say about Gears of War 2's cooperative mode when Shacknews asked about four-player action. "We're not announcing anything about co-op at this time, we'll probably get around to it around E3 time, but rest assured, it will be bigger and better," he teased. On a related note, Bleszinski did tell us that the saw-tastic sequel's multiplayer mode would at least benefit from a party system this time around. "I think that if we were not to have a feature like that, it would probably be a pretty big f*ckup." As for missing out on four-player Locust culling? That would be a bigger and better f*ckup, surely.
CliffyB: No party system in GOW2 would be "a pretty big f*ckup"
Joystiq managed to grab a second of Cliff Bleszinski's time at Microsoft's Spring Showcase yesterday (seems like everyone did). Naturally, the discussion centered around Epic's bigger, badder, more badass sequel to Gears of War, which they have wisely dubbed Gears of War 2. Lots of things are discussed in the interview, ranging from merchandising to how Gears of War pacing will work with hundreds of enemies on screen. The biggest tidbit in the interview, however, centers around the game's online functionality. When asked whether or not Gears of War 2 will feature a party system, Cliffy responded, "I think that if we were not to have a feature like that, it would probably be a pretty big fuckup."Yeah, that should be enough to pique your interest. Head over to Joystiq for the full interview.
Cliffy: GoW2 has best cover system ever, trilogy talk
Adding to what we've already learned about GoW2 (thanks to the media's poking and prodding of Cliffy B), the Eurogamer crew got the chance to chat with Cliffy who was more than happy to gloat about the newly reworked cover system in Gears 2 and even talked about the possibility of doing a trilogy.As far as cover is concerned, Cliffy admitted that, in the original Gears,"10 percent of the time, players were going into cover when they didn't want to" so they reworked by doing "some of those [cover system] tweaks in a patch for Gears 1, we iterated on them for Gears PC, and now we're bringing it full circle for Gears 2." Simply said, GoW2 will feature what Cliffy calls the "the best cover system ever seen in the videogame industry". Can you say oh-freakin-yeah! Finally, when talking about a sequel to the upcoming sequel, Cliffy wanted to make it clear that he "never announced a [Gears of War] trilogy" no matter what any journalist says, but also wanted everyone to know that if "Gears 2 has a wonderful ship-in, if gamers buy it, then we'll consider a sequel." Confirmed. We get a trilogy if 3 million GoW2 units ship ... start pre-ordering NOW!
Joystiq interview: CliffyB talks Gears of War 2
After briefly discussing our unique spelling and French heritage ("Joy-stique," Cliffy exclaimed!) and commiserating about being confused with other companies (apparently, he gets asked if he works for Epyx, the now long-gone publisher of Summer Games) with Epic designer and Chief Gears Dude Cliff Bleszinski (that's CliffyB to you kids), we got down to the serious business of talking about Gears of War 2: The Gears-ening. Gears 2. It's coming out. We know it's bigger, it's badder, it's more badass. Getting tired of hearing that yet? We've heard it a couple times. Our question is, what was the number one thing in Gears 1 you wanted to change? What did you make that you knew you could do better?
GOW2 details: multiplayer, vehicles, Carmine's back!
In a recent interview with GameTrailers at Microsoft's Spring Showcase event, Gears of War 2 maestro Cliff Bleszinski dropped a ton of details regarding Marcus Fenix's second outing. Cliffy had plenty to talk about, including new details on Gears of War 2 multiplayer, storyline, vehicles, and the return of a certain fan-favorite character. Here's a quick rundown of exactly what CliffyB had to say: Gears 2 will feature 5-on-5 multiplayer with more modes and more maps out of the box than Gears 1. Online functionality wasn't detailed, but Cliffy promises it will be "very competitive with other titles in this space." Dare we hope for a Halo-inspired party system? About executions: Chainsaw duels can end in a draw, but only occasionally. The curb stomp is back Players are no longer invulnerable when performing executions Once a duel is over, the actual chainsawing is faster, making the entire duel last about as long as a normal chainsaw kill. Players who are down but not out can now attempt to crawl away, tapping the A button to crawl faster. The game will have "buckets and buckets" of blood. For example, Marcus will leave trails of blood on a wall while taking cover after being injured. "Meat shields" (i.e. hostages) will also drip blood as they are dragged around. Players will be able to drive the new Centaur tank, which is something like a cross between a tank and a monster truck (we think it's briefly in the video at around 3:50) Carmine (most famous for being on the receiving end of a headshot in the first Gears) will return ... somehow.
Xbox 360 Spring Showcase screenshot roundup
If a picture's worth a thousand words, we'll spare you the copious blabber and lead your eyeballs right to the trailhead (just hop past the break to get started!). Be warned though, the path through Microsoft's Xbox 360 Spring Showcase is a long one (but thankfully smooth and well lit). Be sure to sit a few feet from the screen, rest your eyes between galleries and drink lots of water! Enjoy.
Gears of War 2 'Assault' screens, plus weapon-specific executions announced
click to enlarge Microsoft and Epic dropped a quartet of Gears of War 2 screenshots today, the first, and taken from the roller coaster-like sequence featured in recent campaign videos ("Act One, Chapter Three: 'Assault,'" to be exact). We also dug through the accompanying fact sheet (actually, credit X3F for the dirty work) and uncovered this single, tasty morsel: "new weapon-specific executions." No specific details yet -- but the nasty fantasies dancing in your head right now are probably close enough. %Gallery-22760%
Gears of War 2 features weapon specific executions [update]
Update: It was just brought to our attention that GSB's Spring Showcase video features previously unseen footage of another execution. Look for Marcus fist punching the snot out of a Locust at around 30 seconds in.After digging through today's new Spring Showcase Gears of War 2 press kit, on what we initially thought to be an unsuccessful mission to find something new, we stumbled across an interesting feature reveal. Listed on the official GoW2 May 2008 fact sheet comes mention that the "overall tone of 'Gears of War 2' is more badass - replete with new weapon-specific executions, chain saw duels and shocking boss fights." Weapon specific executions? SUH-WEET! Maybe that's why the recently released gameplay video didn't show the option to curb stomp Locusts which lead us to think neck-snapping replaced the iconic foot to the back of head, head to the curb move. We can only imagine what other weapon specific executions will be included when Gears ships and what twisted execution the crew over at Epic will think up for the torque bow.
Gears of War 2: 4 screens from Assault
Microsoft released four screen grabs from the first gameplay footage of Gears of War 2. Hitting this November, Gears 2 is the sequel to the critically and commercially successful Gears of War which released exclusively on the Xbox 360.In Gears 2 humans are bringing the fight to the Locust, utilizing new moves, weapons and various ways to cut dudes in half.%Gallery-22746%
