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Fable 3 combat lead gets combative about game's reception
It's a comfort to know that though Fable 3 (launching today on PC) may have represented a downturn in quality from Lionhead's previous game, the studio's talent for utter delusion is as robust as ever. Combat lead Mike West starts out well enough, detailing for Eurogamer some improvements in the PC port, like control schemes optimized for mouse and keyboard and a beefed-up graphical engine that supports higher resolutions and 3D effects. But when West starts defending Fable 3 against critics, things get ... weird. Here's a sample. "[Fable 3] is a better game than Fable 2." ... That's not a good start, but keep going. "Fable 3 wasn't very buggy - it was pretty polished. It all fitted together very well and as a product it was very good." If you'll remember, as with all "pretty polished" games, Lionhead had to solicit bug reports from the community after the game's release. "People saying the story wasn't very good was unfair. It's an interesting situation of you gather people together and then defeating the main bad guy." Umm, Mike? ... Hey Mike? That last thing you said? That's not really what happens in your game. Well, it's what happens in the first half. ... Oh, wait, did you only play the first half? Not that we blame you of course, but it would explain so much.
Gears of War 3 Limited and Epic Edition extras revealed
Listen, everyone -- your desk simply isn't intimidating enough. What you need, what you've got to have is an 11-inch statue of a muscle-bound future-marine. That's just one of the many, many bonuses include in the $150 Epic Edition of Gears of War 3; a monstrous package that encapsulates the aforementioned statue; a 96-page book penned by Tom Bissell (author of "Extra Lives") about the art and design of the shooter; an "Octus Service Medal;" and everything else pictured above. (Is that Adam Fenix's will? It certainly is.) Shoppers will also have the option of purchasing the game's $80 Limited Edition, which includes the Service Medal, a COG flag, some Fenix family documents and an exclusive Adam Fenix multiplayer skin. No statue, though; so who's going to keep your mug full of pens from stepping out of line? Check out the full list of the extras in the Epic and Limited Editions -- as well as a video demonstration of that statue -- after the break!
Age of Empires Online to launch this fall
Eurogamer reports today that Microsoft Game Studios' Age of Empires Online is slated for a fall release. The freemium RTS game is currently in open beta and will be releasing in both digital download and retail box forms. While the game itself will be free-to-play, there will be a cash store that sells a variety of upgrades for players to purchase. These include vanity items that allow players to give their capital cities a unique bit of flair, new civilizations for the player to control (the game launches with only two: Greek and Egyptian), and upgrade packs such as the "pro premium civilization" upgrade pack, which will provide players with a level 20 civilization and is described as being "geared towards hardcore RTS gamers." The exact release date and pricing will be announced at the end of the month. If you're interested in giving the game a spin prior to its official release or just want to find out more about the upcoming title, you can head over to the Age of Empires Online official site, have a look around, and sign up for the beta.
Microsoft reveals 48-hour 'secret access' to Age of Empires Online beta
Yearning for an early look at Age of Empires Online? If so, Microsoft Game Studios has some good news for you. Starting today, you can jump into a 48-hour secret access beta signup session simply by registering for a Windows Live ID (or logging in if you already have one). This is your last chance to get in on some Age of Empires beta action before MGS closes it to the public, so hurry and visit the signup link before Saturday, May 7th. You'll be able to download the beta client immediately and get started testing shortly thereafter. If you missed our beta key giveaway a couple of weeks ago, don't miss what could be your last opportunity to take part in the upcoming MMORTS' testing phase!
The men's magazines that make Trenched manlier
The fightin' robots of Trenched are pretty tough-looking, but they don't make for an "extremely, extremely manly" game on their own. So Double Fine turned to men's magazines from the 1940s and '50s as a visual reference for the XBLA game. "Our lead artist, Geoff Soulis, took to this art style right away and fully embraced the manly aesthetic," project lead Brad Muir said in a Bitmob post. "It was an extremely manly embrace." Double Fine and a Microsoft art team created fake men's magazine covers to depict story elements in the game, like the loss of protagonist Frank Woodruff's legs, a patriotic-themed mutilation for which Tim Schafer himself modeled. Male modeled. Those covers are accompanied by hilarious story headlines like "Pirates Took My Cat! -- I Should Have Listened!" You can see plenty more covers, and plenty more repetitions of the word "manly," at Bitmob.
343 Industries' Frank O'Connor on Halo's 10th anniversary, Grunt plushies
Speaking to Gamasutra, 343 Industries' Frank O'Connor explained just what the studio has in store for Halo now that previous developer Bungie has moved on to other things. While O'Connor noted that 343's main priority is "making sure that Reach is well-tended, and cultivated, and taken care of," there are certainly other projects in the pipeline. Specifically, O'Connor mentioned the upcoming 10th anniversary of the release of the first Halo. O'Connor referred to the celebration as 343's "main high-level task" for the year adding that the studio will be "doing a lot of things to celebrate that, and there's going to be a lot of cool surprises in this year." Honestly, we'll try to act surprised. The rest of the interview focuses on how 343 has chosen to expand the Halo universe, branching out into different areas like books and toys. O'Connor stated that everything Halo branded has satisfied a community demand. In other words, fans wanted books or action figures, and 343 capitulated. Perhaps the most surprising demand O'Connor's team is considering: Grunt plushies. While O'Connor admitted that such a product would undoubtedly sell, he defended it by saying, "it's the single most-demanded item that we haven't fulfilled in the franchise history." Head over to Gamasutra for the full interview.
Bleszinski: Master Chief passed on a Gears of War 3 cameo
Curious as to why the Xbox 360's two biggest exclusive shooters never managed to fuse, forming some kind of chimera made of space armor and hilariously disproportionate guns? Wonder no more -- in a recent interview with Complex, Gears of War' designer Cliff Bleszinski revealed, "I actually approached Microsoft on getting Master Chief into the game, but those guys are kind of squeamish." He jokingly added, "If you had to break it down, I'd say that Gears is like Mortal Kombat and Halo is like Street Fighter." From there, things get ... a little grisly. Bleszinski said, "if we were to get Master Chief, we'd get his model, put him in a COG suit, make it blow up, and do some test animation work. We'd have to see what his head looks like being blown to smithereens or how his arm would look getting sawed off." We're not sure the ol' arm-saw technique's gonna work on MC. After all, this is the same guy who can get shot point blank by a rocket-propelled grenade without suffering any structural damage.
Rumor: Microsoft Game Studios Vancouver working on core Kinect shooter
Based on the resume of one Shawn Woods, Microsoft is currently working on "a core AAA shooter experience using Kinect." Woods serves as art director for Microsoft Game Studios Vancouver, which appears to be a brand new branch focused on making "core" titles. The studio's "mission" is to "push the limits of proven and unexplored game development and show the world what's possible on Microsoft's game consoles." It's worth pointing out that the MGS Vancouver website makes no mention of a Kinect focus, nor do the job listings on its front page. Rumors regarding a core shooter for the Kinect have been circulating for quite some time, ranging from a possible "on-rails" Gears of War title to Halo. The latter is more likely in this case, given that MGS Vancouver is an internal Microsoft studio. Then again, it's possible that the studio is working on something entirely different. Whatever the studio is cooking up, here's hoping we hear more by the time E3 rolls around. [Image: LaughPong]
Gears of War 3 beta gets a long-eared Easter egg
If you've managed to snag yourself access to the Gears of War 3 beta, you ... need to go play it. Right now. Don't watch the video after the jump, just go experience the magic for yourself. Everyone else, check out the beta's one-day Easter egg after the jump. It's both gory and adorable.
'Hydrophobia Prophecy' pops up in Australian game rating
Last we heard from Hydrophobia and the game's developer, Dark Energy Digital, the studio was doing its best to respond to fans' criticisms of the first, not-so-warmly received installment. The plan all along, however, has been a Hydrophobia trilogy, which likely explains why a listing for something called "Hydrophobia Prophecy" has popped up on the Australian Government's classification website. Outside of noting Dark Energy Digital as the "author" and Microsoft Game Studios as the publisher, the listing provides little other information. Though it does confirm some important basics, like acknowledging that Prophecy is a video game and not, say, a line of Hydrophobia-branded sunglasses. We've reached out to Dark Energy Digital, but we're not exactly holding our breath for confirmation.
Xbox Live April schedule redux: Gears 3 beta, deals on Limbo, Shadow Complex and other MGS content
It's going to be a busy month on Xbox Live. Not only is the Gears of War 3 beta set to drop on April 25 for those who pre-ordered through GameStop (April 18 for those who snagged Bulletstorm), there's also a half-month full of XBLA games, Games on Demand titles and deals -- even some slashed prices on Microsoft Game Studios content, like the Halo: Reach Noble Map Pack and Alan Wake's The Writer DLC. Let's get to it, shall we? %Gallery-117485%
Kinectimals demo plays nice with Xbox Live
Sure, Kinectimals may be a blast for your 10-year-old sister-in-law, but what about your 12-year-old nephew? What about your friend's 8-year-old son? What about your very immature sister? Now there's a 1.52GB demo on Xbox Live Marketplace, available for download to all Gold subscribers, to help you decide. And if you happen to enjoy it as an adult ... well, we won't tell a soul.
Remedy: Signing with MGS for Alan Wake was 'a business risk'
Speaking at a GDC panel earlier this year, Remedy's Markus Maki discussed the development of Alan Wake, namely that the game was originally planned as a multiplatform release, PC and PS3 included. As reported by CVG, Maki noted that Remedy had to maintain a narrow "focus" to get the project done, which meant staying light on features -- no multiplayer, etc. -- and eventually agreeing to become a Microsoft exclusive. Regarding the planned multiplatform release, Maki stated that Microsoft's offer to publish the game pulled "one big technological effort, the PS3, out of the equation," thus allowing Remedy to focus on a single platform. That said, Maki added that moving to a single platform "changed the technology risk to a business risk - but that's a subject for a different talk altogether." Ouch. Meanwhile, the PC version of Alan Wake, for reasons we may never fully comprehend, remains (appropriately) shrouded in darkness.
Nexon's Dungeon Fighter Online coming to Xbox Live Arcade later this year
One in six people in China have played Nexon's Dungeon Fighter Online -- the free-to-play 2D action PC MMORPG claimed over 200 million registered users even before its launch in North America, at one point seeing 2.2 million concurrent users. And now Nexon is reaching out for another audience entirely: It's announced that DFO is coming to Xbox Live later in 2011, published by none other than Microsoft Games Studios. The console version will be jointly developed by Nexon and Korean developer Softmax, and the game's original developer, Neople, will direct the project. There's no word on whether it will be free-to-play or microtransaction-based on Xbox Live Arcade or not -- the original game, like all of Nexon's titles, is supported by sales of in-game items, from gear and potions to XP boosts. Joystiq has contacted Nexon to find out more, and we'll let you know what we hear. This announcement could be huge -- a free-to-play MMO hit on consoles, especially in the west, would have big ramifications for the gaming industry at large. Update: "Nothing has been determined yet" about the model for this one, we're told. Nexon says it's too early in the process to talk about exactly how this version of the game will work.
Rare appoints former Colin McRae, Sonic Racing dev as studio director
Rare has hired Craig Duncan to take on the senior studio director role. Duncan will oversee all product development and staff management at the UK-based developer, part of Microsoft Game Studios. Duncan comes to Rare with experience in product development at Codemasters, Midway Games and Sumo Digital. His credits include the Colin McRae Rally series and Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing (pictured). Duncan's appointment at Rare follows last month's report that the studio was replacing its full-time art staff with contract workers. Rare is rumored to be working on a sequel to the "breakout hit" Kinect Sports -- perhaps with a racing minigame, now?
Bleszinski: Gears 3 multiplayer has to be good, or 'the franchise is dead'
Not only are we excited about the prospect of joining the Gears of War 3 beta next month because, you know, of all the dude-sawing -- we're also hopeful that the tests will prevent a rough start-up for the full game's multiplayer experience. In an interview with IGN, Epic Games design director Cliff Bleszinski acknowledged (the beta test-less) Gears of War 2's less-than-optimal online offerings at launch, saying the developer "can't afford to make that mistake twice." The outspoken developer explained, "if we release Gears 3 and it has the same launch as Gears 2 online then the franchise is dead." He later added, "to be fair, over the course of the six title updates, we got Gears 2 in a very good position. And we need to take it to great. And that's what this will help do." We've got another suggestion for making the game "great" -- two chainsaws. One on your gun, and another one on your chainsaw. Chainsawsaw.
Trenched is a third-person tower-defense game
When Trenched was revealed by Tim Schafer at the end of this year's Game Developer's Choice Awards ceremony, we knew next to nothing about it. Though we can't tell you how we feel about it ourselves, previews are showing up all over the web that describe the game as a third-person tower-defense title set in an alternate history post-WWI world. G4 explains that the tower-defense-style battles of Trenched take place atop walking, upgradeable trenches. As it turns out, television monsters (referred to as "tubes") are attacking the world's mobile trenches and handicapped hero Frank Woodrof is bent on defending them. You'll employ Woodrof's ultra-manliness to defeat said "tubes" and restore alternate reality's normalcy. Or, ya know, Double Fine's bizarre version of normalcy in the world of Trenched. Schafer's team expects the game out on Xbox Live Arcade at some point in 2011.
Limbo, Trials HD and Splosion Man coming to retail in XBLA triple pack [Update: It's coming on April 19!]
Three of Xbox Live Arcade's most lauded games are getting bundled together in one retail package, it seems. Twisted Pixel CEO and co-founder, Michael Wilford, revealed this Amazon listing on Twitter today, commenting that a bundle of Limbo, Trials HD and Splosion Man was initially only headed to Japan and now will be available in North America, as well. The Amazon listing suggests a $29.99 price point, which seems a little low -- Limbo is normally $15, while the other two are $10 -- so we've followed up with Microsoft for confirmation and an expected launch date. We'll let you know what we find out. Update: A Microsoft representative has confirmed with Joystiq that the $29.99 price is accurate and that the bundle will be available for purchase on April 19 either through online retailers or on store shelves here in the US. It'll also come with a 48-hour Xbox Live Gold trial and 160 MS Points.
Toy Soldiers: Cold War revealed, coming to PAX East [update: now with video!]
Remember that XBLA game Toy Soldiers? With the ... umm ... toy soldiers? Well, apparently it's getting a sequel set in the 1980s. As revealed in an email missive from Microsoft regarding the publisher's PAX East showing, "Toy Soldiers: Cold War" features the same blend of first-person action and strategy of the first game, albeit with a new '80s angle. A press release that we received this afternoon further detailed the upcoming sequel, specifically noting that it'll feature co-op and new minigun-based mingames. The publisher also revealed that Toy Soldiers: Cold War will be included among other playable titles at PAX East this coming weekend. Which is when PAX East goes down, in case you didn't know. To date, the original Toy Soldiers has moved over 500K units, meaning that it'll make the jump to PC at some point in "late spring/early summer." Update: We've added the game's trailer after the break and some more info to the post above.%Gallery-118731%
Gears of War 3 beta: Bulletstorm players in April 18, GameStop pre-orderers join April 25
Nobody should have to wait for the chance to carve up their best friends with gas-powered chainsaw rifles -- luckily, interested parties can ensure their entry into the Gears of War 3 beta on April 25. All you have to do to grab a golden ticket is pre-order the Locust-massacring shooter at GameStop, and you'll be eligible to participate in the three-week beta testing process. If you grabbed the Bulletstorm "Epic Edition," you'll be able to get your hands dirty one week earlier, starting April 18. Participants in the beta will be able to unlock not only the Gold-Plated Retro Lancer, but a whole bevy of bonuses (listed after the jump). All that's left to do now is plan what kind of murders you're going to make first. Us? We're gonna shoot a guy, and then stomp on him, then stand him up, and then do something unspeakable to him with a grenade.
