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Trenched is Double Fine's next game, 'is extremely, extremely manly'
Tucked away at the very end of the Game Developer's Choice Awards ceremony tonight was the announcement teaser for Trenched, the latest in developer Double Fine's series of downloadable games. This one is being published by Microsoft Game Studios for Xbox Live Arcade and we've got an off-screen capture of what Tim Schafer called the "extremely, extremely manly" trailer for you just after the break. [Update 12:50am – We've put the official, non-shakycam trailer after the break for your viewing pleasure.]%Gallery-118276%
Milo's 'drama director' discusses emotion-capture
Milo and Kate -- Lionhead Studios' industry-wowing Kinect demo, first revealed at E3 2009 -- has been in limbo following last September's comment from Microsoft Game Studios boss Phil Spencer, who wasn't "convinced" the product would make it to market. We're still waiting with bated breath for news of some kind of playable implementation, but in the meantime, Milo's so-called "drama director," John Dower, has released a video diary featuring the real Milo (well, the mocap actor) and a behind-the-scenes look at creating the emotion within this would-be virtual boy. Check out the video (which contains a fair share of gameplay footage) after the jump. We warn you, though: It's just as intriguing and exciting as the first time you saw "Project Milo," which might send you into uncontrollable spells of worry that a finished product will never materialize. As always, we'll keep our fingers crossed.
Gas Powered Games replaces Robot as Age of Empires Online developer
Chris Taylor's Gas Powered Games (makers of the original Dungeon Siege and Supreme Commander) has taken over development of the upcoming free-to-play Age of Empires Online title, according to the game's official blog. Microsoft says that it became clear during development of some of the game's content packs that the GPG team "share our long-term commitment to make this a success," and that the move has been "the plan for some time," and won't delay the game at all. This, of course, leaves previous developer Robot Entertainment – comprised of AoE veterans from the now-shuttered Ensemble Studios – in the lurch, as Microsoft has shown them the door. On its official message board, Robot confirms that "this was always in the plan," and says that the goal all along has been to work on original titles. Now that they've handed off the reins to Taylor and GPG, the company is reportedly hard at work on a new title called Orcs Must Die! Still no word on how close we are to a release date for Age of Empires Online, but Microsoft is still pushing beta signups on its website.
Fable 3 set to overthrow the PC kingdom May 17 [update: now with screens!]
PC gamers, it's time for you to renew your passport and update your vaccinations: You're going to be taking a trip to Albion in a few short months. Microsoft has announced that the third installment in its morally dichotomous RPG series, Fable 3, is due out on the PC in North America May 17, and in Europe, Australia and New Zealand May 19. The Windows version of the game will include full 3D support for folks using the appropriate NVIDIA cards, and will also add a "Hardcore" mode, giving the game an unprecedented level of difficulty. We wonder if that difficulty will be reflected in the game's major ethical decisions as well -- for instance: Do you want to sacrifice your children, your wife, or your dog ... in the real world? Mwahahaha! Update: Check out a ton of screens in the gallery below. %Gallery-117551%
Gears of War 3 gold Retro Lancer to be exclusive multiplayer beta unlock
Aside from the opportunity to test out Gears of War 3's multiplayer before its retail release, the forthcoming beta will feature at least one additional incentive for Gears heads to enter: an unlockable, gold-plated version of the Retro Lancer (modeled above by Cole Train). This new (old) rifle, with bayonet, made a cameo appearance in Gears 2 and will feature in the new game. Epic hasn't decided exactly how the gold Retro Lancer will be unlocked in the beta for use in the retail version of Gears 3, but, during a press event this week, producer Rod Fergusson offered a rough idea of what it might take. "If you play -- right now, we're still fiddling with the numbers -- but right now we're talking like 90 matches," Fergusson said. "If you play 90 matches and get, say, 100 kills with [the Retro Lancer] weapon, [the gold version is] yours. There's no other place to get it." Fergusson also promised there would be additional unlockables in the beta, though he didn't go into specifics. The Gears of War 3 multiplayer beta will launch in mid-April, when early access opens to owners of the limited-run, "Epic Edition" of Bulletstorm, available now.
Halo: Reach Defiant maps coming March 15
Beware the Ides of March! Actually, you might not need to "beware" it, though you may want to consider calling in sick from work or school -- Halo: Reach's second major expansion, a three-map DLC pack titled "Defiant," will arrive on the Xbox Live Marketplace on March 15 for 800 Microsoft Points ($10). Check out the gallery below and the trailer posted after the break to get an idea of what the three new arenas -- named Condemned, Highlands and Unearthed -- look like! We really, really hope they come with the aforementioned trailer's gruff-voiced narrator. "Way to totally shoot that dude," the narrator would say, gruffly. %Gallery-117547%
Gears of War 3 multiplayer preview: Dedicated to the fans
When Gears of War 2 launched, its mutliplayer community quickly singled out two distinct issues: the nerfed shotgun and a mess of glitches, including a host exploit that was allowing unscrupulous players to gain an unfair advantage. Epic would eventually address these issues through title updates, but one serious problem remained: all of those damn cheaters. These ne'er-do-wells plagued the community until the bottom fell out, leaving only a dedicated core group of players. You won't find too many folks playing much Gears 2 these days. For Gears of Wars 3 multiplayer, Epic is adding dedicated servers, the community's most requested feature, which design director Cliff Bleszinski describes as "the best way" to combat cheating. %Gallery-117484%
Avatar Kinect video tour shows off full functionality
We've seen how the face-mapping works in Avatar Kinect, but we haven't seen how the, uh, everything else works -- until now. Win Rumors posted a Microsoft-guided video tour of the upcoming Dashboard app, which you can see for yourself just past the break.
PSA: Bulletstorm disc required for Gears of War 3 beta access
Tomorrow (or midnight tonight, depending on your level of enthusiasm), Bulletstorm will launch across the country. For a select group of Xbox 360 owners, this purchase will be partially driven by the desire to play Gears of War 3 early -- specifically, the Gears of War 3 multiplayer beta that's included with Bulletstorm's "Epic Edition." Epic's Rod Fergusson warned Twitter users that a code alone wouldn't secure early entry in the multiplayer beta. Entering the code actually adds an option to Bulletstorm's main menu, which will grant access to the multiplayer beta when it becomes available. Just like Crackdown hosted the Halo 3 beta, the Bulletstorm disc is needed to play the Gears 3 beta. While we're on the topic, Fergusson has also promised more news on the multiplayer beta will be available later this week. Keep your eyes on the 'Stiq for it.
Gears of War free with Bulletstorm on Games For Windows next week
Microsoft's Games for Windows Marketplace is having a buy one, get one free sale on Epic Games shooters starring guys with really big arms. Specifically, the digital storefront is giving anyone who buys next week's foul-mouthed FPS Bulletstorm a free copy of the original Gears of War. The deal will be valid from February 22 -- Bulletstorm's on-sale date -- through March 8. People Can Fly's game will carry a sticker price of $59.99, while Gears normally goes for $19.99.
Report: Homefront deploying in European Xbox 360 console bundle
Microsoft will issue a new Xbox 360 bundle in Europe that includes THQ's Homefront, according to a post on GamerZines. The package is pegged to offer a 250GB Xbox 360 S console, one wireless controller and, of course, a copy of the game. A price and launch date for the set have yet to be revealed, though it'll likely be around the game's European launch date, March 18. The news comes in the wake of announcements from Microsoft and THQ that Xbox Live members will get first dibs on Homefront DLC, and even a 360-exclusive multiplayer map. This sort of promotion -- the publisher getting its game in the box with the console -- could very well be part of what Microsoft is providing in exchange for the early content access. We've contacted THQ to get the lowdown on this proposed new bundle. As soon as the intel breaks through the front lines, we'll pass it along.
Jeff Strain shares his vision for Class3, a different kind of zombie game
Judging by the comments section of most articles we write about new games and DLC that feature zombies, we'd say that Jeff Strain and his band of merry reanimated corpse enthusiasts (collectively and appropriately called Undead Labs) are at an immediate disadvantage with the announcement of their zombified XBLA title, Class3. We can't help but sympathize with their worries -- in the past three years, we've crushed, shot, sliced, exploded and generally obliterated more virtual zombies than we could ever possibly hope to count throughout the fullness of time. That's exactly where Class3 -- a temporary codename, mind you, and a direct reference to Max Brooks' seminal Zombie Survival Guide -- sets itself apart. We recently spoke with Strain about how the team's first onus (which recently found a publishing partner in Microsoft Game Studios) stands out among a veritable field of undead offerings, and he explained succinctly, "In a real zombie apocalypse, you wouldn't just gather up the guns and go hunting zombies. You'd be trying to avoid them. You'd be trying to survive." All zombie-centric games run a balance between providing the player with impetus to destroy zombies, and tasking the player with not being destroyed by zombies. Based on Strain's vision for the title, Class3 sounds like it leans decidedly towards the latter. %Gallery-115645%
Undead Labs' Class3 to serve as precursor for MMO-focused 'Class4'
While going down the fact sheet for Undead Labs' Microsoft-published XBLA title (codenamed) Class3, a certain something seems to be missing: Any mention of the "MMO" classification. Considering the gaming lineage of studio founder Jeff Strain, ArenaNet co-founder and former World of Warcraft lead programmer -- not to mention Undead Labs' late 2009 mission statement to create an "MMOZ" -- an absence of the genre's mention seems a bit odd. Strain recently explained to us the avoidance of the subject: Class3 will not play host to the "online world" features envisioned by the developer -- but Class4 will. "What we've decided to do is take that first step," Strain explained. "We're going place a marker along the path, and release this game we're calling Class3, that has all of the fundamental points in terms of the way you interact with the world, the way your character progresses, the way you establish outposts, the way define your goals in the game, the way you fight zombies and the way they fight you -- the minute by minute core of the game will all be there in Class3. The only thing it won't have is the massive player participation the sequel will have."
Undead Labs reveals 'Class3,' an open world zombie XBLA game published by Microsoft Game Studios
When ArenaNet co-founder Jeff Strain and a handful of his cohorts announced Undead Labs in late 2009 with the intention of creating "the definitive massively multiplayer online zombie game (MMOZ) for console gamers," we don't know what we expected, but it probably wasn't an Xbox Live Arcade game. Some fourteen months after that announcement, Undead Labs is ready to start talking about its "inaugural" title, currently codenamed "Class3," an XBLA game being published by none other than the MMO-wary Microsoft Game Studios and billed as "an open world zombie-survival game." If that Xbox Live Arcade setting sounds anticlimactic, you'll be happy to hear that it's just step one for Strain and friends. "We plan to create an ambitious open world XBLA game and use its gameplay, setting, and technology as the foundation for a full online world game," Strain said. The press release continues, "The open world develops in real-time, shaped by player actions, with content determined by their choices and the ever-increasing zombie threat." It's worth pointing out that Undead has backed away from the term "MMO" entirely; it never appears in today's press release, and while that followup project – codenamed "Class4" – will contain many MMO elements, even that won't be branded with those three little letters. For more on Class4, check out our interview with Jeff Strain later today. %Gallery-115645%
Bungie on developing the character of Master Chief
Speaking to IndustryGamers, Bungie's Joseph Staten shared some insight on the studio's character choices for Halo's enigmatic Master Chief. According to Staten, it was a conscious design choice to keep players in the dark about specific details from the Chief's life. It helped immerse players in the role, said Staten, adding, "The less players knew about the Chief, we believed, the more they would feel like the Chief." Staten shared a few other details, notably that Cortana began solely as a "functional design requirement," namely a guide for the player; however, as she evolved, said Staten, she grew to highlight the Chief's humanity. Check out the full article for more on Bungie's design choices, including how the team introduced themes of loneliness and abandonment in order to help players "feel the weight of the Chief's heavy responsibilities" throughout the series.
'KinectHalo.com' domain registered by Microsoft
As if the rumor of a remade Halo: Combat Evolved in the Halo: Reach engine weren't enough, now we've got a URL registered to Microsoft from back in June of 2010 for "KinectHalo.com." Gaming Reloaded spotted the site's Whois information, which pegs the unambiguous URL as one owned by Halo franchise owner Microsoft. While it's possible that Microsoft is currently hard at work on a Halo-based Kinect title, it's also possible that the publisher is just snapping up several "just in case" URLs before virtual squatters show up. That said, given the long-term beefing up of positions at 343 Industries (Microsoft's internal Halo studio), it's certain that something is in the works over there. Though Microsoft has yet to announce anything officially, we're hoping this whole "Kinect Halo" thing is little more than a memory if and when it does. [Image credit: 'LaughPong']
Mad Catz to produce Gears of War 3 accessories for Xbox 360
Mad Catz has announced an agreement with Epic Games allowing the peripheral company to produce Gears of War 3 branded accessories for Xbox 360. Gear of Gears of War, if you will. The accessories, planned for release this holiday season alongside the game, include "specialty controllers, headphones" and other unspecified peripherals. Unfortunately, the company has yet to release images, so for now you'll just have to imagine, like, a totally manly headset, and an Xbox controller from which Marcus Fenix's face grimaces at you. Mad Catz and Epic previously partnered on carrying cases and "skinz" for Gears of War and Gears of War 2.
Age of Empires Online preview: Build like an Egyptian
Despite its cartoon look and smiling warmongers -- not to mention its free-to-play gameplay model -- Age of Empires Online is undeniably an Age of Empires game. The new direction doesn't much change the series' core gameplay, as this real-time strategy title is still all about resource management, with a pretty steep learning curve. This is not Age of Empires "Lite." So, imagine my pleasant surprise when, below the coat of cute and colorful paint, I found a deep gameplay experience that quickly summoned my dormant nostalgia for Age of Empires 2 and 3. I jumped right into the Egyptian faction's first mission -- a skirmish in which I had to rid the map of the opposing Greeks -- without issue, despite never having played AoE Online before. %Gallery-114988%
Age of Empires Online gameplay, microtransactions detailed
New details on Microsoft's Age of Empires Online have surfaced at Gamasutra, with much of the information centered on the game's free-to-play business model and associated microtransaction offerings. The game will feature a Premium Civilization upgrade that unlocks all of a civilization's abilities simultaneously, as well as booster packs that add gameplay types, quests, and appearance customization items to the mix. Age of Empires Online will launch with Greek and Eqyptian civilizations, and will be the first entry in the long-running series to feature persistent gameplay (i.e., your city will evolve and earn resources even when you're logged off). The game also boasts PvP functionality as well as cooperative play on the vast majority of its quests. You can learn more about the game, as well as sign up for beta, at the official website.
Age of Empires Online's Egyptian faction, social features announced
Microsoft has revealed the Egyptians (a.k.a. the "blue guys") in Age of Empires Online, its two-faction freemium revamp of the series. The Egyptians will oppose the red team (obviously), which is hellbent on expanding Greece's borders across the whole world. Stay tuned -- we'll be posting our preview of the Egyptians gameplay later today. Additionally, Microsoft has detailed some of the social and MMO features planned for AoE Online, which center on players' capitol cities, and has confirmed Game for Windows Live support (including Achievements). The capitol city -- you can have two; one each for your Greek and Egyptian civilizations -- will be the player's persistent headquarters, used to access quests and rule over the empire, and will function as a travel destination and interaction point for other players. Aside from marveling at your flower gardens (think of your capitol as "FarmVille Lite"), visiting players can join up with you in co-op missions or simply shop at your unique store fronts. Paying players will have incentive to encourage visitors to shop, too, as the premium faction upgrade adds kickbacks: You'll receive in-game currency for purchases made from your stores. Microsoft's detailed "cheat sheet" of the differences between free and paid play is posted after the break. Importantly, Microsoft has said it won't "nickel-and-dime" players -- upgrading from the free-to-play version of a faction is done through a one-time premium add-on, the "Premium Civilization Pack." Microsoft has not yet announced pricing for the upgrades. Age of Empires Online is currently in beta and should be released this year. %Gallery-114988%
