microsoftgamestudios
Latest
Video: E3 Mass Effect demonstration
Without a doubt, Mass Effect was one of the highlights of our time at E3. Sporting compelling gameplay and gorgeous visuals to boot, Mass Effect proved to be one of the most promising titles at the show. Hell, Peter Moore even told us it was the game he's most excited about. Of course, not everyone can go to E3 and not everyone got the chance to see BioWare's behind-closed-doors Mass Effect presentation. IGN managed to grab Greg Zeschuk, president of BioWare, for a live demonstration of the game. Zeschuk takes time to discuss the game's dialogue system, story, and it's combat system. For those curious about Mass Effect -- and even those who have already laid down their pre-orders, it's definitely worth a look. Check it out after the break.
Bungie on Halo 3 online co-op, movie Warthog
In the latest Bungie weekly update, Frankie discusses the recent, internet asploding story about Halo 3 and one of its (currently) missing features, online co-op. According to Frankie, Bungie is toiling on the feature, but getting the game's "complicated A.I. systems, huge game world, and gargantuan encounters" working nicely over an internet connection is proving to be a difficult task. He compares the work being done on online co-op to wrestling an alligator. Offering us a glimmer of hope in this analogy, Frankie notes that Bungie hasn't revealed "how big the knife we brought to the wrasslin' match is." Finally, he states that Bungie will say more when the time is right. Apart from the online co-op situation, the most interesting part of the update is a real, fully functioning Warthog, prompting us to frantically IM our friends (and loved ones), "OMG IZ REEL WRTHOG!!11!" Remember the live action "Arms Race" short film that was shown at E3? Well, that film is part of a series, and this Warthog will be making an appearance. All we want to know is when it's showing up on eBay (it'll go great with our Spartan suit). There's plenty more info contained in the update, including some new details on changes made to the energy sword in multiplayer (it will have a battery now). Go forth and read it.
Bizarre: PGR4 not out "'til it's done."
Microsoft says Project Gotham Racing 4 will be available in September. We're sure Bizarre Creations -- makers of PGR4 -- don't want to make liars out of Microsoft. That said, Bizarre's business director, Brian Woodhouse, admits they may have to do just that. In a recent press briefing during E3, Woodhouse told Eurogamer that PGR4 would not be rushed (something he admits happened to PGR3). "This one," said Woodhouse, "we're not letting go 'til it's done." Woodhouse's comments were directed towards the rather unbalanced difficulty of PGR3. We can tell you from firsthand experience, the game looks amazing. If Bizarre needs a little time to make it perfect, we say let 'em have it.
X3F interview: Peter Molyneux
In another of our rapid fire, 4 minute interviews with Microsoft VIPs, we had a chance to chat with Peter Molyneux, mastermind behind Fable and the upcoming Fable 2. During our chat, we go in depth with Molyneux about the new scarring system employed in Fable 2. We also discuss the property system (which Molyneux is particularly fond of) and seafaring. And, just for grins, we ask about ninjas. If you'd prefer to listen to this interview (as well as interviews with Frank O'Connor, Brian "Ske7ch" Jarrard, and Peter Moore himself), you can check it out in our latest Fancast. Otherwise, read on.
Video: Mass Effect's delicious dialogue
Perhaps you read our recent impressions of Mass Effect. If you did, you'll know that we were mightily impressed with the game's dialogue system. Rather than simply presenting players with a set of scripted responses, Mass Effect more or less has players choose their gut response. This gives conversations a much more natural flow, and as a side effect, actually made us pay attention to what the characters were saying. If a game can actually make you enjoy the things your character says, rather than simply skipping over it, that's a good sign.Having seemingly read our minds, GameVideos has posted a video of the dialogue system in action. Give it a watch and see how interesting it can be. Take special note of the choices the player didn't make, and you'll have an idea of how many possibilities there are. November can't come fast enough.[Via Joystiq]
New Halo 3 weapons revealed, no online co-op
Yeah, you read that right. As of right now, Halo 3 co-op remains an offline only experience. CVG has the scoop from the latest issue of EGM. According to Bungie's Frank O'Connor, the team is still working on a way to properly implement online co-op. As Frank puts it, it's possible for players to be nearly a mile apart at certain points in the game, which makes online co-op a challenge. He notes that measures could be put into the game to prevent such vast separations, but that it "would make it not feel like Halo anymore." He concludes by saying that "If we can make it happen in a way that works well, we will - and if it works badly, we won't." Considering that the Bungie crew is currently putting the finishing touches on Halo 3, we imagine online co-op won't make it into the retail disc. Any hope of such a feature likely rests in the possibility of downloadable content. So, if you've been waiting to try out some four player online co-op, you may be waiting for a while.In happier news, EGM confirms several new weapons and vehicles. There is a dual-wieldable Brute shotgun called the Mauler and the gravity hammer we saw at E3 is confirmed as well. New equipment includes the Flare -- essentially a flashbang -- and the Regenerator, which refills shields (presumably for all those near the device). Three new vehicles, the Prowler, Hornet, and Elephant, which is described as a Jawa Sandcrawler. Halo fans will know that a Prowler is a recon ship with stealth abilities, though it is probably too large to be a playable vehicle. Finally, the article reveals that there will be a remake of the popular Halo 2 multiplayer map, Lockout, called Guardian.[Via Joystiq]
Joystiq impressions: Mass Effect
For many people, the wait for BioWare's Mass Effect has been a terribly arduous one. We've been treated to a few snippets of gameplay action, some very pretty screens, and even a novel, but the game itself is still four months away. We got a chance to take an extended look at the game at E3 this year, and honestly, it looks like it's going to be worth the wait.First thing's first: the game is visually stunning. The level of detail in the character models is pretty much a textbook example of what the current generation of video games should look like. Even since its showing at GDC in March, the facial features have improved by leaps and bounds. The eyes have depth and the lip syncing is about as spot on as you're likely to see in a video game. Of course, the real graphical treats are the various alien races, which benefit from not having to tread the edge of the Uncanny Valley. As such, the alien characters seem to have a bit more life and verve to them than even the excellently detailed human offerings. The environments, too, are topnotch.
X3F impressions: Mass Effect
For many people, the wait for BioWare's Mass Effect has been a terribly arduous one. We've been treated to a few snippets of gameplay action, some very pretty screens, and even a novel, but the game itself is still four months away. We got a chance to take an extended look at the game at E3 this year, and honestly, it looks like it's going to be worth the wait.First thing's first: the game is visually stunning. The level of detail in the character models is pretty much a textbook example of what the current generation of video games should look like. Even since its showing at GDC in March, the facial features have improved by leaps and bounds. The eyes have depth and the lip syncing is about as spot on as you're likely to see in a video game. Of course, the real graphical treats are the various alien races, which benefit from not having to tread the edge of the Uncanny Valley. As such, the alien characters seem to have a bit more life and verve to them than even the excellently detailed human offerings. The environments, too, are topnotch.
Win Forza 2 from Uncle Gamer
Our friends at Uncle Gamer -- who we finally had the pleasure of meeting at E3 -- have contacted us to let us know that they're giving away a brand-spanking-new copy of Forza Motorsport 2. All you need to do is head over to the Uncle Gamer forums and think up a caption for a special E3 photo. We won't spoil the picture for you, but let's just say we spent four hot minutes in the dark with the guy on the right. You will have register for the Uncle Gamer forums to participate, but that seems a small price to pay for a free game, no? Hit the "read" link for full details.
Ensemble: Halo Wars demo before release
Gamers tend to be (understandably) cautious when it comes to real time strategy games on consoles. The reason for this is simple: RTS games on consoles have been uniformly bad, with the (arguable) exception of Battle for Middle Earth II and Command & Conquer 3 on the Xbox 360. Even with those games, however, the controls are far from perfect, which becomes abundantly clear in later levels. Halo Wars hopes to change all that, or so we were told by Ensemble. Still, we'd like a bit of a safety net if you please. Lucky for us, the folks from Ensemble told us during our Halo Wars E3 presentation that there is a demo on the way. According to producer Chris Rippy, the demo will arrive "for sure before the game comes out." While we were generally impressed with the Halo Wars presentation, our one nagging concern was the control, so it's nice to know that we'll all be able to try before we buy. Halo Wars touches down in 2008.
X3F interview: Bungie's Frank O'Connor
In another 4 minute E3 round robin interview (check out our first session with Peter Moore), we got the chance to interview Bungie's Frank O'Connor, better known simply as Frankie to Bungie fans. We made sure to ask him about Halo, of course, but we also asked him about Peter Jackson's project and Bungie's magnum opus, Pimps at Sea.First of all, when did you actually start Halo 3's production? Was it almost immediately after Halo 2?Some of it was even before, you know, some of the concepting and design stuff was done before then, but pretty much three years of development.When you were doing Halo 2, was there a time when you were thinking Halo 1, Halo 2 and that was it, or were you always thinking trilogy?We were thinking of a trilogy. I can't say that we felt that during Halo 1 but certainly during Halo 2. That became very apparent that there was more story to tell than could fit into a 10 hour, 11 hour game.The last trilogy you did for Mac was the Marathon games. And Halo 1 you were originally doing for Mac ...There's some symmetry there, yeah.
Joystiq interviews Bungie's Frank O'Connor: Peter Jackson details
During a late night Microsoft interview session last Friday, we had a few minutes to chat with Bungie's head writer and (handsome) public face, Frank O'Connor. As was the case with our previously mentioned Peter Molyneux interview, we only had four minutes before being shuffled off to the next interviewee. The next interviewee, as it turns out, was Peter Molyneux. We'll let you sort out this blog writing time paradox on your own. For now, it's time to focus on the subject at hand: Pimps at Sea. Oh, and we asked a few questions about Halo as well.First of all, when did you actually start Halo 3's production? Was it almost immediately after Halo 2?Some of it was even before, you know, some of the concepting and design stuff was done before then, but pretty much three years of development.When you were doing Halo 2, was there a time when you were thinking Halo 1, Halo 2 and that was it, or were you always thinking trilogy?We were thinking of a trilogy. I can't say that we felt that during Halo 1 but certainly during Halo 2. That became very apparent that there was more story to tell than could fit into a 10 hour, 11 hour game.The last trilogy you did for Mac was the Marathon games. And Halo 1 you were originally doing for Mac ...There's some symmetry there, yeah.
Surprise! Halo 3 soundtrack on the way
While speaking with Brian "Ske7ch" Jarrard about the chaos that is currently Bungie Studios -- what with all the finishing touches being crammed into Halo 3, you see -- he mentioned that Marty O'Donnell is busy implementing the music (which was missing from our E3 demonstration). Turning to the subject of music, we asked whether or not Bungie had plans to release the Halo 3 soundtrack as a standalone product. "I'm sure that's a safe bet," said Jarrard, adding, "It'll happen. Sure." So there you have it, a Halo 3 soundtrack to listen to on your Halo Zune while you play with your Halo ActionClix, action figures, comics, graphic novels, and maybe the actual game itself.
Fable 2 seafaring nixed, ninjas added?
Whilst chatting with Peter Molyneux during a lightning fast, round robin interview session (8 tables, 8 Xbox luminaries, 4 minutes each: more at X3F), we learned two surprising things about Fable 2. First of all, we have bad news for all the would-be Fable 2 pirates: seafaring has been cut from the game. Molyneux told us that Lionhead had intended to allow players to become ship captains and sail the ocean blue, but eventually made the decision to cut the concept from the game. According to Molyneux, it's part of his job to cut things out of Fable 2 so that what is left -- the combat, for instance -- is really polished. Molyneux did inform us that the game will still contain pirates though, so that should serve as some consolation. As for the (possibly) good news: since we were on the subject of pirates, we cheekily asked Molyneux if Fable 2 will have ninjas. Molyneux responded, "Ninjas? Well, we aren't saying anything about that. It's funny you should ask that question." Why, Peter? Why is it funny that we should ask that question!? Tell us more!So then, for those keeping score on Fable 2:Death -- NoSeafaring -- NoPirates -- YesNinjas -- Mmmm ... could be.
Spotted in E3 Halo 3 demo: gravity hammer
We were lucky enough to snag a second look at Bungie's E3 presentation and, lo and behold, we were treated to a new weapon ... sort of. During the saved film portion of the presentation, we saw a Spartan soldier wielding what was clearly a gravity hammer, similar to the one wielded by Tartarus in Halo 2. While we didn't get to see the gravity hammer in action, we saw a still shot of a Spartan brandishing it and another of a Spartan with it slung over his back. Brian "Ske7ch" Jarrard of Bungie Studios suspiciously pointed the weapon out during a freeze frame and then promptly pointed out that he couldn't talk about it. He did this twice, so we get the feeling it may have been intentional. So, there you have it folks, hammers abound inHalo 3. Now all we need is a clever name for hammer whoring n00bs. Any suggestions? [Image via Halopedia]
Molyneux: no death in Fable 2, but scars
After sampling the delights of Fable 2 (more on that soon) we had a little chat with Peter Molyneux about death. Specifically, we talked about how death would be treated in Fable 2. Typically, death in video games means loading the previous checkpoint or restarting a given level. According to Molyneux, such will not be the case in Fable 2. Instead, when overpowered and bested by an enemy, players will be left with a permanent reminder of their defeat: a scar. Granted, the scars are cosmetic, but they do affect how NPCs perceive the main character. The idea apparently came to Molyneux after watching Casino Royale, in which James Bond undergoes particularly brutal torture during one scene and finds himself in the arms of a woman during the next. According to Molyneux, "In Hollywood, heroes always win the day." That's all well and good, but what if you don't like the idea of being disfigured? Players will have two choices it seems: don't lose, or you can pay a hefty fee to keep your attackers from scarring you. Molyneux revealed that testers are willing to lay down hefty sums of gold -- 1000, which is enough to buy a hut -- in order to avoid scarring. So there you have it, you won't die in Fable 2 -- even bosses can't kill you, but they leave deeper scars -- but you'll pay a price (one way or another) for failing in combat.
Gears of War PC official, not Vista exclusive
It just not a gaming event without a little CliffyB. Lo and behold, he made an appearance at Microsoft's E3 press conference to announce (you guessed it) Gears of War PC. In an announcement that surprised precisely zero people, the game was made official. While the announcement itself wasn't earth-shattering, there were definitely a few choice nuggets of new info worth noting. Cliffy did honor the conference crowd with a quick demo of the game, showing off some of the PC exclusive features. Naturally, the game makes use of Games for Windows Live, which Cliffy demonstrated by playing with a buddy. He also revealed that GOW PC will feature new single player chapters, new multiplayer modes, new multiplayer maps, and an entirely new set of achievements totalling 1000 points. In another surprising revelation, Cliffy announced that the game would be shipping for both Windows Vista and XP. Given the hoopla surrounding the Vista-only releases of both Halo 2 and Shadowrun, it looks like Microsoft may be trying to make things write with PC gamers.Of course, Gears of War PC does raise a few questions. Will the new content be offered to 360 Gears of War fans? Will cross-platform play be available? We tried to get answers from Microsoft, but for now it remains a mystery.
Marathon: Durandal confirmed for XBLA
The torrent of Xbox 360 news from the E3 press conference continues as, Microsoft confirmed in an Xbox Live Arcade reel that Marathon: Durandal is indeed heading to Xbox Live Arcade. Given that the game was rated by the USK and subsequently pulled from the USK's database, this should come as no surprise to X3F readers. The brief clip showed off at the press conference revealed improved graphics over its aging PC/Mac counterpart. For those unaware, the Marathon series is something of a spiritual precursor to the Halo series, featuring many similar plot and design elements. In essence, Marathon is the primordial ooze out of which Halo born. No price or release date have been announced.Oh, and, for the record, we totally called it (last year even).
Bizarre talks up PGR4 motorcycles
Rumored last week thanks to the released box art -- and confirmed in recent playtests -- Bizarre Creations has posted an article detailing the motorcycles gameplay featured in Project Gotham Racing 4. Along with this revelation comes a load of new screenshots. The shots show off some particularly nice motorcycle and rider models. Bizarre has also revealed that motorcycles will be capable of lots of kudos earning tricks that cars naturally can't do. These will be accomplished with a new "Stunt button" that initiates tricks. Never fear though, if you hate the idea of motorbikes, they are not mandatory. If cars are your thing, PGR4 still has you covered. Check out a gallery of the new PGR 4 motorcycles below. [Via Joystiq]%Gallery-4708%
Blue Dragon demo set for July 20
If you've been on the fence about Blue Dragon, then we have some good news for you. According to Dengeki Online (helpfully translated by Siliconera), an international Blue Dragon demo is slated for July 20. Weighing an impressive 1.1GB, the demo will apparently contain a whopping 2 hours of available gameplay. We hope you've grown accustomed to the English voice-overs though, as Japanese will not be an option in the demo. There may be a few different subtitle options, depending on the language settings of your Xbox. Finally, be sure to grab the demo as soon as you can, as it will fly away from Marketplace on August 3rd, giving just over three weeks to save up for the real thing.[Via Siliconera]
