Xbox Live’s Larry Hryb AKA Major Nelson announced today, via Twitter, that the Xbox One will receive the same Games for Gold program that the Xbox 360 currently has. The Games for Gold program gives Xbox Live members free access to certain games chosen by Microsoft each month. What could be better than free games every month?
If you’re anything like me, you’re extremely excited for November 22nd to roll around; that’s the day that the Xbox One is being released to the salivating masses. Today, Microsoft gave us a bit of a teaser into what the next-gen dashboard looks like and how it operates. Let’s just say that this only feeds the flames of desire.
Rare has announced that Kinect Sports Rivals, Xbox’s answer to Wii Sports, will be available in a free trial form at the launch of the Xbox One on November 22nd. It will be called Kinect Sports Rivals Preseason. The “trial experience” will come with the wake racing event, one of the six events that Kinect Sports Rivals will eventually ship with.
Known to some as one of the ultimate mulitplayer experiences on Xbox, Halo 3 is now free to download for Xbox Live Gold subscribers until the end of the month. Originally released in 2007, Halo 3 quickly became one of the most popular multiplayer games on Xbox. Now, you can take part in Master Chief’s epic adventure for free.
Video games and exercise don’t often go hand-in-hand, although attempts at calorie burning games by major consoles have been made in the past. However, with the new Kinect 2.0 technology included with the Xbox One, Microsoft is trying to lure us couch potatoes off of our favorite La-Z-Boy by combining videos by popular fitness instructors with Kinect’s new ultra-sensitive cameras.
November 22nd is right around the corner and the Xbox One will soon be one of the most fought over holiday gifts of 2013. There has been lots of discussion over the Xbox One hardware, Microsoft’s inclusion of and subsequent back-pedaling on DRM, and the bundled Kinect 2.0. But in my opinion, what makes a console successful are the games. Now that the Xbox One’s launch titles have been confirmed, it’s time to decide what game(s) you’ll be spending your hard-earned money on. There are also games that are coming out in 2014, but are still considered to be in…
Every time a new generation of gaming consoles is released, there tends to be great buzz and excitement as fans start pre-ordering their devices. As is the case almost every time, retailers start selling out of the first shipment of consoles very quickly. If you’re still looking to pre-order, check out NowInStock.net which can alert you when pre-orders become available. I, like many consumers, was on the hunt for an Xbox One pre-order. If you navigate to NowInStock.net’s Xbox One page, it lists all available packages, bundles, etc. and lets you know where you can order them. You’re also able to…
Grand Theft Auto V continues improvement in open world environments where crime is king and characters expand with a three main character scenario that allows character to switch among them. Rockstar Games expands existing gameplay into show-stopping events with more role-playing opportunities as main and supporting characters cross paths while players can take main routes or choose tangents any time. The Hype Los Santos: a sprawling sun-soaked metropolis full of self-help gurus, starlets and fading celebrities, once the envy of the Western world, now struggling to stay afloat in an era of economic uncertainty and cheap reality TV. Amidst the…
You might have heard of the Grand Theft Auto games, which are either the cause of all evil or just a video game depending on your perspective. The fifth entry (or 7th counting Vice City and San Andreas) was just released – and has already sold over $800 million during its first 24 hours of retail and digital sales. Wow. By comparison, GTA4 sold 3.6 million copies for $310 million on launch day – 2K games isn’t telling how many units of GTA5 were sold. And in the UK GTA5 replaced Call of Duty: Black Ops as the fastest selling…
Yesterday Nintendo announced a couple of major developments meant to bolster their sagging console business. The first is a price drop on the Wii U system to $299 to compete with the upcoming Sony & Microsoft consoles. They also launched the 2DS, a non-3D system that will play all DS and 3DS games for just $129.99. Mike S did a great job running down the details of the announcements and also the game line-ups for Fall release for Wii U and 3DS systems. So what I wanted to do was run down some thoughts on the Wii U price cut…
Plantronics has a message to gamers: “If you’re into your games AND your mobile devices, we’ve got the headset for you!” The RIG headset and mixer audio system let you play interactive video games, take calls, and listen to music from your smartphone or tablet. It’s the first member of the RIG family of gaming devices, and it is coming this fall for $129.
In Deadpool, the “merc(enary) with a mouth” gets his own third person action shooter/action game and goes up another number to break the “fourth wall” into several video game genres and various jokes/references. The Hype Some of you may know me as the Merc with the Mouth. And it’s time to get mouthy. Prepare to get Deadpooled – That’s right, $#*! just got real! Couple things I’d like to get off my chest: I’m a mercenary for hire with an accelerated healing factor. I like to run my mouth. Some say I’m unstable but I’m very stable. (Yep, totally stable)…
GRID 2 is a motorsport masterpiece game sequel was worth the wait featuring two main modes for one player and online plus a two player split screen racing option. New features include a reverse action button and gameplay video uploading/editing/posting to YouTube. The Hype An extensive and separate online campaign redefines multiplayer racing games plus full RaceNet integration Powered by Codemasters’ EGO Game Technology Platform for jaw-dropping damage and stunning visuals, GRID 2 sets the standard for technical excellent in racing. Race a handpicked selection of iconic cars that represent the best in automotive engineering from the last 40…
The kids are out of school and summer time is in full swing. Look for these great console and computer game offerings when you need a break from the heat. You can keep that summer feeling on your down time with The Sims 3 Island Paradise on PC/Mac (also in limited edition with extra content). Construct and manage a five-star resort hotel; explore the endless ocean, and/or build and sail your own houseboat in this extensive expansion pack (requires The Sims 3). Other PC releases include Leisure Suit Larry: Reloaded (PC/Mac) and Machines at War 3 (PC/Mac), the sequel to…
I just wrote about how Microsoft has done an about-face on much of the online-requirements and DRM associated with the upcoming Xbox One. The timing of their announcement was ironic, as I was about to write a post saying that in reality Microsoft was absolutely right in what they were doing with DRM, and that everyone is just getting wrapped up in ‘internet outrage’ that would pass, and they would buy the Xbox One come holiday time. Wait … WHAT?!?
There are two elements to every pitch – the idea and the delivery. There is also the context of the surrounding world at the time of the pitch, the mind frame of those receiving the pitch, and the competitiveness of the landscape. That said, there is fairly widespread agreement that Microsoft got everything wrong with the initial introduction and E3 pitch for its upcoming Xbox One console. It was so bad that Sony ‘won’ simply by not being Microsoft, and Nintendo got loads of attention by declaring ‘we’re all about games’ – something that ended up sounding all but revolutionary…
Everyone who has followed the E3 game conference for more than a year knows the basics – new hardware is introduced, and hot new awesome looking games are trotted out just to demonstrate how hot and awesome everything will be once it all ships. In years past some of this was done by way of screenshots and trailers … but those became known as ‘bullshots’, because it became immediately clear that none of it was actually real game screens or footage. More recently the bullshots moved to E3 product demos, in which product managers showing off games would take their…
All eyes were on Sony last night to see how they would counter Microsoft’s earlier presentation, particularly regarding the new PlayStation 4 console versus the Xbox One. Sony began their presentation with the usual pomp and circumstance to get the crowd pumped up then concentrated on the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita (125 games and counting since its launch). Game announcements for the PlayStation Vita, the “companion for PS4”, included a remaster God of War HD 1 & 2, Final Fantasy 10 and 10-2, Flower, Dead Nation. Other upcoming PlayStation Vita titles include:
Now to concentrate on the main content at the 2013 Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) – the games! Microsoft has plenty of new Xbox One launch games coming before the end of the year including Ryse, the racing sequel Forza Motorsport 5 and Quantum Break, a sci-fi action game that will release at the same time as the television series. Sony will have their PlayStation 4 launch games in full force including the racing game sequel Gran Turismo 6, action shooter Killzone: Shadow Fall (set 30 years after Killzone 3), the action adventure filled Knack featuring an advanced robot as the…
Well, THAT didn’t take long! In fewer than a dozen hours the XBOX One reveal went from being exciting … to a disappointment. Over at GameIndustry.biz they are already calling the reveal of the XBOX One an ‘awful start’, and discussing how Microsoft needs to redeem itself at E3. Of course, leave it to Ctrl-Alt-Del to joke about how Sony hasn’t even figured out how to assemble their new console yet! Rather than pontificate on that sort of stuff, I wanted to address 5 areas of concern to me as a PC gamer:
“The beginning of truly intelligent TV”… “A huge day for all entertainment”… These are some of the memorable quotes from today’s Microsoft Xbox announcement presentation, which included two female media executives sharing the stage, military dogs in the next Call of Duty game, Steven Spielberg, exclusive sport partnerships, and, mostly importantly, the “All in One” Xbox One system – technology that will step behind the curtain and let you take center stage. I felt this presentation was about smart media integration and expanding consumer offerings more than actual information beyond improved computer power/processing. The big hardware setup innovation was having…