Halo Articles: Halo Articles

Bungie hints Destinys Reveal

Thu, 14 Feb 2013 22:37:30 +0000

Thank sweatybagels for finding this. Give him a pat on the back when you see him.

Bungie gives us a poem and it is unknown what it means.

Bungie loves a good self-promotion, and gamers love to hear about the developer's games, so this latest news will make everyone happy. Bungie has started what appears to be a countdown site for the official reveal of its upcoming game with Activision: Destiny.

Going to alphalupi.bungie.net takes you to what appears to be a countdown site terminating next Monday, February 18. Solve the initial puzzle and you'll be taken to another screen with a link that leads you to the following text:

Our sky is filled with unseen signals. Radio-frequency emissions pulse and flit and dance all around us. Yet even a singing patch of sky can be observed, and transformed into a range of frequencies.

Can you hear it? No, not yet. It has not yet arrived. But together we can receive its call.

Imagine combining the observations of thousands across the globe on an object meandering through the heavens. The resulting array would be quite large. Quite powerful. This is your task.

Alone it will not be enough. Coordination and timing is needed. Observations must be made simultaneously.

Your window will be small. Five minutes at most. But windows may be reopened. And the distance between observer pairs will be key.

There will always be limitations in clarity, so the results must be archived for study. Highly technical observers may be required. Detailed frequency analysis is recommended.

Everything that belongs to us will be ours, but only if we create the capacity to receive it.

What does it all mean? We should find out soon.

Black Ops 2, Far Cry 3 Top U.S. Sales Charts for January

Fri, 15 Feb 2013 13:32:06 +0000

It's been reported that Black ops 2 and Far cry 3 were the best selling games in period of Dec 30th 2012 - Feb 2nd 2013. More details below.

Credit to lil dog for this article.

This article is from

IGN

The NPD Group has revealed the top ten best-selling games in the United States for the month of January.

The best-selling titles in the United States for the period between December 30, 2012 and February 2, 2013 were the following:

Call of Duty: Black Ops II (360, PS3, Wii U, PC)**

Far Cry 3 (360, PS3, PC)

Just Dance 4 (Wii, 360, PS3, Wii U)

NBA 2K13 (360, PS3, Wii, Wii U, PSP, PC)**

Madden NFL 13 (360, PS3, Wii, PSV, Wii U)

DMC: Devil May Cry (PS3, 360)

Halo 4 (360)**

Assassin's Creed III (360, PS3, Wii U, PC)**

Skylanders Giants (Wii, 360, PS3, 3DS, Wii U)**

FIFA Soccer 13 (PS3, 360, PSV, Wii, Wii U, 3DS, PSP)

NPD analyst Liam Callahan noted that January marked an unusual five-week reporting period for NPD, but noted that “an adjusted figure can be computed for trend purposes: multiplying January 2013 sales figures by 0.80 (four-fifths) will normalize the five-week period to a four-week level.”

“Overall retail video game sales (hardware, software, and accessories, would be down 13 percent, instead of up 9 percent, if sales were normalized to account for the 5-week January,” Callahan noted. “When taking into account the 5-week month of January 2013, normalized sales of hardware were down 17%. Based on looking at trends of a normalized January 2013, software dollar trends were down 19% from January 2012.”

Callahan said Far Cry 3’s ranking marks “the first time since January 2002 with Final Fantasy X that a December launch has ranked second in the following January.” He added that Ni No Kuni “was just outside of the top ten game ranking at eleventh” but would have ranked at #7 if sales of individual games weren’t combined into groups by platform.

Callahan added that PlayStation 3 software was down 2% compared to last year (when adjusting for the five-week period), and 3DS sales were only down 4%. He also noted that accessory sales were up 4% compared to a year ago, and that “Skylanders accessory sales continue to impress and made up five of the top ten accessory SKUs sold this month.”

On the hardware front, Callahan notes “Xbox 360 led hardware sales again this month. This is the eighteenth consecutive month the platform led overall hardware sales and the twenty-fifth consecutive month it has led console hardware sales.” Microsoft said in a statement that 281,000 Xbox 360s were sold in the United States in January and that $338 million was spent on Xbox 360 games, consoles and accessories for the month.

While Nintendo didn't provide specific sales figures this month, Gamasutra reports that "cumulative three-month Wii U sales are down 38% vs. Wii's first three months on the market."

Minecraft update 9 First Picture

Thu, 14 Feb 2013 22:43:29 +0000

Source-GamingBlend

Minecraft Update 9 is revealing us animal eggs, what else is there?

4J Studios is hard at work on Title Update 9 for the Xbox 360 version of Minecraft. To prove to fans that they're making progress, the studio released a lone screenshot of the patch's new content.

The screenshot shows an inventory full of Spawn Eggs. Spawn Eggs are items that allow you to directly create mobs. You can create peaceful animals to inhabit the world or spawn a monster if you feel like fighting something.

Title Update 9's big new feature is called The End. The End is a bleak dimension inhabited by Endermen and a black drake known as the Ender Dragon. Defeating this Ender Dragon will be a difficult task but it earns players a decorative egg. It also gives players a sort of "final goal" for the otherwise unstructured game.

4J is also working to bring all of the features from Minecraft's PC version to the Xbox 360. Upcoming features for Minecraft Xbox 360 Edition include Ocelots and jungle terrain. The studio confirmed via Twitter that those two particular features won't make it into Title Update 9, though.

Title Update 9 will arrive in March at the earliest, according to 4J.

Next Gen Xbox Demo Released At Square Enix

Wed, 13 Feb 2013 18:39:21 +0000

The Next Gen Xbox has a demo at Square Enix and has revealed some footage of how the graphics, lighting and motion will look like. Below are some very well detailed images of video game characters and a video showing off some light and movement activity as a demonstration.

This article and images are from Examiner.

The Xbox 720 will receive some impressive tech from gaming's developers and among that will be the Luminous Engine from Square Enix, which has just released its newest demo.

According to a report from Siliconera on Monday, a brand-new demo for Square Enix's Luminous Engine has been released and it is just as impressive as the others that have been revealed up until now.

Given the potential and power the Luminous Engine has, hopefully Square Enix will return to making profits in the console space because it would be a shame to lose such a talented contributor.

Square recently talked about some of the struggles they have had in the console space.

"During the nine-month period ended December 31, 2012, the Company has not recovered the operating loss posted in the six-month period ended September 30, 2012.

"[This is] primarily due to the increasingly difficult condition of the world-wide console game market, under which the Group is struggling to achieve a fair expected return on its investment.

"On the other hand, content for other platforms such as PCs, smartphones and SNS such as 'Sengoku Ixa,' a browser game, and 'Final Fantasy Brigade,' a social networking game for Mobage, are generating an acceptable profit.

"In addition, newly released game titles, such as 'Kaku-San-Sei Million Arthur,' a social networking game released in April, 2012 serving more than 1 million registered users, have been expanding at a satisfactory pace.

"Registered users of Final Fantasy Artniks,' a social networking game released in November, 2012 for Gree, exceeded 1 million at the end of December, 2012," Square said.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=KFQYC7awTOc

Destiny to be revealed on Feb 17th

Tue, 12 Feb 2013 18:39:13 +0000

Destiny has been confirmed to be revealed on Feb 17th on the destiny's official

facebook page. Nothing has been said what exactly we will see, there is also another destiny reveal coming in late march at the Game Developers Conference. This all that has been said about it so check back at the news section for more info on this reveal.

Just to add, an ARG for destiny began yesterday check out about it

here and it leads up to Feb 17th

Forget Apple Tv, Consoles Are The Future For Tv

Mon, 11 Feb 2013 03:37:41 +0000

Source-Forbes

Forget Apple Tv, Microsoft plans building the future for Tv.

TV is coming. Just like Apple reformed the stagnant music business, so will Apple save us from the corrupt cable companies.

Apple’s stock is sinking, says this point of view, because Apple thrives on redefining entire industries and it hasn’t done that in a little while. But just wait, because Apple TV is coming.

We’ve been hearing that for years, and it’s getting old. In the meantime, longtime rival Microsoft has actually been building the future of TV. Its Xbox 360 may have begun its life as a gaming console, but now it’s truly come of age as a multimedia set-top box, and it’s continuing to push forward the idea of a new way to watch TV. It hasn’t come with the explosive fanfare of an Apple press event. But it’s revolutionary just the same.

“In the last few years, we have been achieving really good progress in terms of how to we make the box appealing to more people in the house, be used by more people for more hours and for more types of entertainment. We want to transform TV,” says Jose Pinero, senior director for Xbox Live.

“We have all these companies trying to figure out what is the future of entertainment. We want to win the entertainment platform war.”

In March of 2012, Xbox users passed the threshold for using their machines for video more than games. The future of television may not be so distant.

In June, Forbes’ David Ewalt wrote a cover story on how Microsoft was poised to win the war for the living room . He wrote:

“So the Xbox has become Ballmer’s weapon of choice, one that his company has aggressively moved to position as something more than a toy used to play a little Call of Duty or Madden NFL. Over the last ten years, while its rivals have dithered and misfired, Microsoft has been feeding its living-room secret weapon a nonstop diet of software updates and hardware upgrades.”

Content continues to be one of most commentators major concerns with any Apple entry into TV. This isn’t the music industry, where failing labels were looking for a lifeline anywhere they could find it. Cable companies are strong, and they aren’t interested in handing over their revenue to Apple. And Apple’s need to be the alpha dog in any deal makes the prospect of friendliness even less likely.

Microsoft, on the other hand, breathes partnerships. It formed an empire by bundling its software on other people’s machines. And while that empire has waned considerably, that desire and ability to play well with others is baked into the company’s DNA. Xbox already has 90 TV and entertainment apps worldwide, and Pinero says that number is still growing considerably.

On top of that, the Xbox brings with it a level of interactivity that’s only natural for a machine with gaming at its center. Interactive TV is a moving target – nobody really wants to decide what jokes Michael Bluth will tell in Arrested Development. Small applications like polls built into the Xbox’s presidential debate streaming are closer to the mark. Simple applications go a long way – things like voice and gesture controls or extra info on a second screen with phone and tablet-enabled “smart glass.”

Microsoft isn’t alone here. Nintendo’s Wii U has made TV a central piece of its launch window with TVii – despite some notable hiccups, the software is coming along, and it’s already coming into its own. Watching sports with stats displayed on a small screen in your lap is just one glimpse of what TV is capable of. Outside of game consoles, devices like the Roku have made their way into homes across America primarily as Netflix machines, but they’re going to be part of the evolving landscape just the same. Already extant-Internet-enabled TVs streamline the process even further.

And that’s discounting the world of just plugging your computer into your TV – something that Steam Boxes and Shields alike will encourage.

Every year that Apple delays entry into the TV market, its competitors grow stronger and the bar for “revolutionizing” the industry gets higher. Aside from offering a la carte channels, which I doubt cable companies are quite ready to do, it’s hard to imagine how Apple could reshape TV the way it did music. Meanwhile, it’s already happening elsewhere.

“The beauty is that the technology and the platform is there today and we have it today. That’s not a far-fetched idea,” says Piñero. “We already have the idea, and we already have some things in place. That’s a great opportunity that’s going to be a great area of growth.”

Dice 2013 Awards

Mon, 11 Feb 2013 03:15:51 +0000

Source-VentureBeat

Halo 4 Won Some Awards In The Dice 2013 Awards!

Indie darling Journey destroyed its fellow nomines at the annual Design Innovate Communicate Entertain (D.I.C.E.) Summit winning Game of the Year to go along with seven other awards Thursday night at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino.

Now in its 16th year and put on by the Academy of Interactive & Science, the awards ceremony wasn’t without a little controversy, as a series of montages glossed the announcements of a number of winners, preventing people from coming up to accept an award or give a speech. At one point, an apparently slightly intoxicated member of the Skylanders team rushed the stage to request his fellow montage winners be allowed to join him and thank their hard-working dev teams.

From the D.I.C.E. Award nominations press release: “Titles were played and evaluated by members of the Academy’s Peer Panels to determine final nominees. These panels, one for each award category, are comprised of the game industry’s most experienced and talented men and women who are experts in their chosen fields. All Academy members are eligible to vote for the winners in every category.”

Below you’ll find the full list of nominees, their corresponding publisher/developer, and the winner for each category (in bold). I found it a bit reductive of the Academy to merge the RPG and MMO genres into one category and that it didn’t consider many important releases, such as Xenoblade Chronicles.

Game of the Year

Borderlands 2 (2k Games/Gearbox Software)

Far Cry 3 (Ubisoft)

Journey (Sony Computer Entertainment America, LLC/thatgamecompany)

The Walking Dead (Telltale Games)

XCOM: Enemy Unknown (2k Games/Firaxis Games)

Outstanding Achievement in Game Direction

Journey (Sony Computer Entertainment America, LLC/thatgamecompany)

Dishonored (Bethesda Softworks/Arkane Studios)

Far Cry 3 (Ubisoft)

The Unfinished Swan (Sony Computer Entertainment America, LLC/Giant Sparrow)

The Walking Dead (Telltale Games)

Outstanding Innovation in Gaming

Journey (Sony Computer Entertainment America, LLC/thatgamecompany)

Nintendo Land (Nintendo of America Inc./Nintendo)

Sound Shapes (Sony Computer Entertainment America, LLC/Queasy Games)

The Unfinished Swan (Sony Computer Entertainment America, LLC/Giant Sparrow)

The Walking Dead (Telltale Games)

Downloadable Game of the Year

Fez (Microsoft Studios/Polytron Corporation)

Journey (Sony Computer Entertainment America, LLC/thatgamecompany)

Mark of the Ninja (Microsoft Studios/Klei Entertainment)

The Unfinished Swan (Sony Computer Entertainment America, LLC/Giant Sparrow)

The Walking Dead (Telltale Games)

Handheld Game of the Year

Gravity Rush (Sony Computer Entertainment America, LLC/Japan Studio)

Paper Mario Sticker Star (Nintendo of America Inc./Intelligent Systems)

Resident Evil Revelations (Capcom USA/Capcom Co., Ltd.)

Sound Shapes (Sony Computer Entertainment America, LLC/Queasy Games)

Uncharted: Golden Abyss (Sony Computer Entertainment America, LLC/Sony Bend Studio)

Mobile Game of the Year

Fairway Solitaire (Big Fish)

Hero Academy (Robot Entertainment)

Horn (Zynga Inc./Phosphor Games Studio)

Rayman: Jungle Run (Ubisoft/Pastagames, Ubisoft Montpellier)

Web Based Game of the Year

Bingo Bash (BitRhymes Inc.)

Burrito Bison Revenge (Adult Swim/Juicy Beast Studio)

CityVille 2 (Zynga)

Sim City Social (Electronic Arts/Maxis, Playfish)

Song Pop (FreshPlanet Inc.)

Action Game of the Year

Borderlands 2 (2k Games/Gearbox Software)

Far Cry 3 (Ubisoft)

Halo 4 (Microsoft Studios/343 Industries)

Hitman: Absolution (Square Enix, Inc./IO Interactive)

Sleeping Dogs (Square Enix, Inc./United Front Games)

Adventure Game of the Year

Assassin’s Creed III (Ubisoft)

Darksiders II (THQ/Vigil Games)

Dishonored (Bethesda Softworks/Arkane Studios)

New Super Mario Bros. Wii U (Nintendo)

The Walking Dead (Telltale Games)

Casual Game of the Year

Fairway Solitaire (Big Fish)

Journey (Sony Computer Entertainment America, LLC/thatgamecompany)

Puzzle Craft (Electronic Arts/Ars Thanea)

Rayman Jungle Run (Ubisoft/Pastagames, Ubisoft Montpellier)

Sound Shapes (Sony Computer Entertainment America, LLC/Queasy Games)

Family Game of the Year

Dance Central 3 (Microsoft Studios/Harmonix Music Systems)

Just Dance 4 (Ubisoft/Ubisoft Paris, Ubisoft Reflections, Ubisoft Bucharest, Ubisoft Bune, Ubisoft Milan)

Lego Batman 2: DC Super Heroes (Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment/ TT Games)

Nintendo Land (Nintendo of America Inc./Nintendo)

Skylanders Giants (Activision Publishing, Inc./Toys for Bob)

Fighting Game of the Year

Persona 4 (Arena Atlus Co./Arc System Works)

PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale (Sony Computer Entertainment America, LLC/SuperBot Entertainment, Inc.)

Soulcalibur V (Namco/Project Soul)

Street Fighter X Tekken (Capcom USA/Capcom Co., Ltd.)

Tekken Tag Tournament 2 (Namco Bandai Games)

Racing Game of the Year

Forza Horizon (Microsoft Studios/Turn 10 Studios Playground Games)

LittleBigPlanet Karting (Sony Computer Entertainment America, LLC/United Front Games)

MotorStorm RC (Sony Computer Entertainment Europe/Evolution Studios)

Need for Speed Most Wanted (Electronic Arts/Criterion Games)

Trials: Evolution (Microsoft Studios/RedLynx Ltd.)

Role-Playing/Massively Multiplayer Game of the Year

Diablo III (Blizzard Entertainment)

Dust: An Elysian Tale (Microsoft Studios/Humble Hearts)

Guild Wars 2 (NC Soft/ArenaNet)

Mass Effect 3 (Electronic Arts/BioWare)

Torchlight 2 (Runic Games)

Sports Game of the Year

FIFA Soccer 13 (Electronic Arts/EA Canada)

MLB The Show 2012 (Sony Computer Entertainment America, LLC/San Diego Studios)

NBA 2K13 (2K Sports/Visual Concepts)

Strategy/Simulation Game of the Year

FTL (Subset Games)

Minecraft 360 (Microsoft Studios Mojang/4J Studios)

Orcs Must Die 2 (Robot Entertainment)

Total War: SHOGUN 2- Fall of the Samurai (SEGA of America Inc./The Creative Assembly)

XCOM: Enemy Unknown (2k Games/Firaxis Games)

Outstanding Achievement in Animation

Assassin’s Creed III (Ubisoft)

Far Cry 3 (Ubisoft)

Hitman: Absolution (Square Enix, Inc./IO Interactive)

Mark of the Ninja (Microsoft Studios/Klei Entertainment)

Uncharted: Golden Abyss (Sony Computer Entertainment America, LLC/Sony Bend Studio)

Outstanding Achievement in Art Direction

Borderlands 2 (2k Games/Gearbox Software)

Dishonored (Bethesda Softworks/Arkane Studios)

Far Cry 3 (Ubisoft)

Halo 4 (Microsoft Studios/343 Industries)

Journey (Sony Computer Entertainment America, LLC/thatgamecompany)

Outstanding Character Performance

Borderlands 2: Tiny Tina (2k Games/Gearbox Software)

Far Cry 3: Vaas Montenegro (Ubisoft)

Halo 4: Cortana (Microsoft Studios/343 Industries)

Mass Effect 3: Female Commander Shepard (Electronic Arts/BioWare)

The Walking Dead: Lee Everett (Telltale Games)

Outstanding Achievement in Connectivity

Call of Duty: Black Ops II (Activision/Treyarch)

Halo 4 (Microsoft Studios/343 Industries)

Nike+ Kinect Training (Microsoft Studios/Sumo Digital Lrd.)

Outstanding Achievement in Gameplay Engineering

Dishonored (Bethesda Softworks/Arkane Studios)

Gravity Rush (Sony Computer Entertainment America, LLC/Japan Studio)

Journey (Sony Computer Entertainment America, LLC/thatgamecompany)

The Walking Dead (Telltale Games)

XCOM: Enemy Unknown (2k Games/Firaxis Games)

Outstanding Achievement in Online Gameplay

Borderlands 2 (2k Games/Gearbox Software)

Call of Duty: Black Ops II (Activision/Treyarch)

Diablo III (Blizzard Entertainment)

Halo 4 (Microsoft Studios/343 Industries)

Journey (Sony Computer Entertainment America, LLC/thatgamecompany)

Outstanding Achievement in Original Music Composition

Diablo III (Blizzard Entertainment)

Far Cry 3 (Ubisoft)

Journey (Sony Computer Entertainment America, LLC/thatgamecompany)

Mass Effect 3 (Electronic Arts/BioWare)

World Of Warcraft Mists Of Pandaria (Blizzard Entertainment)

Outstanding Achievement in Sound Design

Assassin’s Creed III (Ubisoft/Ubisoft)

Diablo III (Blizzard Entertainment/Blizzard Entertainment)

Journey (Sony Computer Entertainment America, LLC/thatgamecompany)

Medal of Honor: Warfighter (Electronic Arts/Danger Close Games)

Syndicate (Electronic Arts/Starbreeze Studios)

Outstanding Achievement in Story

Dishonored Bethesda Softworks Arkane Studios
Journey (Sony Computer Entertainment America, LLC/thatgamecompany)
Sleeping Dogs (Square Enix, Inc./United Front Games)
Spec Ops: The Line (2k Games/YAGER Development GmbH)
The Walking Dead (Telltale Games/Telltale Games)

Outstanding Achievement in Visual Engineering

Call of Duty: Black Ops II (Activision/Treyarch)
Halo 4 (Microsoft Studios/343 Industries)
Hitman: Absolution (Square Enix, Inc./IO Interactive)
Need for Speed Most Wanted (Electronic Arts/Criterion Games)
Total War: SHOGUN 2- Fall of the Samurai (SEGA of America Inc./The Creative Assembly)

Next Gen Games will look like Crysis 3

Sun, 10 Feb 2013 23:45:17 +0000

Source-CVG

Will Next Generation Games Look Like Crysis 3? If they do should they improve?

Speaking to us last week about the calibre of his studio's upcoming shooter, Yerli said: "I don't think Crytek can do more on current generation consoles than Crysis 3.

"I actually think people will be astonished that next gen launch titles from other companies might not be much different from Crysis 3."

On his company's own efforts for new hardware, Yerli added: "Crytek's projects generally will be way above what we've achieved on the existing consoles."

Yerli also praised the work his team has done creating what he believes is a unique game world.

"Crysis 3 has its own visual identity, [the urban rainforest] is a world that hasn't been done before, that kind of depiction, the quality and level of immersion. I think no game has ever done that kind of setting, it's a visual spectacle.

"It has not even been done in Hollywood. People might suggest there are similarities with I Am Legend, but that is quite different to this. I Am Legend is overgrown, but Crysis 3's urban rainforest is a whole different level of that. It has its own identity and I'm very proud of what the team achieved in this regard."

Xbox 720 Gameplay may be Free!

Sun, 10 Feb 2013 18:08:30 +0000

Xbox 720 May Eventually be Free to Play Online

Source:

Examiner

The Xbox 720 may go eventually to play, but will this be true?

The Xbox 720 is close to being unveiled and one of the questions that is still up in the air is what type of model the system will ultimately adapt.

According to a report from GamesIndustryon Friday, Crytek chief executive officer Cevat Yerli talked about the decision they made to make free-to-play games equal to the same quality as pay-to-play titles.

"We decided five or six years ago that we want to marry the quality of triple-A games with the business model of free-to-play.

"And at that time, we decided some other games, in some of our other studios, would head in this direction.

"But we kept pushing the quality bar higher on our console business, which is the main dominating business for the Western world, but we are observing, plainly - and we see this already with 'Warface' - that the free-to-play market is on the rise.

"We're looking at free-to-play as a force that drives our growth and world-domination plans."I think over the next two to three years, free-to-play is going to rival retail with quality games like 'Warface.'

"So we have quite a few console titles in our pipeline that are [traditional retail games] while we investigate free-to-play on consoles. But our primary goal is to make triple-A free-to-play games for the world market and transition entirely to that," Yerli said.

Yerli then went on to talk about their upcoming platform GFace.

"As a company, [we will] transition from a developer to a service company, and we're going to offer a platform, with G-Face, to any other [developer that needs it].

"If we could launch our games on a platform that already exists today, and we could get the same results, then we wouldn't build our own platform. But we're convinced that our platform does some particularly new things that makes our games behave better. That's why we plan to offer this service to third parties.

"This doesn't mean our main business will be driven by our platform business. We are just going to open it up and see how it works. We are always going to be a games-first company.

"We will always have our own development because we are all about making games. We provide technology, but technology is not our main driver. We make technology to make great games," Yerli said.

View attachment: xbox.jpg

Top Xbox Live Activities Charts For All Of 2012

Sun, 10 Feb 2013 00:48:33 +0000

Source-Major Nelson

Source-Joystiq

It looks like Call of Duty Hit the top of the list In 2012! Along with halo 4 behind it!

If an alien intelligence agency got a hold of this "Top Xbox games of 2012" list, it might come away with the conclusion that humans are really, really into mining. The aliens might also conclude that we enjoy warfare, including the kind that affects extraterrestrials, so let's hope that they focus on the harmless digging thing and keep their lasers to themselves.

Major Nelson breaks down 2012's top 20 games of the following categories: Live, Arcade, Indie and Games for Windows Live. The top Xbox Live games of 2012, determined by average unique users per day, are Call of Duty: Black Ops 2, Modern Warfare 3, Halo 4, Minecraft: Xbox 360 Edition and Black Ops. Following that is a round of sports games, including FIFA Soccer 13 and12, and Halo: Reach, Assassin's Creed 3, Battlefield 3, Borderlands 2, Far Cry 3 and Skyrim.

The top five Xbox Live Arcade games, determined by full versions purchased, are Minecraft, Trials Evolution, The Walking Dead, Pinball FX2 and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. Castle Crashers is hanging out at No. 6, followed by Fez at No. 13. Indie games are ranked with the same method, and they carry a familiar theme, headlined by CastleMiner Z, CastleMiner, Total Miner: Forge,Avatar Deathmatch and FortressCraft Chapter 1.

Games for Windows Live games get ranked by average unique users per day, and the top five areGrand Theft Auto 4, Dark Souls: Prepare to Die Edition, Age of Empires Online, Batman: Arkham City and Super Street Fighter 4: Arcade Edition. Remember, aliens, humans sure do love the smell of fresh, pixelated dirt. See for yourself with the full lists, provided by Major Nelson, after the break.

Xbox 360 Top LIVE Titles (based on average UU's per day)

1 Call of Duty: Black Ops II

2 Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3

3 Halo 4

4 Minecraft: Xbox 360 Edition

5 Call of Duty: Black Ops

10 Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2

11 Borderlands 2

12 Assassin's Creed III

13 Skyrim

14 Madden NFL 13

15 Gears of War 3

16 NBA 2K13

17 NBA 2K12

18 Far Cry 3

19 Grand Theft Auto IV

20 Forza Motorsport 4

Top Arcade Titles (Full Versions purchased)

1 CastleMiner Z

2 CastleMiner

3 Total Miner: Forge

4 Avatar Deathmatch

5 FortressCraft Chapter 1

6 Murder Miners

7The Impossible Game

8 Avatar Laser Wars 2

9 The $1 Zombie Game

10 Avatar Paintball

15 Avatar Laser Wars

16 End Of Days: Infected vs Mercs

17Toy Stunt Bike 2

18 Flight Adventure 2

19 Don't Die Dateless, Dummy!

20 Block World

Games for Windows Top LIVE Titles (based on average UU's per day)

1 GTA IV

2 Dark Souls Prepare to Die Edition

3 Age of Empires Online

4 Batman Arkham City

5 Super Street Fighter IV Arcade Edition

10 Fallout 3

11 Batman: Arkham Asylum

12 Fable III

13 Bioshock 2

14 Gotham City Impostors

15 Colin McRae : Dirt 2

16 Bulletstorm

17 Street Fighter X Tekken

18 Resident Evil Raccoon City

19 F1 2010

20 Street Fighter IV

Xbox 720's Featuring Voice Command?

Sat, 09 Feb 2013 18:54:26 +0000

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=ZjhSkr2bjYo

Source-Examiner

According to IGN the next xbox will have voice command!

The Xbox 720 will no doubt have some game-changing features, and apparently one of the Xbox 720's features will include a voice recognition system that is similar to Apple's Siri.

According to a report from IGN on Thursday, the Xbox 720 will apparently be featuring technology that has voice recognition capabilities.

The feature will supposedly be very similar to the Siri feature that now accompanies many of Apple's products.

The feature will allow gamers to turn on the Xbox by simply uttering the words "Xbox on." They will also be able to see what their friends are playing by saying "what are my friends playing?"

For those who did not see the IllumiRoom demo that surfaced at CES 2013, the person who was demoing the technology did the same "Xbox on" voice command in the video.

He said "Xbox on" and the system responded. Perhaps this feature is a bit more likely than others we have heard about.

The Kinect for the Xbox 360 does have a voice recognition feature, but it is very bottom-of-the-line, and Microsoft looks to embellish the spec even more with the Xbox 720.

Xbox 720 could improve the feature by allowing people to move through apps, games and other features gamers will find on the new dashboard.

In addition, the system will also respond to gamers with answers to some of their questions as they relate to the gaming system.

This will be an interesting feature if it does come to fruition, and gamers could navigate through the system's features a bit more easily with it.

Used games not to work on Next Xbox?

Thu, 07 Feb 2013 07:42:05 +0000

Recently it was reported that Sony will not be making the PS4 compatible was used games and speculation began if the same thing will happen to the next gen Xbox and it seems that it going that way too and not only that user will be required a constant internet connection to operate the console. So as well as not being able to play used next gen games does this also mean the next gen Xbox won't be backwards compatible with Xbox 360 games and will we not be able to play our beloved games like Halo 3, Reach, Halo 4 and many others on the new xbox? Well there is a possibility that the feature that prevents used games to be played will only be aimed at next gen games, or it could be like the 360 only selected games will be playable on the new console or the whole backward compatibility could be wiped out completely.

This article is from

Examiner

With the expected announcement of Sony's next-generation console, the PS4, coming later this month, today we have acquired a few new details regarding Sony's direct competitor, Microsoft's Xbox 720. Through the information that was delivered in an article posted by

Edge Online today, it seems that Microsoft's Xbox 720 will require users to have a constant Internet connection to operate the device.

Along with the always online function, the Xbox 720 will completely eliminate the used game market. It is stated that Microsoft will still make physical copies of software available with the use of 50 GB capacity Blu-ray discs. These discs will be supplied with a one-time activation code and will be useless after this code has been used.

Since Microsoft is targeting the online delivery model, it is stated that the Xbox 720 will have a sizable hard drive shipped with the system. Continuing to drive for the use of motion control, the Xbox 720 will be shipped with a new Kinect device bundled with the system. It is stated that this device will be much more responsive than the original Kinect.

Redbox Coming To Xbox Live

Wed, 06 Feb 2013 02:41:15 +0000

Source-IGN

Redbox Is coming to xbox live,but will it be more popular than Hulu Plus And Netflix?

Look out Netlfix: Verizon and Redbox are looking to bump you from the coveted "thing most of your Xbox Live friends are doing at 3 a.m." spot. Last year, news arrived of Verizon's plans to team up with DVD-rental kiosk company Redbox to offer instant streaming. While the service still remains in beta, Microsoft's Larry Hryb has announced Xbox 360 is the "exclusive" console provider for Redbox Instant's imminent launch.

"Today we’re happy to reveal that Redbox Instant by Verizon will be coming to Xbox 360 in the very near future," said Hryb. "If you are currently a Redbox Instant beta participant, you’ll receive an email with a unique code to access the app on Xbox 360 in the coming days."

Redbox and Verizon are hoping to compete with similar services, including Netflix and Amazon Instant, by providing a means to easily grab physical copies of new releases. After pushing subscribers toward streaming-only plans with readjustments in pricing plans, the instant-streaming library on Netflix is seriously lacking in current titles. Redbox Instant will offer subscription plans of $8/month (DVD) or $9/month (Blu-ray) which allow you to grab four one-night rentals from Redbox kiosks (in addition to the streaming library).

The Xbox 360 app will also allow purchase and rentals of releases without a Redbox Instant subscription. If you're not currently involved in the Redbox Instant beta, you can enter your email address at their site for a chance to join.

Redbox representatives have issued clarification to IGN, stating that the service will be available on other games platforms in the future, but will be exclusive to Xbox 360 at the time of its initial launch.

Xbox 720's Game Engine Revealed

Sun, 03 Feb 2013 20:35:44 +0000

Source-Examiner

The Game Engine has been revealed,but heres the real question are the games gonna look good?

The Xbox 720 will indeed be receiving some of the best and most advance technology in gaming, and further proof of that is the newly unveiled REDengine3 from CD Projekt RED.

According to a report from DSOGaming on Friday, Adam Badowski, head of CD Projekt RED studio, talked about how this new game engine will be contributing to upcoming games they develop.

"If we look at RPGs nowadays we find two approaches, one which emphasizes the story but limits the game world, and one that builds a vast, open world but hampers and simplifies the story.

"With the REDengine 3 we combine the positive aspects of both approaches for the first time, creating an open environment with a complex, multi-thread story.

"Together with believable characters, a captivating tale and a world where players can roam freely without loading times, we will be able to move gaming to a new level with a realistic feel and full player immersion.

What do you think about the engine?

"When working on our previous titles, I didn’t dream that we would achieve something like this. Thanks to the support of all our fans, now we have the possibility to use REDengine 3 and create something many RPG fans dream of," Badowski said.

A description was sent out via CD Projekt RED that helps describes some of the capabilities the new engine has.

"The technology uses high-dynamic-range rendering with 64-bit precision that ensures superior picture quality with more realistic and precise lighting without losses derived from reduced contrast ratio.

"A flexible renderer prepared for deferred or forward+ rendering pipelines has a wide array of cinematic post-processing effects, including bokeh depth-of-field, color grading and flares from many lights. A high-performance terrain system allows multiple material layers to be efficiently blended and uses tessellation for the best possible detail.

"The technology also includes seamless blending between animations and physics along with many more features. The engine uses CD Projekt RED’s new version of its proprietary REDkit editor with tools made specifically for RPG game creation. The editor can build complex, branching quests and set them in a free roaming environment with a simplicity not achieved by similar toolsets."

Are you excited for the next-generation engine from CD Projekt RED?

Check A Xbox 720 Game called CyberPunk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=P99qJGrPNLs

Xbox 360 approaches 76 million sales

Sun, 03 Feb 2013 16:29:30 +0000

SourceAfterDawn

It looks like the popularity for the Xbox 360 still rises!

An updated sales chart from the Redmond giant notes that it has sold 75.9 million Xbox 360 consoles. The estimate is up from 70 million units reported in October 2012.

The new sales chart also notes 40 million Xbox Live members, which is unchanged from the previous report on its usage from Microsoft several months ago. As of November 2012, Sony was reported to have shipped 70 million PS3 consoles around the world.

Microsoft is expected to officially announce its next-generation Xbox very soon, possibly in March, while Sony is expected to at least offer a peak at the PS4 later this month.

Console Games Coming To Facebook?

Sun, 03 Feb 2013 16:15:15 +0000

Source-SeekingAlpha

Facebook might be having games from the xbox 360 to Facebook for a price

Facebook is hoping an upcoming batch of 10 console-type games from developer partners will draw your attention (and virtual goods dollars). Titles include the first-person shooter Offensive Combat and the real-time strategy game Stormfall: Age of War. They present fresh competition for Zynga (ZNGA -1.8%), which has been working to expand its lineup of "mid-core" titles. Also Facebook might be having their gift cards coming to retail stores.

Facebook users can now say "charge it," with a new physical gift card the social network is rolling out, which people can use to make purchases in brick-and-mortar retail stores.

Facebook's mockup of its physical gift card.

The product, called the "Facebook Card," is a plastic, reusable card that users can give their friends to redeem at four different partner companies: Jamba Juice, Olive Garden, Sephora, and Target. Facebook describes the product as "a new type of gift card," in a blog post announcing its launch.

Here's how the Facebook Card is designed to work: A person can select a gift for a friend on the site's Gift Cards & Digital category to be redeemed at one of the affiliated stores. After the user chooses the amount of the gift, the friend is notified and receives the card in the mail a few days later. When the card arrives, the friend can use it at the retailer that was chosen for the gift amount.

If the chosen retailer were Target, for example, the person doing the giving can choose between, say, a US$10, $50, or even $100 value for the card. Once the recipient receives it in the mail, it can be used at any local Target store, Facebook said, although it will not work at Target.com or Target Mobile. Company officials were not immediately available to comment on whether the card would work with websites of the other stores involved in the program.

One card, several accounts

Also, because the card is reusable, it can store multiple gifts from multiple stores. That means that first-time gifts arrive physically in the mail as the card itself, but then later gifts are loaded instantly, electronically, to the same card, the company says. If there are multiple balances on the card, each balance is dedicated to the retailer associated with the gift, Facebook says.

In other words, a person can have a gift balance of $25 at Target, $10 at Jamba Juice, and $40 at Olive Garden. The balances are not cross-distributed among the stores. Card holders can view their balances on Facebook from either their phone or desktop. Facebook will also send an instant notification to recipients' phones whenever the balances change, the company says.

Facebook did not provide details on whether additional vendors would eventually be included in the program. It is also unclear how the card will be sent to recipients who have not provided their mailing address to the site, or whether there would be any other methods to distribute the product for people who do not wish to share their address with Facebook.

Facebook has long promoted digital gift cards for a variety of services. Last year, its Gifts service moved beyond digital options to offering sale and actual delivery of physical items.

Migrating from virtual

Those questions aside, the Facebook Card is a good product that could help the company move beyond the virtual environment where it largely operates today and into the physical world, said Puneet Mehta, CEO of location-based app developer MyCityWay.

The card could lead to payment models beyond gifting, such as microfinance, wherein a person could use Facebook to send money to, say, an entrepreneur in South Africa, he said.

Mobile app to manage the gift card.

And Facebook's mobile app could eventually bypass the need for the gift card. "Eventually, users might be able to carry money just on the app itself," Mehta said, akin to a "mobile wallet."

Company executives were not very bullish on Facebook's Gifts product during the firm's January 30 fourth-quarter earnings call, so the timing of the card launch is interesting. The company sought to "temper near-term expectations on revenue" coming from areas such as Gifts or search, for instance, and instead focus attention on its mobile platform, CEO Mark Zuckerberg said.

Facebook said the card will roll out gradually to people in the U.S. The company did not say whether the card would be available in other countries.

Xbox 720 has at least 4 unannounced in production from Microsoft

Sat, 02 Feb 2013 20:46:16 +0000

It has been reported that at least 4 brand new titles will be released for the next gen xbox but they might not be released when the next xbox is released but perhaps at some point after. More details below.

This article is from

Examiner

"Halo", "Gears of War", "Fable" and "Forza Motorsport" have been staples for the Xbox 360 and at least three of those are assured to return next-gen with the release of the next Xbox. Microsoft has been criticized in the past for not having original and exclusive titles for its consoles but a Microsoft Product Manager resume discovered Friday confirms that there are at least four all new intellectual properties (IPs) coming.

Jonathan Brown is the current Senior Product Manager/Product Planner for Microsoft's Vancouver Studios which was renamed to Black Tusk Studios last November. In his LinkedIn resume he wrote, "I have been the primary product manager on four unannounced new IP and have been a key contributor to bringing these IP from the very early concept phase through green light to production."

In an interview with The Vancouver Sun last year, studio head Mike Crump said, "[W]e are working on Microsoft’s next big entertainment franchise. We’re not working on an existing franchise, we’re looking to build the next 'Halo' here in Vancouver, for example, which is really exciting. We are building something from the ground up.”

That distinction is important as it shows that Microsoft is working on AAA franchises and not just Kinect games which have been received poorly by 'core' gamers. Other studios with unannounced projects include Microsoft Studios - Log Angeles, Platform Next Studios, Playful Learning, Skybox Sports, Lionhead Studios, Lift London, Press Play, and Microsoft Victoria Studios. Some of these studios could be working on PC only titles or Windows Phone 8 games as well.

Europe will miss 2013 release for PS4

Sat, 02 Feb 2013 20:12:34 +0000

The PS4 will be delayed until early 2014 for Europe as Sony released some of their other hardware late in Europe but plans for a 2013 release for the US and Japan still seem to be intact.

More details below

This article is from

Gamingbolt

Sources have told Edge that the PS4 will indeed be releases in Japan and the United States at the end of this year, but that it will miss a 2013 European release date and come out in the region early in 2014.

This might just happen. Sony has had a history of releasing some of their hardware late in Europe, a la the PSP and the PS Vita (which released late in US too).

Edge also detailed several new features that the PS4 will boast of, according to its source, in its article. The first one was an improved version of the PS Eye.

The PS4 will also ship with a redesigned controller. “[it will be] the same size as an existing DualShock but features a small touchpad in place of the existing Select, Start and PS buttons,” reads the reports. “The tech is based on Vita’s rear touchpad, and is similarly responsive in use.”

“A new Share button on the controller will, when pressed, launch a new feature that will allow screenshots and video to be distributed online,” the article added. “The PS4 hardware will continually record the most recent 15 minutes of onscreen action (with no processing penalty, claims our source), which users will then be able to edit and broadcast via the Internet.”

The PS4 is likely to be announced on February 20th.

Team Doubles Coming To Halo 4

Fri, 01 Feb 2013 19:29:20 +0000

Team doubles will be added to Halo 4's multiplayer next week and it will include 3 team doubles gametypes which is Infinity team doubles, team doubles pro and CTF team doubles. Read below for more details

Credit to Sykowolf for finding this.

This article is from

G amesptot.

The first is Infinity Doubles, which lets players choose a custom loadout and allows for instant respawn and use of radar. Ordnances will become active at the traditional 70-point mark, but options are adjusted specifically for Team Doubles, 343 said. Games are played to 300 points.

Doubles Pro features preset game loadouts (available at the 343 website) and the score limit is the same as above. However, radar, personal ordnance, and instant respawn are toggled off.

Third, CTF Doubles is a customized version of the Capture the Flag game mode for teams of two. Custom loadouts and radar are enabled and respawn timers are set to 10 seconds. Flag locations have been tweaked, 343 said, to "provide an optimal experience for small maps and teams." Rules of the game are: five flags to win, three-second return, and 15-second rest. In addition, gamers do not need to have their flag home to score.

A finalized map pool is still being worked on, though 343 said modified versions of Haven, Abandon, and Solace will be included, as well as some Forge-made maps.

In addition to announcing and detailing Halo 4's new Team Doubles playlist, 343 also revealed two new specializations will be added to the mix next week. They are Rogue and Tracker. More details are available on the 343 website.

Also on tap for Halo 4 in February is the game's next multiplayer map pack. The Majestic expansion adds new environments Landfall, Monolith, and Skyline to the mix.

PS4 Reveal Coming Feb 20th

Fri, 01 Feb 2013 03:20:28 +0000

A playstation 4 reveal is set to be held on February 20th, quite a bit of time before E3 which will be held within the first week of June.

This article is from

CVG

A post and video on the PlayStation firm's official blog invites fans to "see the future" at an event set for February 20 at 6pm EST. Sony has also launched a countdown website with the tagline "be the first to know".

CVG understands invites have been sent to media and investors for a 'PlayStation Meeting' in New York City on the same date.

A first unveiling of PlayStation 4 - or 'Orbis' - would fit with CVG sources' indications this month that Sony would unveil its new console "in weeks", well ahead of June's E3 fanfare.

In January 2011, Sony held a similar PlayStation Meeting event in Japan to officially announce the PS Vita, before revealing fuller details at E3 several months later.

CVG has been informed by development sources that the next Xbox will also be announced in some form before E3, but further leaks of information are not likely.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=d-3GMHIgR-U

'Orbis' has been the subject of an increasing number of high profile 'leaks' in recent weeks, including more than one alleged system specifications dossier.

In January senior games studio sources told CVG the next PlayStation will utilise a brand new controller, and that versions featuring a biometric sensor and LCD touch screen have been tested.

According to a recent Kotaku report, PS4 will support "multi-user simultaneous logins", allowing multiple users to be signed into accounts simultaneously on a single console.

Other mooted features include a rebranded PlayStation Home-style social network and a prevention measure against pre-owned games.

Sony has publicly suggested that the next PlayStation will not go on sale before Microsoft's Xbox 360 successor, although one senior CVG source called the suggestion "ridiculous" considering the ground Microsoft gained by launching the 360 a year before PlayStation 3.