About Chris Leggett

He may have left Microsoft-owned Lionhead Studios to form a new independent studio 22Cans, but Peter Molyneux still has a keen interest in the next Xbox. Speaking to IGN, …
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Trusted sources of Polygon have advised the site of some interesting features that may be in store for Microsoft’s next-generation Xbox console. According to these sources, the console will feature some form of anti-piracy protection, media-sharing capabilities, and a new approach to the Xbox 360’s social aspects.

Polygon’s sources claim that the next Xbox will indeed include some form of an always-on requirement. While many of the key features of the next Xbox are understood to require internet connectivity for use, it’s believed that piracy protection is almost certainly driving the requirement. However, it’s not necessarily mandatory; the sources claim that, under Microsoft’s existing guidelines, the decision to implement this Digital Rights Management (DRM) is ultimately down to the individual publisher.

As with Sony’s PlayStation 4, it’s believed that the ability to share captured gameplay videos and screenshots is an important feature of the next-generation Xbox. While Sony has implemented a “Share” button on its revised DualShock controller that enables footage capture once it’s pressed, Microsoft has reportedly opted for a different approach. According to Polygon’s sources, the new Xbox will capture footage automatically during play in a similar fashion to a television DVR, allowing players to revisit the footage at their leisure. The sources also claim that users can upload clips to social-media sites like YouTube.

Polygon’s sources also contend that publishers have more control over achievements with the next-generation Xbox, including the ability to add new achievements without needing to update the title with DLC. It’s believed that this rumored design element is intended to tweak player behavior over the course of a game’s lifetime, such as encouraging the visitation of new areas or unpopular maps. Other rumored changes to the achievement system include seasonal achievements for, say, a weekend event, or contributing to a communal goal such as a combined total of kills over a weekend. It’s also understood that there may be achievements tied to paired accomplishments in unrelated games from the same publisher. Polygon understands that some of these new types of achievements may even be required in all next-gen Xbox games.

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The XBLA version of eagerly anticipated heist game Monaco: What’s Yours Is Mine failed to launch on its intended release day due to a bug that caused online disconnections. …
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Twisted Pixel, the Texas-based studio behind the likes of Splosion Man, Ms. Splosion Man and The Maw, has lost one of its veteran designers in Dan Teasdale, who announced …
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Gamasutra has published its XBLA sales analysis for the month of March, which notes some interesting movement that has shaken up recent trends. Storming onto the charts with a …
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New assets have surfaced that all but confirm the upcoming XBLA release of classic platformer Castle of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse. As unearthed by tipster @lifelower, Sega of America has …
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Although CastleStorm is due to release next month, little has been made public about its multiplayer offerings. However, in a recent blog post, Zen Studios has lifted the lid on this unknown quantity, explaining CastleStorm‘s 1. vs. 1 split-screen mode, Survival Co-op and Last Stand Co-op modes.

According to Zen, multiplayer progression will be kept distinct from that of its single-player campaign, with players leveling up and earning experience separately in each. Each of the three new multiplayer modes can be played locally or online, and players can even import their own, custom-made castles into multiplayer matches.

The 1 vs. 1 split-screen mode sees players simply attempting to destroy an individual opponent’s castle — the first to do so emerges victorious. Survival Co-op requires two players to team up in order to repel waves of enemies, with one player manning the ballista while the other assumes control of the ground forces. Finally, in Last Stand Co-op Mode, both players assume control of a single hero unit and must stay alive as long as possible while battling increasingly difficult waves of enemies.

Zen has also released a new gameplay trailer that demonstrates CastleStorm‘s newly revealed multiplayer modes in action.

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Fresh screenshots have surfaced for bitComposer’s upcoming arcade-style attack-chopper game, Thunder Wolves. Developed by Hungarian studio Most Wanted Entertainment, Thunder Wolves was originally scheduled to release within the Q1 window, although it was recently bumped to Q2 as we reported earlier in the month.

No new details have been released along with these latest screens. However, so far it’s known that Thunder Wolves allows players to assume control of nine different helicopters with different weaponry and abilities. According to its official website, the game features 13 missions that take place in four different regions with destructible environments. Its missions will vary from “stealth and escort-based objectives to all-out seek and destroy.” No online-multiplayer functionality has been announced, although bitComposer has confirmed that Thunder Wolves will feature a local co-op mode at the very least.

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According to Siliconera, Capcom will release XBLA ports of arcade classics Dungeons & Dragons: Tower of Doom and Dungeons & Dragons: Shadow Over Mystara. There’s nothing official from Capcom at …
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It’s been a long time since we’ve heard news of Gravity’s remake of Double Dragon II, subtitled Wander of the Dragons. In fact, …
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