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Sure, the slow-motion, dramatic action movie trailer can be a touch cliche. The back-to-back quick cut explosions set to adrenaline-pumping choir chant and thunderous shotgun percussion. We’ve all seen …
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The fifth title update to bolster Happy Wars‘ cartoonish combatants has come ashore, bringing with it an invading force of familiar faces. Developer Toylogic Inc. in collaboration with The …
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What we are playing is a weekly column published on Sunday. Select members of the team talk about the games they’ve been playing over the past week and which they’re …
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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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The sports-action-mayhem hybrid Ghetto Golf is headed to “Next-Gen” gaming platforms, according to Illfonic President and Co-Founder Chuck Brungardt. First spotted by eagle-eyed friend of XBLAFans, @lifelower, the news comes from …
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Hey gang, we’re going to be implementing a few new features over the next 24, and this post is where you’ll find our testbed of new gadgets. Things may change …
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The notable Windows IT Pro blogger that stated last month the new Xbox reveal would be delayed has released more speculations about the new Xbox. Now Paul Thurrott of WinInfo …
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How long does it take to conjure a cybernetic combat whale complete with side-mounted weaponry and a nose cannon? If you’re Minicore Studios’ talented concept artist Devin Lawson — about five minutes. That’s the run time of a newly released video, first spotted by Joystiq, showcasing the speed-drawing conceptualization of the battle-ready giant for the upcoming Laika Believes. You can check out the video after the jump, which is set to a plucky chiptune arrangement pulled straight from the game’s soundtrack.

The action platformer takes place in an alternate history where the Soviet superpower has enveloped the known world in it’s robotic iron grip. Unlike the depressing fate of the real Laikia (the first animal launched into orbit), Laika Believes sees the titular canine return, cybernetic, super-intelligent and ready to save the day. We know very little about the forthcoming title, other than it’s certainly headed for steam while an Xbox Live Arcade offering is still being investigated as separate episodes.

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The first Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows trailer spotlighting each of the titular foursome has made its way to the …
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