New Killer Instinct trailer features Sadira with a bonus teaser
Sadira is the first completely new character revealed for the 2013 reimagining of the classic, Killer Instinct. The name Sadira is Persian in origin and means lotus tree, which is …
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No self-publication for indie developers on Xbox One
Those hoping the Xbox One will provide a more open platform for independent games studios, such as the teams behind XBLA hits like Fez, Super Meat Boy and Limbo, may …
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Xbox One unveiled
After years of waiting and speculating on the part of gamers and the press, Microsoft President of Interactive Entertainment Business Don Mattrick today unveiled the company’s next-generation console, the Xbox One, at an event broadcast live from Microsoft’s Redmond, WA campus. The new console, which will launch worldwide later this year, is the successor to Microsoft’s Xbox 360 console, which launched in November of 2005. The Xbox One is Microsoft’s third home video game console, with the original Xbox having been launched in November 2001.
In a stark contrast from competitor Sony’s PlayStation 4 unveiling, Microsoft showed the world what the Xbox One console (pictured above), controller and Kinect sensor looked like almost immediately at the start of the event. All three piees of hardware are primarily black, with the Xbox One and Kinect sensor having hard rectangular shapes. The new controller appears similar in shape to the old one, but has an improved d-pad, triggers and more. Microsoft promised that there are 40 design innovations in the new controller.
Though much of the show failed to focus on actual games, Phil Spencer, corporate vice president of Microsoft Studios, revealed that Microsoft is working on more than a dozen Xbox One games. “We have more titles in development now than in any other time in Xbox history,” said Spencer. “I’m proud to announce that Microsoft Studios plans to release 15 new games in the first year of Xbox One.” Spencer stated that eight of those titles are brand new franchises.
Japanese developer cites Microsoft currency policy as barrier to XBLA development
Much has been made over the last seven years about the high cost of publishing, promoting and patching on Microsoft’s Xbox LIVE Arcade platform. Last week, G.Rev president Hiroyuki Maruyama (Strania: The Stellar Machine, Under Defeat HD) shared his own thoughts on the platform.
XBLA?DLC?????????????????????????????????????????????????80?????????????????????????????????????????????
— ???? ???? (@hiro_maruyama) January 18, 2013
“A strong yen and a weak dollar is very damaging to us because XBLA and DLC are ‘export products.’ That’s why Japanese developers avoid making games for Xbox 360. When we released Strania on XBLA, the rate was 80 yen per dollar. (wry smile) If Japanese people buy our game in MSP, we receive in dollars!”
The dollar has strengthened since then, but the yen still has it beat, with the exchange rate currently sitting at 88.62 yen per dollar. Put in Xbox LIVE terms, 1600MSP ($19.99 US) retails at a rate of ¥2,240 ($24.94 when converted). When the percentage of the sales owed to content creators on a 1600 msp game is disbursed, Microsoft calculates based on $19.99 per copy (the US cost of the points), regardless of how much a consumer paid for the 1600MSP that enabled the purchase.
Newsbits: November 21 – pre-Thanksgiving edition
A new map for Toylogic’s free-to-play adventure title Happy Wars, called Zodiac, released Nov. 16. PlayXBLA also has tips to ensure players are seeing all maps available while matchmaking.
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XBLA Fans Monthly Calendar Update – November 2012
XBLA Fans’ Calendar Update helps you keep track of all those XBLA release dates that often seem to spring upon you at the last minute and remind you of those promised games you were looking forward to that just seem to disappear without explanation. In this edition we’re taking a look at a particularly sparse November along with some hopefuls for December so you can start organizing your MSP and schedule in some serious controller time or sick days well in advance.
The XBLA release schedule seems to have gone a bit quiet for the last two months of the year. So far we only have 3 confirmed November game launches. In the first week of the month gamers can get their hands on the next release in the SEGA Vintage Collection, Toe Jam & Earl for 800 MSP on November 7. In keeping with the retro feel for this week, the remake of 1984’s Karateka will also release November 7 for 800 MSP. The only other confirmed release this month is for Warlords on November 14, also priced at 800 MSP. However Skulls of the Shogun developers 17-Bit, have stated they would like a November launch despite having previously announced it would release with Windows 8, and developers Chasing Carrots have also indicated they would like to release their top-down racer Pressure this month too.
Fire Pro Wrestling review (XBLA)
Fire Pro Wrestling was developed by Spike Chunsoft Co. and published by Microsoft. It was released on September 21, 2012 for 800 MSP. A copy was provided for review purposes.
Fire Pro Wrestling is a franchise that dates back to the late 1980s and has been met with a strong fan following. Although only three entries have released in the United States, the series has garnered a large cult following. The franchise gained popularity due to its old school, sprite based graphics and its deep combo and customization systems. The last major entry in the series, 2005’s Fire Pro Wrestling Returns for the PlayStation 2, gained the series a cult following in the West.
Now, the franchise has returned with the long delayed Fire Pro Wrestling, which repackages with a shiny Avatar wrapping; the game hit XBLA earlier this month. How does it hold up? Is it worth your hard earned MSP? Read on.
XBLAFancast Episode 77 – Paradox
With everyone out for PAX and such, this week I roped in our Video Co-ordinator Shawn and Facebook Guy Kyle. We talk at length about Rock Band Blitz and The Walking Dead (no spoilers though) before moving onto news and then a nice big dose of community talk.
Our previous RSS has run into some issues, so we’ll be switching to a new one as of this episode. Unfortunately that means the old iTunes feed is also going to change. But that will take a week or two, in the meantime you can just use the new RSS in iTunes and it will work just the same.
Check us out on twitter (@XBLAFans) where you can win codes for games, give us feedback or just ask a question. You can do the same on Facebook, and hey while we’re plugging stuff be sure to check us out on YouTube and Twitch.TV. We are also now on Stitcher, so you can stream the show on your smartphone, give it a go!
Big thanks to Chris Green for the awesome theme music, be sure to check out his site BlurredEdge and why not follow him on twitter too @BlurredEdge.
[podcast]https://xblafans.com/xblafancast/XBLAFancastEp77.mp3[/podcast]XBLA Fans Roundtable: Summer of Arcade 2012 – Dust: An Elysian Tail
This year we decided to collectively look at each of the Summer of Arcade games. So all this week we’ve been posting roundtable discussions of the games in order of release (Tony Hawk, Wreckateer, Deadlight, Hybrid). Today we end with the most well received game in the line-up. Humble Hearts’ Dust: An Elysian Tail, takes a tried and true formula and adds some oft-times breathtaking art to make an incredibly solid package.
Team 17 designer Kevin Carthew says a Worms revamp was long overdue, Worms: Revolution to be the “blockbuster”
Since its creation in 1995, Worms has been leading the way in the artillery shooter genre. With its slapstick humor, turn based strategy and tried-and-true formula, Worms became a brand with a massive following and history. Team 17, the developers of Worms, has remained small throughout however. The studio’s other franchise Alien Breed and a few Worms spin-offs (like Worms Blast and Worms Golf) are Team 17’s only true ventures outside the turn-based artillery action gameplay featured in Worms. Due to this, they’ve been called risk averse, they’ve been criticized for clinging to the Worms franchise, so of course their upcoming Worms revamp, Worms: Revolution, may be met with cynicism by some. We talked to lead designer on the upcoming game and 14-year member of Team 17 Kevin Carthew about working with the rest of Team 17 to revamp the Worms franchise.
According to Carthew, most of the group at Team 17 felt like a Worms revamp was long overdue before Worms: Revolution had a single line of code. Roughly two years ago, before true development on Worms: Revolution had begun, a presentation was given by key members of Team 17; it was a studio-wide event. Words were said, pictures were shown, heads were nodded — Worms: Revolution would be the “blockbuster” Worms game. “We aren’t just making another Worms game, we’re making the Worms game.” said Carthew. “Of course we’re going to call it Worms something”, but “revolution” really is the point of this new game, and everybody at Team 17 feels it. Read More