Killer Instinct

In years past, it was relatively easy to produce a quality video game on a modest budget. In more recent years, however, the cost has risen astronomically, due in no small part to the advancement of technologies and the larger teams required to produce AAA-quality games. As a result, it’s easy to get caught up in sales numbers and “units shipped” and not realize that many games struggle to break even. As the cost of production goes up, so does the cost of the games.

The most expensive game of all time, in terms of production costs, is Star Wars: The Old Republic, with a budget of $200 million. The title is PC-only, which makes it even harder for publisher EA to recoup that expense.

The recently released Grand Theft Auto V (GTAV) comes in second place with a budget of $137 million. GTA V was released on both Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, but even with multiple platforms, making back that budget could be a tall order if there wasn’t so much excitement and hype for the game.

Where are we going with this?

The methods used to pass on that cost to gamers have been particularly annoying to gamers at the start of this latest video game generation. “Micro-transaction” has become a four-letter word.

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The launch trailer for Killer Instinct has revealed that the classic Killer Instinct character Fulgore will be available on the Xbox One title in March 2014. Fulgore will be the eighth and final character from the Season One roster for Killer Instinct on Xbox One. Spinal, the seventh character in Season One, will be available in January 2014. A second season with more characters has not yet been announced.

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Microsoft has announced that 18 days since it was released, the next-gen Xbox One console has sold over 2 million units. Yusuf Mehdi, Corporate Vice President of Strategy and Marketing, stated that “demand is far exceeding supply in the 13 countries we’ve launched and we are sold out at retailers around the world.” Microsoft also released an interesting infographic to celebrate the launch of the Xbox One highlighting the achievements in some of the first party titles released on the system.

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With the Xbox One set to launch in only a few days (November 22, 2013), it’s time to take a deeper look at what the console offers at launch and whether its initial wave of features and games makes an immediate Xbox One upgrade right for you or if you should hold off for a while until the console’s feature set and game library has grown. To do so, XBLAFans will look at what the console will have to offer on November 22 and attempt to determine whether or not that launch offering makes sense for you.

Do you consider yourself a tech trendsetter?

Are you one of those people who always have to have the newest tech? Do you constantly upgrade your phone to the latest version in order to stay up to date with ever-changing technology? If so, then the Xbox One is for you. After eight long years with the 360, the next generation of living room gaming is truly about to commence (sorry, Wii U, we still love you for what you are) and you shouldn’t let yourself get left behind. If the console’s recently updated specs weren’t enough to convince you, then the new UI walkthrough might be the final push you need. The video will show you how the Xbox One will change not just your gaming experience, but your overall home entertainment experience for years to come.

Microsoft has done with the Xbox One and Kinect what no other console has been able to achieve: it has solved the problem of navigating a UI on a TV from the comfort of a couch. From the very inception of consoles, it was evident that a mouse and keyboard were awkward to use while sitting on a couch, which led to the introduction of the controller. For many years the controller was a brilliant way to game, and it’s still an integral part of today’s gaming experience. However, as consoles have grown from pure gaming systems into entertainment hubs, current-gen console UIs have grown clunky, their menus becoming unmanageable. With the Xbox One, all of that clunkiness is gone; you can switch from app to game to TV to Skype within seconds all with the power of your voice. Nothing about Microsoft’s incoming console says next-gen more than its new UI.

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When Killer Instinct was first announced at E3, XBLAfans thought that the pricing model was innovative, allowing for a large install base with a single rotating character for casual players, while introducing a customizable experience for fighting game vets. However, the overall pricing model was a bit confusing for some gamers, so Microsoft recently revealed the pricing structure using a simple chart:

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In a post over at PlayXBLA, the first Xbox One TV ad was shown, and for an advertisement released first in the American TV market, it has a distinct …
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After a small tease in the Sadira reveal trailer, Killer Instinct character Orchid has received a full-fledged reveal trailer of her own.

Black Orchid, like Sadira, is named after …
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Earlier today, Penny Arcade posted a brief write-up on the Killer Instinct Pin Ultimate Edition for Xbox One, and inadvertently confirmed that Fulgore will be the eighth character for …
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Xbox One’s cloud is one of the next generation system’s most-touted features and more details on how developers will utilize the cloud to improve their game titles are constantly …
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For fighting fans not content with the fidelity of the Xbox One controllers, despite the improvements to the d-pad, Mad Catz has developed a Killer Instinct-themed Tournament Edition 2 …
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