Tag: Kinect

Harmonix Reveals Release Date And Pricing For ‘Dance Central: Spotlight

by Josh Jackson

Today, Harmonix has announced that Dance Central: Spotlight, the fourth game in the only series of Kinect games that actually work, will make its Xbox One debut on September 7th, along with a $9.99 price tag. In addition, the last five of the ten song playlist has also been unvieled, bringing a mix of club bangers and top 40 hits to the dance floor.

The playlist is as follows:

Avicii – “Wake Me Up”
Cher Lloyd – “I Wish”
David Guetta ft. Sia “Titanium”
Jason Derulo ft. 2 Chainz – “Talk Dirty”
Kid Ink ft. Chris Brown – “Show Me”
Lorde – “Royals”
OneRepublic – “Counting Stars”
Pharrell Williams – “Happy”
Rihanna – “Diamonds”
will.i.am ft. Justin Bieber – “#thatPOWER”

In addition, the following songs will be available for download when the game releases, with more on the way, (including DLC from past games, which will be available at no extra charge if you’ve purchased them in previous versions).

Capital Cities – “Safe and Sound”
Emeli Sandé – “Next To Me”
Icona Pop ft. Charli XCX – “I Love It”
Lana Del Rey – “Summertime Sadness (Cedric Gervais Remix)”
The B-52’s – “Love Shack”d”

When Harmonix officially unvieled Dance Central: Spotlight back at E3, details were scarce. Aside from learning that it would be released digitally for Xbox One with half of the ten song playlist being revealed, there was little to go on as far as whether or not it would be worthy of our precious hard drive space. But now, at only $10 for ten songs, that sounds like an incredible deal to me!

As far as I’m concerned, the Dance Central series is the best motion controlled title on any platform, and will finally give us a reason to want to use our shiny new Kinects when Spotlight arrives this fall. I’m just confused as to how I’m supposed to dance to Royals…

What songs are you hoping get added to the game? Any favorites you’re hoping make a return? Check out our hands on preview from E3 this year, and let us know how excited you are to show off your moves once again!

Geekscape Games: ‘Dance Central Spotlight’ Takes A Familiar Stage

by Josh Jackson

While everyone was talking about Halo this and Master Chief Collection that after Microsoft’s E3 presentation, all of that was drowned out for me by the announcement of a sequel to the best game for the Kinect in Dance Central Spotlight. After moving on to Fantasia: Music Evolved, (which was great in its own right if our E3 preview from last year has anything to say about it), and publicly stating that Rock Band and Dance Central were on hold for the time being, I was expecting to have to wait A LOT longer before we’d see the dance game take advantage of the Xbox One’s upgraded tech. Though on a smaller scale, I was excited to see the game make a comeback, and was one of the first I took for a spin at on the show floor.

Featuring five songs on the demo version, including Wake Me Up by Avicii, Talk Dirty by Jason Derulo and 2 Chainz, Show Me by Kid Ink and Chris Brown, Counting Stars by One Republic and Happy by Pharrell Williams, (as if you couldn’t escape that song as is), each one has all of the full body choreography you’d expect from the series, with old and new moves alike to put your dance skills to the test. While playing, I didn’t notice any real performance improvements based on the reportedly superior Xbox One Kinect, there were never any points where I felt like the game wasn’t picking up my movements, especially with so much going on in the background.

Dance Central Spotlight Screen 1

What I did notice however, was a dip in frame rate compared to its prequels. I get that this is a download title instead of a full release, and is a much smaller game, (promising 10 core songs on top of weekly DLC instead of the 30+ from before), but it was distracting to notice the game looking so choppy in comparison to the fluid animations I was used to. It doesn’t affect game play at all, but its a noticable downgrade compared to the games released last generation. While this game isn’t the only guilty party, this seems to be continuing the trend of supposed “next-gen” games that perform worse than titles released years ago.

Having said that, this may either be the case of a smaller title having a smaller budget or pre-production kinks that need to be ironed out. In the end, all I really care about is solid dancing with catchy songs that get my feet moving, and even with half the songs available on the demo, Spotlight has that in spades. Even with a smaller playlist, a larger emphasis on fitness routines and eight routines per song promises that we’ll get a lot more milage per song than in the prequels.

Get ready to plug your Kinects back in! Dance Central Spotlight is coming exclusively to Xbox One digitally in September.

E3 2014: ‘Dance Central Spotlight’ Returns To Center Stage!

by Josh Jackson

A few months back, the developers at Harmonix had stated that they were putting Rock Band and Dance Central on the back burner to focus on other projects such as the upcoming Fantasia: Music Evolved, (which we previewed at last year’s event), essentially signaling that it could be a long time before we see either game make a return. But while the former is still sitting firmly in retirement after the industry got over saturated with peripheral based music games, I’m thrilled to say that the latter is making its current gen debut, giving us a reason to plug our Kinects back in in the process.

From Harmonix’s press release:

The core Dance Central Spotlight experience comes with everything you need to kick off your dance party – best-in-class gameplay featuring fun and authentic choreography for up to two players, along with 10 hit songs to get you started. Customize your party soundtrack with more than 50 chart-topping hits, with new hit songs1 arriving each week.

Now with eight different dance routines per song to choose from, Dance Central Spotlight is the most accessible, customizable Dance Central yet! With an all-new voice command activated* “Practice That” mode, it’s easier than ever to master your moves. Simply say “DJ, practice that!” during a song to hop right into an improved rehearsal mode and perfect your dance moves alongside a real-time dance mirror of yourself to make sure you’re nailing even the trickiest choreography. Dance Central Spotlight also features an expanded Fitness Mode, with special dance routines authored to focus on Strength and Cardio!

The core 10 song soundtrack will include all-new tracks to the franchise, including:

  • “Wake Me Up” – Avicii
  • “Talk Dirty” – Jason Derulo ft. 2 Chainz
  • “Show Me” – Kid Ink ft. Chris Brown
  • “Counting Stars” – OneRepublic
  • “Happy” – Pharrell Williams
  • …and more to be announced soon!

This September, step into the Spotlight. Dance Central Spotlight, only on Xbox One.

With the title being a digital release, I definitely expected it to be smaller, but only 10 songs? We’ll need to find out more information on pricing as well as whether or not the 50 + songs I downloaded across the previous versions will somehow carry over to the new game. But even with fewer songs, promising eight routines per song, an improved fitness mode and a more seamless practice mode makes this package seem promising, and I’m thrilled to see the series make its grand return.

Will Spotlight be enough of a reason for you to play with Kinect again? Dance Central has consistently been the best, and well… the only game I’ve played that uses the Kinect as it was promised, so I’m hoping the supposed improvements of the Xbox One model make it even more of a blast to play. Check out the E3 trailer, and let us know if this will be in your download queue come September.

Xbox One Available Without Kinect Starting This June, Plus Other Changes!

by Derek Kraneveldt

Briefly: Despite stating that the console would never be without it, Microsoft essentially completed the Xbox One 180 today by announcing a Kinect-less Xbox One system. The new package will be available on June 9th for $399, which is $100 less than the current Kinect package.

Phil Spencer stated back in March that the Games with Gold program is ‘fundamentally different’ from Playstation Plus because it allows gamers to keep the titles even if their subscription lapses. It looks like that is changing too, at least for Xbox One owners, as the Games with Gold announcement states that “Members will have subscription-based access to free games ranging from top hits to breaking indie stars. The program will launch on Xbox One with Max: The Curse of Brotherhood and Halo: Spartan Assault.”

Lastly, Microsoft is FINALLY (finally) dropping the Xbox Live Gold requirement for using services such as Netflix and Hulu. I don’t know how anyone ever though this was a good idea, especially as there’s not another device on the planet (as far as I know) that requires an additional fee to watch Netflix on it. Here’s what Microsoft said about that:

“Coming in June, anyone with an Xbox will be able to access popular entertainment experiences – whether or not you have an Xbox Live Gold membership. This includes great gaming apps like Machinima, Twitch and Upload, popular video services like Netflix, Univision Deportes, GoPro, Red Bull TV and HBO GO, sports experiences like the NFL app for Xbox One, MLB.TV, NBA Game Time, NHL Game Center and more.*** Microsoft experiences including Internet Explorer, Skype, OneDrive and OneGuide will also be available to all Xbox customers.”

Don’t get me wrong, everything change made here is positive, but I really wish that they didn’t have to directly contradict Microsoft’s previous statements! It’s going to make my Xbox One more fun however (free games, and essentially a price drop so more friends can pick one up) so I’m down with all of the changes!

What are you thoughts?

XboxNoKinect

Source: Xbox Wire

Xbox One No Longer Requires Kinect To Function

by Shane O'Hare

Hallelujah! Hallelujah! The clouds have parted and a great light began to shine down. What was once a terrible console plagued with DRM and an Electronic Eye constantly peering into your living room, has quickly changed.

In a recent interview with IGN, Xbox Corporate Vice President Marc Whitten said that the console will still function with the Kinect sensor unplugged. Though players will miss out on a bunch of the features like voice recognition and player recognition, you will still be able to access your games and entertainment.

This announcement is a couple months after they rescinded their decision for an always on console, as well as revised their used game stance. It looks like the gamers have spoken, and Microsoft answered.

The Xbox One is slated to be released sometime this November.

E3 2013: Hands-On ‘Fantasia: Music Evolved’

by Josh Jackson

Last week, the music game giants at Harmonix announced a team up with Disney to bring us Fantasia: Music Evolved. A Kinect exclusive experience, the initial trailer combined the magic of Disney with the chart toping hits of today, but we didn’t really see how that would happen. During a demo session with the title, Harmonix answered all of our questions about the game, how it plays and how it relates to the Fantasia film. After trying it out for myself, I must say, the game has promise!

Fantasia: Music Evolved puts us in the shoes of the sorcerer’s new apprentice. Tasked with bringing life back to worlds that are initially dull and dreary, the opening moments of each stage are closer to a point and click adventure. Standing to the right or left of the screen rotates the camera and moving your hand over the environment has various effects. Spinning, dragging, pushing, pulling swiping and poking can transform the environment into colorful, vibrant areas that match up well with Disney’s family friendly reputation. Playing with the level awards magical energy that will help open up rifts in the background. It’s these rifts that house the musical challenges, which is where the heart of the game lies.

Fantasia Screen 1Inside a printing press. One of the many lands sorcerers will explore.

Bringing in a mix of Wii Music, Dance Dance Revolution, Elite Beat Agents and even Fantavision visually, sections of the songs are triggered by different motions. Some of these include swiping in a direction, pushing at a certain spot or tracing your arm along certain movement strings to keep the song going. Throughout various points in the song, apprentices will be given the choice to layer a different type of arrangement on top of the song to give a custom feel to it. The best part is that you aren’t obligated to use your hands at all. If you want to dance, use your feet or throw in a spin here and there, as long as some part of you follows the instructions, the action will register. By the time the song is over, you’ll have a brand new version that can sound vastly different from the original version.

As songs are unlocked and completed, mini games in the game world will open up new sounds that are eventually blended into the world. By the end, the once dead environment was booming with tons of activity and sounds, blended perfectly into a unique creation of musical expression, taken both from the licensed songs and the included sound effects to make it unique to the player. Even if you don’t care about any of these creation aspects and just want to rack up a high score, Fantasia rewards experimentation since various arrangements might yield higher scores than others.

Fantasia Screen 2

While the game was way too much fun to play, my biggest complaint wasn’t so much with the game, but with the Kinect itself. Using the new Xbox One version of the motion sensor, my movements weren’t being picked up for large chunks of the song. A combination of the lighting and my fellow journalists behind me were to blamed, but the new Kinect was supposed to alleviate or eliminate these issues that are part of the original Kinect as well. It could have been that I just sucked, but the demo had no way to tell me whether or not I was doing something wrong. Unlike Dance Central, which had visual cues that hinted at what you were doing wrong, Fantasia didn’t have anything of the sort. I’m hoping Harmonix adds something like this when the game launches early next year, because it’s sorely needed.

I was incredibly curious as to how Harmonix would pull off Fantasia, and this curiosity was satisfied by a creative, colorful and imaginative game that looks to recreate some of that Disney magic in ways that haven’t been done before. With the promise of Mickey Mouse appearing in the game in some capacity, hopefully more of Disney’s history will be explored within the game’s narrative. A soundtrack featuring Bruno Mars, Queen, f.u.n. and plenty of classical tunes rounds out what promises to be an interesting ride.

Look for Fantasia: Music Evolved on the Xbox 360 and Xbox One in 2014.

 

E3 2013: Hands-On with ‘Crimson Dragon’

by Josh Jackson

Leading up to Microsoft’s highly anticipated press conference, they promised that it would be all about the games. In that sense, they delivered, since plenty of new and old titles alike were announced for the upcoming Xbox console. But while everyone was losing their minds over Killer Instinct and Halo 5, most of my excitement was focused on Crimson Dragon, a spiritual successor to the Sega classic, Panzer Dragoon. Once at the Xbox booth, I made sure to jump on board and see if it could live up to my high expectations.

Not since Panzer Dragoon Orta in 2003 has a game of this type been released. Best described as a rail shooter on the back of a dragon instead of in a plane, the demo took me through the heart of a volcano, chasing a pale white dragon and blasting whatever I could along the way. The final game will have six dragons, each with their own set of abilities, but for now, I had one dragon with one set of moves. The homing lasers locked on to multiple targets that were highlighted by the right stick’s cursor, while an electric blast drained the health of whatever unfortunate soul my cursor was attached to. Dodging with the shoulder buttons initiated a quick barrel roll, which was welcomed since my dragon was too slow to reliably dodge otherwise.

Crimson Dragon Screen 1

When it came to the two featured boss fights, each one was timed. Doing a certain amount of damage or actually defeating the boss was rewarded with extra food that would be used to upgrade the dragons. Sadly, the time limit in the demo was so short that it was nearly impossible to actually defeat them. I asked to see if these time limits were going to mandatory, and while they will be, the time limits will be about double what they were in the demo once the full game is finally released.

From what I’ve played, Crimson Dragon is looking promising. The punishing difficulty of the previous games seems to have been toned down, but whether or not the demo was just set to be more forgiving has yet to be seen. The cursors and dragon move too slow for my tastes, but considering that this game was designed with Kinect in mind, moving with my hands might be a lot more intuitive. However, I am happy to report that the new Xbox One controller feels comfortable to use.

Crimson Dragon Screen 2

But aside from these minor complaints, the frantic rail shooting from Panzer Dragoon is alive and well. Keep this one on your list of games to watch as the Xbox One launch draws closer.

Microsoft Finally Comes Clean on DRM, Used Games and Kinect Policies! Renting and Borrowing WILL NOT Be Allowed at Launch!

by Josh Jackson

Since the Xbox One reveal, saying that Microsoft has been confusing in regards to their various policies would be the understatement of the year. Between VP Phil Harrison “confirming” used game fees and Major Nelson denying it, (kind of,) to always online requirements and Kinect needing to be plugged in at all times, the entire situation has been a PR nightmare.

With E3 only a few days away, Microsoft has FINALLY confirmed many of the rumors that have been swirling like a firestorm all across the internet. Courtesy of IGN, our questions are finally answered.

And they’re not pretty…

On the always online rumor…

“Xbox One is designed to run in a low-powered, connected state. This means your system, games and apps are always current and ready to play—no more waiting for updates. While a persistent connection is not required, Xbox One is designed to verify if system, application or game updates are needed and to see if you have acquired new games, or resold, traded in, or given your game to a friend. Games that are designed to take advantage of the cloud may require a connection.”

“With Xbox One you can game offline for up to 24 hours on your primary console, or one hour if you are logged on to a separate console accessing your library. Offline gaming is not possible after these prescribed times until you re-establish a connection, but you can still watch live TV and enjoy Blu-ray and DVD movies.”

“…because every Xbox One owner has a broadband connection, developers can create massive, persistent worlds that evolve even when you’re not playing.”

Oh, well as long as I can still watch TV, enjoy Blu-Ray and DVD movies, I guess that fixes everything!

On buying used, trading, renting and borrowing:

“In our role as a game publisher, Microsoft Studios will enable you to give your games to friends or trade in your Xbox One games at participating retailers.Third party publishers may opt in or out of supporting game resale and may set up business terms or transfer fees with retailers. Microsoft does not receive any compensation as part of this. In addition, third party publishers can enable you to give games to friends.”

“We designed Xbox One so game publishers can enable you to trade in your games at participating retailers. Microsoft does not charge a platform fee to retailers, publishers, or consumers for enabling transfer of these games.”

“…your friends and family, your guests and acquaintances get unlimited access to all of your games. Anyone can play your games on your console–regardless of whether you are logged in or their relationship to you.”

“Xbox One is designed so game publishers can enable you to give your disc-based games to your friends. There are no fees charged as part of these transfers. There are two requirements: you can only give them to people who have been on your friends list for at least 30 days and each game can only be given once.”

“…loaning or renting games won’t be available at launch, but we are exploring the possibilities with our partners.”

So some of this is in line with what Sony told Kotaku, which is that Microsoft won’t be the ones placing restrictions on game trade ins, but the publishers will have the option to if they so desire. Notice how they consistently point out that “participating” retailers will offer trade in services. What it means to be a “participating” retailer isn’t clear, but there were rumors that there might be a fee associated with stores allowing trade ins. The above clarifies that Microsoft won’t charge publishers or retailers for doing so, but since it’s up to the publisher as to whether or not it would be allowed in the first place, it’s unknown whether or not there would be a fee from the retailer to the publisher. If so, that hurts small stores much worse than giants like Gamestop.

But the worst part is the confirmation of our fears. While there won’t be a “used games fee” like Harrison had alluded to, the fact that you can only GIVE games rather than lend, and that once it’s given, it can’t be given again… it’s nothing other than consumer suicide as far as I’m concerned. What does that do to people like me who review games, but can’t go out and buy everything I’m slightly interested in even if I wanted to? Or new IP’s that people would be reluctant to drop full price on without being able to try it first? The option to rent or borrow won’t even be available at launch! But hey, they’re exploring the possibility!

On mandatory installs and digital downloads:

“…you’ll be able to buy disc-based games at traditional retailers or online through Xbox Live, on day of release. Discs will continue to be a great way to install your games quickly.”

“After signing in and installing, you can play any of your games from any Xbox One because a digital copy of your game is stored on your console and in the cloud. So, for example, while you are logged in at your friend’s house, you can play your games.”

This is the only good news so far. While I wasn’t a fan of mandatory installs on the PS3, at least it will be accessible from the Cloud so you don’t have to haul your library to a friend’s house if you want to play… assuming you sign in on their profile first.

On Kinect always on and potential spying:

“…at Microsoft, we prioritize your privacy. We understand that your personal data and privacy are important. Xbox One and Kinect will provide tools to put you in control of your data.”

“…you are in control of what Kinect can see and hear. By design, you will determine how responsive and personalized your Xbox One is to you and your family during setup. The system will navigate you through key privacy options, like automatic or manual sign in, privacy settings, and clear notifications about how data is used. When Xbox One is on and you’re simply having a conversation in your living room, your conversation is not being recorded or uploaded.”

“If you don’t want the Kinect sensor on while playing games or enjoying your entertainment, you can pause Kinect. To turn off your Xbox One, just say ‘Xbox Off.’ When the system is off, it’s only listening for the single voice command — ‘Xbox On,‘ and you can even turn that feature off too. Some apps and games may require Kinect functionality to operate, so you’ll need to turn it back on for these experiences.”

“You can play games or enjoy applications that use data, such as videos, photos, facial expressions, heart rate and more, but this data will not leave your Xbox One without your explicit permission.”

So it seems that Kinect WILL NOT be sending videos of you walking around naked straight into Bill Gates’ office. That’s a relief.

In closing:

“…as we move into this new generation of games and entertainment, from time to time, Microsoft may change its policies, terms, products and services to reflect modifications and improvements to our services, feedback from customers and our business partners or changes in our business priorities and business models or for other reasons. We may also cease to offer certain services or products for similar reasons.”

“In the months ahead, we will continue to listen to your feedback as we meet with our partners in the ecosystem to bring additional detail about our policies,” Microsoft concluded. “We are excited about this new generation of games and entertainment and look forward to sharing more news with our fans.”

So there you have it. To wrap up the important points, the Xbox One WILL need to connect online every 24 hours on your console, or every one hour on a friend’s console if you’re using your library. Used game sales and trades will be up to the publisher, so while Microsoft Studios as a publisher WILL NOT place restrictions on trade ins, Ubisoft or Activision can choose to do so for example. Games can only be given to friends that are on your Xbox Live friends list for at least 30 days, and each game can only be given ONCE. Renting and buying WILL NOT be available at launch at all. Games can be downloaded or installed from the disc, but can be played on a friend’s console without the disc from the cloud storage if the owner signs in. And finally… Kinect will not transmit your blood type to Obama.

Outside of the Cloud storage feature, Kinect not playing Big Brother, and having up to 10 family members having access to the original console’s game library to play with friends as they please, I can’t find much to be happy about. Oh well, that’s one less console to buy.

But what I think isn’t important. You’ve gotten enough of my rambling, so what do you all think? Let us know below!

Source: IGN.com

Disney and Harmonix Present ‘Fantasia: Music Evolved” for the Xbox One

by Josh Jackson

After Harmonix ended their multi year stream of Rock Band and Dance Central DLC, rhythm game fans like myself have anxiously awaited what was coming next from the developer. That answer came this morning, when the authority of music games announced a partnership with Disney to bring us Fantasia: Music Evolved.

Promising to bring us songs from contemporary artists such as Bruno Mars, Fun. and Kimbra, as well as classical music that’s sure to recreate the feeling of the Fantasia cartoon, the title is slated to release for the Xbox 360 and Xbox One exclusively for Kinect.

Harmonix has had quite a bit of speculation swirling around, including a rumored action game, but Fantasia literally came out of nowhere to me. At first glance, it looks similar in concept to Wii Music, but while that series is known for its simplicity, (and turned the game to a glorified noise maker in the process,) I’ll be anxiously awaiting more details since I have complete faith in the team’s ability to make compelling rhythm titles. More information is sure to surface at E3 next week.

Check out the trailer below and let us know what you think in the comments!

Separating Fact From Rumors – The Xbox One

by jake108

There’s been a lot of confusion on policies, features, and games surrounding the Xbox One. Regardless of what’s rumor and what’s fact, there shouldn’t be mass confusion in the first place. Still, here’s a handy guide that you can reference that will contain facts on the Xbox One. Feel free to comment below with more misconceptions, facts, or questions. I will update it as information becomes available.

Used Games

Playing used games on the Xbox One has become a touchy subject. You can’t go far into looking up information on the console without running into comments on the subject. Many believe that there will be a fee to play used games on your Xbox One console, even if you take your game to play on a friends console. This is not the case. Over the past few days, numerous scenarios have been proposed, most of which lead to the conclusion of a used game fee. As of right now, the most important statement on the matter comes from Larry Hryb’s (Xbox Live’s Major Nelson) latest statement:

“We know there is some confusion around used games on Xbox One and wanted to provide a bit of clarification on exactly what we’ve confirmed today. While there have been many potential scenarios discussed, today we have only confirmed that we designed Xbox One to enable our customers to trade in and resell games at retail.

Beyond that, we have not confirmed any specific scenarios.

Another piece of clarification around playing games at a friend’s house – should you choose to play your game at your friend’s house, there is no fee to play that game while you are signed in to your profile.”

With that, it confirms that I can take my copy of Madden 25 to play at friend’s house, free of charge. Stay tuned for more information.

Region Restricted

Just as the Xbox 360, the Xbox One will be region locked. This isn’t surprising and shouldn’t a hassle unless you’re really into traveling or importing games. The Xbox One is simply following suit with their partners in the movie and music industry to join an already wide array of products that are region locked.

Always Online

The Xbox One will not be required to always be connected to the Internet or Xbox Live, however, there is one possible scenario that would require the console to connect to the internet at least once a day. This has not been confirmed to be the end all be all. More information should be available at a later date.

Kinect & Always On

Yes, each Xbox One will come bundled with a Kinect sensor. This sensor is a step up from what is available now as it can track movements, heart beats, and can power the console on with a simple voice command. This lead to gamers fearing that the Kinect would always be on and would violate their privacy. This is not the case as the Xbox One and Kinect can be turned off altogether. However, in order to power the console on with a voice command, the console and Kinect must be in a low-power state, and not exactly off. But if you’re like me, you’ll probably turn the whole thing off to save electricity. (Note: I’m not going green, I’m just a college student with no money.)

Source: NY Times

Games

Microsoft took a lot of heat for not focusing on video games during the Xbox One reveal. What many failed to realize is E3 is just two weeks away and Microsoft’s Xbox One reveal was just that. There was a quick note that there are 15 Exclusive Xbox One games to be released in the first year, with 8 of them being new franchises. Below some of confirmed and uncomfirmed Xbox One Games:

Battlefield 4

Call of Duty: Ghosts

Destiny

Dying Light

FIFA 14

Forza Motorsport 5

Madden 25

Need for Speed Rivals

Quantum Break

Ryse

Theif

Unconfirmed titles are as follows:

Halo 5

Rare “Historic” Franchise – Possibly Banjo Kazooie or Perfect Dark

The Evil Within

Dragon Age III: Inquisition

The Witcher 3

Rainbow 6: Patriots

The list goes on and will be updated in a separate article.

Xbox Live

Of the biggest bits of news to come out of Xbox Live was the confirmation that gamerscores would carry over and the friends list cap would be bumped up to 1,000. What many don’t know are the number of servers that will be dedicated to the Xbox One. Microsoft plans on having 300,000 servers dedicated to the console. How will this affect those who don’t use the Cloud? Well, the typical 16 player multiplayer matches can now be bumped up to 128 active players.

Backwards Compatibility

The Xbox One will not be backwards compatible. Is it annoying for us consumers? Yes. But as with every new advancement in products that rely heavily on tech, we must move forward. The reason Xbox One isn’t backwards compatible is simply because the hardware is different. The new x86 chip does not allow a native conversion for 360 games to be played on the Xbox One. Here’s the official statement from Microsoft:

“Xbox One hardware is not compatible with Xbox 360 games, … We designed Xbox One to play an entirely new generation of games—games that are architected to take full advantage of state-of-the-art processors and the infinite power of the cloud. We care very much about the investment people have made in Xbox 360 and will continue to support it with a pipeline of new games and new apps well into the future.”

From that, we can assume the 360 will be around for the near future and won’t be completely axed like the original Xbox was. Does anyone remember Call of Duty 2: Big Red One? Ugh.

Specs

There hasn’t been much information regarding the Xbox One’s specs, other than what was shown on the day of its reveal:

xboxonespecs

 

Some believe the Xbox One is underpowered, or hampered by running three OS’ at the same time. Not so, says Jeff Henshaw, Program Manager at Microsoft:

“We’re provisioning for developers for every physical Xbox One we build, we’re provisioning the CPU and storage equivalent of three Xbox Ones on the cloud. We’re doing that flat out so that any game developer can assume that there’s roughly three times the resources immediately available to their game, so they can build bigger, persistent levels that are more inclusive for players. They can do that out of the gate.”

If you’re not familiar with the Cloud on the Xbox One, let me reiterate that it will be powered by 300,000 servers. Microsoft plans to offload some of the heavy lifting in games onto the Cloud to make gameplay more fluid. Here’s another example from General Manager of Redmond Game Studios and Platforms Matt Booty regarding latency-sensitive issues in video games:

“Things that I would call latency-sensitive would be reactions to animations in a shooter, reactions to hits and shots in a racing game, reactions to collisions. Those things you need to have happen immediately and on frame and in sync with your controller. There are some things in a video game world, though, that don’t necessarily need to be updated every frame or don’t change that much in reaction to what’s going on.

 

One example of that might be lighting. Let’s say you’re looking at a forest scene and you need to calculate the light coming through the trees, or you’re going through a battlefield and have very dense volumetric fog that’s hugging the terrain. Those things often involve some complicated up-front calculations when you enter that world, but they don’t necessarily have to be updated every frame. Those are perfect candidates for the console to offload that to the cloud—the cloud can do the heavy lifting, because you’ve got the ability to throw multiple devices at the problem in the cloud.”

Booty goes onto say, “A rule of thumb we like to use is that [for] every Xbox One available in your living room we’ll have three of those devices in the cloud available.” Beyond that, nothing has been fully laid out by Microsoft. I suspect we won’t be able to do a full console comparison until after E3 2013.

Source: Arstechnica

 

As stated above, if you have any questions or contributions, please comment below.

Geekscape’s Welcome To The Toadhop Network!

by Jonathan

Last week we announced that we are joining the Toadhop Network! But wait… what is that?!? Luckily, Toadhop Program Director Johnny Ice is available to talk to us about all things Toadhop! Who is on the network? When is Geekscape arriving? What times should you listen? Why did they even ask Geekscape to join in the first place!?! The answers are all here! PLUS! A surprise appearance by Toadhop’s Crippled Kenny… as he talks about kicking ass on XBox Kinect even though he’s in a wheel chair!

Subscribe to the show on iTunes!

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 12:47 — 17.6MB)

Geekscape Games Reviews ‘Wreckateer’

by Molotov Cupcake

As the years post-Kinect launch drag by, the peripheral is still being backed by Microsoft and third-party developers who still see potential in the little motion controller that could. And while the software out there is hit or miss, there are occasionally some fun little apps that are content to wallow around in the allure of arm-flailing and “look what you can do with no hands!” that make an appearance on the Xbox Live Arcade. In the case of Wreckateer, the latest Kinect release since Kinect: Star Wars and Kinect Rush, you have a fairly standard concept: destroy everything. In fact, you could liken it to Angry Birds minus the freakish pigs and irritated chirpers, only with hordes of goblins transplanted in their place.

You’re dropped into the shoes of a fledgling Wreckateer, toiling as part of a team to blast the aforementioned goblins out of the castles and towering strongholds they’ve managed to overtake. It doesn’t matter if you destroy every last piece of castle, as long as you kill every last goblin out there. It seems counter-productive, and we can think of better ways to flush the creatures from a place where, you know, people might live, but it’s all in good fun. Once you’ve cleared the score threshold of each level you’re cleared to head on to the next one, where you’ll knock down more walls, obliterate towers, and leave a huge mess in your wake.

Of course, you’re not just flinging your body at the medieval structures. You’ve got an arsenal of cannonballs, bombs, and other shots to utilize in your makeshift demolition derby. Some, like the gliding flying shot, can be guided by your own hand as they zoom toward the target, and others explode on contact or when you activate them. The basic cannonball is launched as you would expect, and smaller split shots require your guidance in order to hit the bullseye. Once you’ve chosen the correct set of ammunition and approach for the level at hand, it’s prudent to survey the level and certain points where goblins have affixed bundles of dynamite to augment the explosive damage you’ll be causing as well as score multipliers.

Of course, accuracy is key when it comes to effectively crippling the goblins and the various defenses they’ve set up along each level in addition to strategically placing shots and Depending on whether or not your Kinect setup is optimal and sometimes how your luck runs, you’ll find the ballista moving on its own, firing off shots before the decisive signal, and basically behaving in ways that aren’t conducive to scoring tremendously. Just when you think you’ve set the stage for a perfect run, your efforts are foiled due to poor motion control detection. And it’s a real shame, as there’s much to enjoy with the career move to becoming a Wreckateer. Gleefully participating in wanton destruction is most of the allure, but when that’s foiled by shoddy controls a times, that glee turns into seething frustration.

Like you may have already surmised, Wreckateer is a fun time when and if the motion controls work correctly. It’s intriguing and quite a blast when played with others if you’re looking for some simplistic “blow things up” gameplay, but it could have been so much more had it not relied entirely on the allure of motion control. If you’re looking for a new “check this out” app to run to when company’s over, this isn’t it. If you need a new excuse for busting out the Kinect, you might enjoy its easy-to-learn mechanics and the silliness. If you’re looking for something a little meatier, you’d be better served looking into the earlier selections from the Kinect library.

SDCC 2012 Video Game Round-Up: Avengers: Battle For Earth

by Matt Blackwood

I got a chance to play Avengers: Battle For Earth, the upcoming Marvel Universe fighting game for XBox Kinect, and…

Well, it’s not fully assembled.

The camera had some trouble distinguishing between different gestures, necessitating a precision of movement that doesn’t feel intuitive. And sometimes movements would be lost completely, which is especially frustrating considering the calories you burn jumping and gesticulating like a madman.

But keep in mind that the game won’t release until November, so they have plenty of time to work out these bugs. And once they do, the gameplay should really excite fans.

Designers clearly put a lot of thought into how different characters move. Far from the button mashing of MvC, you really feel the variation in what powers you’re unleashing.

Whether extending the arms and fingers like jazz hands to expand Venom’s tendrils, rapidly pushing forward to activate Iron Man’s repulsor blasts, or making a hugging motion with the Hulk to rip up a chunk of earth, you can really feel that you’re affecting the game’s colorful world.

And when you swing your imaginary hammer and see the thunder really called down on your opponent, it can be Mighty fun.

XBOX 720 Documents Leaked $300 With Kinect 2 Planned For A 2013 Release

by Shane O'Hare

In the middle of the night, a 56 page report apparently coming from Microsoft and written in 2010, was leaked onto the internet. It details their next console dubbed the Xbox 720, in pretty good detail. The time of writing this the document has been removed from the server. Lets take a look at what was inside.

The most intriguing part of the release was that the 720 will feature a Blu Ray disk drive and full 1080P output, with a “Low Powered Always On Mode” it also will have the ability to act as a DVR. If a Blu Ray is in fact standard issue, then we can definitely expect some BIG sized games.  Lets take a look at the raw specs from the document.

The compelling info lies with the backwards compatibility. With three PowerPC cores at 3.4Ghz used to mimic the 360 architecture. This lets all previous games play natively without emulation.

The 720 doesn’t seem to be skimping on power. With up to 8 ARM CPU cores set at 2Ghz, we can expect powerful content of all kinds. It is kind of required for constant 1080P output though.

The big peripherals that are included in this report are what make me believe this report to legitimate. The console will come with Kinect V2 bundled. It has the ability to track 4 players and new “Kinect Props”. Kinect Props are just that, props you use when playing with the kinect. If we look at one of the illustrations, we can clearly see someone using a baseball bat with their Kinect.

That has disaster written all over it. When the WiiMote was flying off wrists and busting TVs, it was called a terror to living rooms. Add 1:1 scale BATS or GOLF CLUBS or whatever to the equation and you have a recipe for destroyed TVs.

Then we have these Kinect Glasses called Project Fortaleza. That sounds like a type of Ferrari. These are Microsoft’s answer to Google Glasses. These will offer 3D viewing of games or movies. The report mentions 4G, so they could be used outside the 720 system.

Top that all off with a Holiday 2013 release at $299, you can expect that the Xbox 720 to be the first foray into the next generation of game consoles.

Check out the entire document here.

Geekscape Games Reviews ‘Babel Rising’

by jake108

Babel Rising casts you as an angry god set on destroying everyone and everything that is contributing to building a tower set to reach the heavens. Anyone familiar with the Tower of Babel story can already get the gist of this Xbox Live Arcade title. Still, is Babel Rising worthy of your attention?

Babel Rising is all about gameplay. If you’re looking for a dense story, you can stop reading now. The concept is simple: hurl stones, fireballs, ice, and gusts of wind at figures who are building a tower. The campaign consists of missions with objectives and is better served as a tutorial for leaning the four different set of powers you have. Each power set has a total of two types of attacks, basic and heavy. As you use your powers, a meter will fill up based on what power you use. Once one of the meters fills up, you will be able to use a special attack meant to deal a great amount of damage.

Your tools of destruction are Earth, Wind, Fire, and Water. None are similar and depending on what game mode you’re playing, you will have the option to choose what two sets you want with preference being an underlining reason for choosing.

Babel Rising has Kinect functionality which allows players to control the elements with their hands rather than a controller. While some might enjoy this Kinect functionality, I found that using a controller was overall more responsive to what I wanted to do and who I wanted to attack. The resulting conclusion will have you sitting on the couch while trying to drive up your high score.

Babel Rising offers up both multiplayer and cooperative modes. These multiplayer modes are not Xbox Live enabled. Babel Rising is a case of what you see is what you get. While it’s good to pass the time, there’s really nothing serious or “hardcore” about Babel Rising.

Babel Rising is available today on the PSN and XBLA for $9.99 and 800 Micorsoft Points respectively. Babel Rising will also be available on iOS devices, Android, and Windows PC.

What’s Wrong With Batman? The “Geekscapepod” For June 4th, 2012!

by Jonathan

E3 2012 has begun! In this episode, I give my thoughts on the Nintendo WiiU announcements from yesterday as well as my thoughts after attending Microsoft’s E3 press conference! Have they gone completely towards peripherals or are there actually any games coming out? PLUS! Why Batman doesn’t work!

Find it on iTunes

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 29:54 — 18.1MB)

Geekscape Games Reviews Dragon’s Lair (Xbox 360)

by Josh Jackson

Long before God of War invented quick time events, games like Dragon’s Lair put them on the map. Imagine a time back in the 80’s, when there were these crazy things called arcades. These wonderous machines would feature games that were way more detailed than what consoles could offer at home and were the place to be when gamers wanted to experience the newest tech. Even amongst such classics, Dragon’s Lair was unique due to it playing out like an interactive Saturday morning cartoon. If you need any proof of how popular it was, just take a look at how many times its been re-released! It’s on DVD, Blu Ray, mobile devices and home consoles… but never before have YOU been able to become Dirk the Daring. That is, until Dragon’s Lair met Kinect.

This port of Dirk’s most famous adventure plays almost exactly like it did in the 80’s. An animated film taking players through the obsticals standing in the way of rescuing the princess runs on screen while lightning quick prompts show players which directions and buttons to press. Yes… if you’ve played this before, the game is almost competely unchanged. Unlike the quarter eating days of the past when the slightest mistake meant walking away in shame or sinking in another 50 cents, new features include difficulty levels that allow multiple mistakes per life, clearer on screen prompts that act more like modern day QTE games, leaderboards, achievements and avatar items. Even if you want to just sit back and enjoy the animation, (with the skill and charm of Don Bluth, animator of numerous films such as An American Tale, All Dogs Go to Heaven and Disney’s Robin Hood,) you can just head into the options and just watch the game play itself!

But these features aren’t the selling points of this version… this download is all about the Kinect compatibility. This optional way to control the game makes it feel like much more of an interactive experience rather than just tapping a button when prompted. Jumping forward, backward, left or right controls directions, a swipe of the arm swings Dirk’s sword and reaching up grabs ropes. After ten minutes, you start getting an idea of what it would really be like to fight through the lair, since buyers will get a nice workout from all the jumping around. The Kinect mode even allows a second player to get in on the fun with co-op, but considering it’s not a true team experience and just has players swapping places from scene to scene, you’re better off just sticking with single player to avoid the load times. Overall, I was impressed with how much Kinect added to the classic Dragon’s Lair experience… that is, when it works.

One of the many, many death scenes. Poor Dirk...

Playing hands free will make you glad that the default setting allows multiple mistakes per life. As with most Kinect games, the camera has some issues with registering your movements at the most random times, so there were plenty of times where the exact same movement that worked minutes ago wouldn’t work later. Aside from these control issues, this download is more about nostalgia than anything, because with unlimited continues that won’t drain your laundry money, Dragon’s Lair is only about 15-20 minutes long. Even if you collect all of the achievements and play a perfect run, the game wouldn’t take more than a few hours to memorize for most. However, the most off-putting part is the price. $10, (or 800 Microsoft happy points in gamernese,) is far too much for what you get, especially when Dragon’s Lair Trilogy on Wii has three games for only five dollars more. Sure, you won’t get Kinect support that way, so gamers with the camera and an itch for nostalgia are going to have to consider if hands free controls alone are worth it. As far as the game itself, like most kids, I got my ass HANDED to me at the arcades and would have had to spend a small fortune to make it to the end. So I never knew that about half way through, many of the rooms repeat in reverse. If anyone out there knew this from the arcades, kudos, (and let me borrow a couple thousand dollars. I’m good for it, I swear!)

The Lizard King is mezmorized by the buns of steel.

Almost 30 years later, Dragon’s Lair is still as humorous, charming and challenging as it used to be. It’s play style has stood the test of time through games like Shenmue, God of War and most notably, Heavy Rain, and deserves its legendary status in gaming history. With that said, games are much different today than in the age of arcades, so as a stand alone game, its a tough sell for today’s generation with the length and repetition considered. Even with Kinect support that freshens up the experience, its unreliability and novelty will wear off after no time at all. Unless you really want the Kinect experience or are a Dragon’s Lair fanatic, there are cheaper alternatives if you want to experience Dirk’s classic adventure.

Ubisoft Announces Avengers Game

by Shane O'Hare

Today Ubisoft announced that they have made a deal with Marvel to create an Avengers game titled “Battle for Earth”. Insert Will Smith-Independence day quote here.

At first I was elated, thinking it was that unfinished FPS we all saw last year finally coming to fruition, but no information other than it’ll be out this fall and will be on the Kinect and Wii U systems was given.

Let’s hope that it’s not just another video game movie churned out due to a films popularity and it actually has some playability  like the last few avengers games.

We will be sure to let you know more info as it comes out, but in the mean time take a gander at the leaked footage from the Avengers FPS and wish that this game and that game are the same.

Microsoft Rumored to Sell $99 Xbox 360 + Kinect Bundle With Monthly Fees

by jake108

You read right. While the initial $99 price tag for a 4GB Xbox 360 and Kinect Sensor may look tempting, the fees you’ll be paying afterwards may detour you away.

While it’s not too bad of a deal, it may seem awfully complicated from just purchasing the console outright. The complication starts at the $15 monthly fee that covers an Xbox Live Gold Subscription, 2 year warranty, and possibly a subscription to one of Xbox Live’s streaming services. Customers will be given a choice of which contract they wish to pursue, both of which last two years. Still, customers should be weary of early termination fees.

Here’s the breakdown:

Option #1

  • 4GB Xbox 360 + Kinect: $299
  • 2 years of Xbox Live Gold: $120
  • Extended warranty (Xbox 360): $25
  • Extended warranty (Kinect): $25
  • Total: $470

Option #2

  • 4GB Xbox 360 + Kinect: $99
  • Two years of $15 monthly fees: $360
  • Total: $459

There are many gamers who don’t spend $60 a year on a Xbox Live Gold subscription. We can view this bundle as just another way of purchasing an Xbox 360 console, but I think we can all agree on hoping this doesn’t become the norm for next-gen consoles.

This bundle is rumored to be available to purchase as soon as next week.

Han Solo Dancing to Just The Way You Are: Star Wars Kinect Has killed Star Wars for Me for Good

by Shane O'Hare

I love Star Wars. I enjoy the prequels. I love the games. I love the universe that has been created around these movies, but today, today is the end for me. I officially HATE Star Wars. The memory of lying to my Mom, telling her I was at my friends house studying so I could go see Episode III in theaters, and getting caught and grounded is useless. After I saw what I am about to show you, the taste of hatred finally overtook the joy I had. Fuck Star Wars.

WHO THE FUCK IS THIS DOUCHEBAG?

I’m a DJ, I understand that its becoming really cool all of a sudden BUT FUCK THIS SO HARD! FUCK IT FUCK IT FUCK IT FUCK!

Geekscape Games Reviews “Diabolical Pitch”! A Swing and a Hit!

by jake108

Diabolical Pitch is one of the more unique games available as a Kinect title for the Xbox Live Arcade. Don’t worry, this is a good thing.

Set in a twisted amusement park, you must fight waves of enemies as you progress through different “worlds” with your bionic pitching arm. What sets Diabolical Pitch a part from other games is of course its Kinect functionality, but when coupled its art style and cutscenes reminiscent of motion-comics, Diabolical Pitch sets the stage for future Kinect Arcade titles.

Perhaps my favorite part of Diabolical Pitch is in fact the atmosphere and enemies. With each cutscene, I found myself sitting on the couch, watching the screen intently…and not resting. Gamers will be happy to know that there are more than just the two kinds of enemies seen above. At the end of each world, players will have to engage in a boss fight, but nothing a “Diabolical Pitch” can’t handle.

Gameplay is simple and easy to pick up in the beginning stages, and yes, it is as easy as it looks. As players progress through the different worlds, the option to upgrade your character and even purchase new special pitches become available via cards. In order to engage the “Diabolical Pitch” mode, which is essentially your special attack, players will have to strike a pose in front of their Kinect, and yes, it can be as funny as it looks in real life.

Diabolical Pitch also offers up local multiplayer/co-op in which you and a friend can combine powers to wipe out enemies, or betray one another to win it all. Leaderboards are also present, along with your fastest pitch on each stage.

Diabolical Pitch is available now on the Xbox Live Arcade for 800 Microsoft Points, and worth every point. This arcade title is surely not one to miss for fellow Kinect owners!

Steel Battallion: Heavy Armor | Kinect Control Overview Trailer

by Shane O'Hare

When I was sent this video I was skeptical. Another Kinect game with shitty controls, bad graphics and horrible gameplay. Then I watched it and was completely blown away. As much as the crazy tinfoil hat wearing person inside of me is saying “DON’T DO IT MAN! THEY CAN SEE YOU MAN”, I think this is going to be the reason I get a Kinect.

Set in an alternate history universe where computers do not exist, Steel Battallion: HA ships today on the Xbox 360. A Kinect is required for play, and I feel the missions may get a tad bit repetative, but besides that this game looks awesome.