Tag: Xbox Live

Microsoft Buys ‘Gears of War’ Rights From Epic Games. What Does That Mean For Us?

by jake108

It’s no secret now. Microsoft has purchased all rights for the Gears of War franchise. This is big, as it will probably have a ripple effect on the video game industry. The franchise will be heading to Black Tusk Studios, located in Vancouver, Canada, far from North Carolina, and relatively close to Washington, where the headquarters of Microsoft Games is.

Immediately following the announcement, Rod Fergusson, better known as of late to have lent a helping hand to Irrational Games as the VP of Development during the tail end of Bioshock Infinite‘s production, was named Partner and Studio Manager at Black Tusk Studios. This will not be Fegusson’s first rodeo in the Gears franchise. Many remember him to be Director of Production at Epic Games during the Gears of War trilogy.

Developers Leaving for Black Tusk

Hanno Lemke, General Manager over at Black Tusk also expects to be a small shift in where developers will go following the purchase. Lemke states, “Once the news spreads about the opportunities at Black Tusk, I’m confident we’ll see interest from a number of talented developers who share the same passion for the “Gears” franchise as the developers at Black Tusk.”

This is similar to when Microsoft purchased the rights to the Halo franchise. This lead to the creation of 343 Industries and a large recruiting process for seasoned developers and anyone involved in the production process, most recently Joe Statan at the beginning of this month. As Microsoft decides what the do with the IP, we’ll see more prominent positions being filled early on.

Jacinto's Remnant Cover
Jacinto’s Remnant Cover

 Gears of War Original Programming

During E3 2013, it was revealed that the Xbox One would be a platform for original programming based on existing IP’s and as well as yet-to-be-announced IP’s. Most notable of these IP’s is of course, Halo. While this transmedia venture hasn’t happened, nor has recent news been made available, it’s important to note Steven Spielberg is attached. Still, the project is still under development and the public is unaware of any progress that has been or not been made. Still, expect to see at least talk of some kind of Gears of War original program launching on the Xbox One.

Expanded Universe

I’m aware that novels and comics belonging to the Gears universe exist, but since the franchise has gone cold, we’ve haven’t really seen any canonized expansions into the universe. Should Microsoft plan for another trilogy or a layout of several games, we should expect to see a rise in novels and/or comics pertaining to the franchise. Karen Travis, a regular author for Microsoft IP’s, is sure to return to this universe should her trilogy in the Halo universe end well enough that she wants to stick around.

By now, it’s an eventuality that we’ll see a Gears of War AAA title on the Xbox One. But in the mean time, don’t be surprised if we see a sort of arcade-based game releasing onto the Xbox Live marketplace as a downloadable title. It’ll be interesting to see what route Microsoft takes to start getting fans hyped again. Here’s to hoping we’ll see something at E3!

What do you think of the news? Sound out below!

Xbox 360/Xbox Live Users Can Now Have Some Fun Naruto Inspired Avatars!

by Kari Lane

Hey Xbox users, check out some new avatars you can get! Read on to learn more and see more avatar pics!

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VIZ Media gives Xbox 360 and Xbox Live users across North America a fun new way to show their love for the hit NARUTO SHIPPUDEN anime. Fans can customize their avatars with a selection themed iconography from the hit series, including t-shirts and full costumes. Xbox Live Avatars represent users of the Xbox Live service on the Xbox 360 and Xbox One video game consoles. Users are invited to visit http://marketplace.xbox.com/en-US/AvatarMarketplace to shop a range of fun NARUTO SHIPPUDEN-inspired items that are available now.

 

 

A selection of NARUTO SHIPPUDEN custom virtual attire, including four (4) t-shirts and eleven (11) costumes, are now available for between $1.00 and $3.99 each. NARUTO avatar themes are available to Xbox 360 and Xbox One users of the innovative Xbox Live service. Fans can also purchase real-world versions of the virtual NARUTO t-shirts from leading apparel retailers, including ThinkGeek: http://www.thinkgeek.com/product/11a4/.

 

 

Created by Masashi Kishimoto, NARUTO was first introduced in Weekly Shonen Jump magazine in Japan in 1999 and quickly became that country’s most popular ninja manga properties. The manga series (rated ‘T’, in print and digital editions) and anime counterpart (NARUTO & NARUTO SHIPPUDEN, rated ‘TV-14’) are some of VIZ Media’s most successful titles and have captivated millions of fans across North America, Europe, and South America. Additional information on NARUTO and NARUTO SHIPPUDEN is available at www.viz.com/Naruto.

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‘Forza 5’ Releases November 22nd, Watch The Launch Trailer Now!

by Derek Kraneveldt

Briefly: With just a few weeks to go until Microsoft launches the Xbox One, the company has released a fantastic launch trailer for upcoming launch title Forza Motorsport 5.

I’ve always placed myself firmly in the Gran Turismo camp (Forza always looked great, but I don’t even have time for one time-sucking racing title, let alone two). This trailer may have sold me however, seeing as Gran Turismo 6 is a current-gen title, and won’t look nearly as good as Forza 5 does.

Take a look at the launch trailer below, and let us know just how excited you are for Forza 5. Will you be picking up an Xbox One on November 22nd?

http://youtu.be/XHlH4ihJFjY

Xbox Live’s Summer Of Arcade Is Back! Check Out An Awesome New Title Every Wednesday In August!

by Derek Kraneveldt

Hmm… Maybe it’s finally time to pick up a new Xbox 360.

It’s August, and the hottest time of the year for many of us. This, of course, means that it’s also the best time of the year to turn on a fan (or AC if you’re lucky enough), grab a controller, and get some quality gaming done.

The Xbox team fully understands this, and again have launched an awesome ‘Summer of Arcade’ promotion that will last throughout August. Each Wednesday in August (including the 7th, which has already passed… whoops), an awesome, must-play new arcade title will release on Xbox Live, leading up to the highly anticipated (and covered) release of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows.

Each Wednesday at 3PM on the Polaris YouTube channel, All That‘s Lisa Foiles (who we had on the show just a few short months ago) will host a live show featuring that week’s new title (plus prominent YouTube gamers JesseCox, Raychul Moore, and GameGrumps). The new games will release the same day, and you’re definitely going to want to play all of them. Here’s the schedule and a description of each title:

August 7th – Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons – 1200 Microsoft Points
Guide two brothers on an epic journey. Control both at once with each thumb stick in co-op play like never before. Explore puzzles, varied locations and fight boss battles.

August 14th – Charlie Murder – 800 Microsoft Points
Fallen punk rock idols Charlie Murder must face off against rival death metal band Gore Quaffer and their army of the damned in an RPG brawler hybrid inspired by coin-op beat ‘em ups and dungeon crawlers.

August 21st – Flashback – 800 Microsoft Points
Conrad B. Hart of the G.B.I. is re-enlisted for the return of an acclaimed gaming franchise. Uncover an alien conspiracy, getting through complex & deadly environments.

August 28th – Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows – 1200 Microsoft Points
TMNT: Out of the Shadows returns to how it all began. Become the four turtles fighting to save New York City from mutants, the Foot & Shredder.

Damnit. All of these games look and sound incredible. What’s a guy to do? Let us know which games you’ll be picking up, and check out the Summer of Arcade announcement video below!

Watch 40+ Minutes Of Microsoft’s ‘Project Spark’!

by Derek Kraneveldt

Briefly: Back at SDCC, we got a great first-hand look at Microsoft’s upcoming Xbox One / Windows 8 world creator, Project Spark.

Last night, Microsoft Studios streamed a fantastic 40+ minute preview of the Windows 8 build of the title, showcasing plenty of the amazing things that are possible within the world of Project Spark.

Take a look at the video below, and let us know if you’ll be grabbing the free-to-play game when it releases later this year!


Watch live video from project_spark on TwitchTV

Oops, I Did It Again… Casual Gaming

by TinyNightmare

When I first started playing Halo over XBox live, I learned how to play from a highly ranked female gamer. We laughed every time she would receive a message in her inbox that made the accusation she must be a “fat ugly loser” to become good enough to beat her male counterpart. Because obviously her only option in life for any social engagement would be to sit on the couch and play Halo with strangers and that could be the only explanation for this guy to have his ass handed to him by a girl.

None of their accusations were true – to this day she is a very beautiful model. That very fact is probably why we laughed so hard at their ridiculous comments.

Of course, whenever I would play I would get my ass beat and a flood of messages would come in about how I should go back to playing house with Sims. Not only did these interactions bring up the obvious problem of the male-dominated world of video games and their very anti feminist points of view – but it also made me think, “I really like Sims and when I am working on my computer waiting for something to render – I really love my casual gaming.”

But then that calls into question: can I still call myself a gamer if my work has forced me to spend more time playing Doodle God, Angry Birds, Cityville or leave me wondering if I should start to play online bingo?

I guess the real question is: What defines a casual or hardcore gamer?

If I love my FPS and MMO‘s but I don’t have a few hours everyday to dedicate to it and I use casual games on my phone to get my fix – am I just a poseur now?

Kind of like people in NA, I still consider myself a hardcore gamer because I know if I start, It’s hard to stop. I get easily addicted to bettering my head shots and I had to cancel my WoW account to make sure I spent more time working on my business than on raids.

So, if really I am just being responsible with my gaming and casually playing Borderlands and Halo every once in a while – maybe the real question is: What’s wrong with being a girl and casual gaming?

SDCC Video Game Round-Up: First Impressions Of ‘Project Spark’

by jake108

Believe me when I say Project Spark is unlike any game that has come before. There’s no easy way of describing it other than in this game, you will have full control to build a world with your own rules, own gameplay mechanics, and own enemies. Developed by an internal studio at Microsoft, this “open world digital canvas” is currently two years in the making and is in the beta process. More on that later.

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The first thing shown to me were the basic set of tools used to form the terrain inside ones world. Creators will be able to adjust the scales, intensity, and distortion of hills, mountains, craters, whatever you’re building with. Next, I was shown a Logic Menu. In this menu, you will be able to design the “brain” of an object or creature. It’s a simplified menu in which you can change two columns in order for something to happen. For example, when you enter the brain of a troll, you will see _____ happens when _____. Those two blanks cane be filled win with “defend” and “attacked” respectively. Keep in mind, you can use this tool to make enemies do goofy things or make them much harder to fight.

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Gamers will also be able to give their creations meaning. In Project Spark, you can create a hero, a purpose, and the journey complete with quests. And yes, you can customize the dialogue for your journey too. If you’re not that into micromanaging everything, gamers will also have the ability to auto-create worlds so that you don’t have to. While it is auto-generated, the environment pieces will always be random. Once you’re all done, you can upload it for other gamers to download and play though your creation. This in turn will allow anyone who downloads your game to change it to their liking. But don’t worry, you’ll still retain first ownership no matter what they do to it.

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While the game appears to be always in 3rd person, gamers will able to create their own games in first person, third person, and even create a sidescroller adventure. When you download a sidescrolling adventure, you’ll be able to change the point of view to first person. Perhaps the most interesting thing I saw running in Project Spark was Geometry Wars made using the tools available in Project Spark.

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SmartGlass will be integrated into Project Spark in the form of a second screen. The SmartGlass app will allow gamers to have the ability to render live gameplay and play it off the Xbox One. This eliminates the use of a controller and you’ll be able to terraform your world with your fingers.

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Project Spark will be free-to-play on Windows 8 devices, Xbox 360 and Xbox One. Anything created on the Xbox One will be available on the Xbox 360 and Windows 8 devices. However, in order to play online, gamers will need Xbox Live Gold. DLC wasn’t talked about, but the inclusion of purchasable items such as clothing, enemies, and pieces of the environment were hinted at.

As for the beta, you can find more information here!

SDCC Video Game Round-Up: ‘Dead Rising 3’

by jake108

Dead Rising 3 is set to take place in Los Angeles (but not really), and takes place 10 years after Dead Rising 2. Just as in its predecessors, everything you find in this world is a weapon. You’ll need ’em, as these zombies are more aware and have the ability to alert other zombies in the area. This, in turn, can cause a horde of zombies to surround you and, well, use your imagination. Returning to the franchise better than ever, combining weapons is a must in order to survive the game. Doing combos with these special weapons will earn you more xp and just overall look a lot cooler.

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As for the map, the size is bigger. A lot bigger. While Dead Rising 1  and Dead Rising 2 aren’t exactly GTA caliber maps, you can expect Dead Rising 3‘s city to be “way bigger than Dead Rising 1 and 2 combined.” As you can imagine, walking around isn’t necessarily always going to be your primary mode of transportation. In DR3, you’ll be able to drive cars through the city. However, don’t expect to be driving through hordes of zombies. Zombies will in fact be hanging off the side of your car, in front, and in back. This in turn will hamper you abilities. Nevertheless, I’m sure gamers will enjoy driving through the game’s four major districts.

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Perhaps the coolest thing about DR3 is the fact that players will have the ability to go into any building at any time without any loading. Don’t expect to see the same building twice, as DR3 will not contain replicated buildings. Another cool thing to expect is the ability to get your combo weapons out of safe house lockers at any time (think Far Cry 3).

SmartGlass will be integrated into Dead Rising 3‘s story in an interesting way. Players will have the ability to do side quests, look through maps, and find story content through SmartGlass. In DR3, the player will eventually find a handheld PDA that belonged to an agent who has since been murdered by zombies. This PDA will be accessible through SmartGlass. Players will also be able to receive phone calls from in game characters.

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As far as gameplay goes, players will have the ability to play the game in a serious manner, or, if you’re like me, a goofy manner. Or perhaps you can dress yourself in a mix-and-match’d shark costume and go about the game in a totally serious manner. That works too. What’s more exciting is that gamers will be able to enter the Nightmare mode, which is more like the classic Dead Rising gameplay in which there is a timetable and much higher difficulty as opposed to playing the game in a casual do-what-you-want setting.

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Lastly, any and all Kinect support is optional! No need to embarrass yourself should you complete this game with a partner!

Dead Rising 3 is an Xbox One exclusive and should be available on launch day.

Have any questions? Looking forward to Dead Rising 3? Sound off in the comments below!

SDCC 2013 Video Game Round-Up: ‘Forza 5’

by jake108

I admit, I never caught on to the Forza craze that is ever so popular now. For all gamers out there who can relate to that sentence, and who at least like racing games a little bit, you should be excited for Forza 5 by the end of this article.

Let’s start with Forza‘s new user interface. The new UI admittingly looks a lot like the current Xbox 360 dashboard. There’s nothing really snazzy or new about the design, but it works as it is able to condense everything you need and want to know in the realm of Forza. This “living hub” constantly updates with information on races, your friend’s races, new tracks, and the happenings in the game.

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Forza 5 will also feature hundreds of cars. That’s right, hundreds, some of which include Indie and Grand Prix cars. Those of you familiar with the film Rush will also recognize two vehicles from that film usable in Forza 5. Gamers will also be able go into vista mode with these two cars, as one of the new features in Forza 5 is the ability to go into vista mode with every car featured in the game. This is espicially exciting since Forza 5 will be running on a new graphics engine in 1080i and 60FPS. In fact, the developers of Forza had a hand in influencing the graphical chips used in the Xbox One.

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In order to capture the realism behind how a car looks, developers sought to capture the visual imperfections in order to reach perfection. Face it, we won’t see half these cars in real life. Forza is the closest we’ll get and the developers are trying to make it as realistic as possible. To give you an example, tires in the game are going to be up to date will real life data provided with Cal Span. Another example lies within the materials used to create the cars in real life, including each coat of paint used for each vehicle. Doing this allows light to be reflected in different ways as the car is crusing down the track; Since there are three layers, any damage sustained to the car will be represented in such a way that gamers will be able to see the car’s material underneath the paint. In short, damage will be unique and specific.

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Career mode will host 50 or more events in each league that will provide more than 60 hours of gameplay. As you progress through your career, each path will be different depending on the car that you choose. As you purchase new cars to race with, Forza, with the power of the cloud, will show you new car suggestions based on your past purchases. Think Amazon or Netflix’s “because you watched ___”. Also, all paintjobs will now be free.

Perhaps the most exciting thing about Forza 5 is the redesign of the Drivatar. The drivatar is a representation of you as a racer, and it knows the kinds of paintjobs and cars you like. As you drive, the system will be learning your tendencies and will constantly improve. What’s best is that your drivatar will race for you while you’re away and you will get rewards for winning said races. Drivatars will also have failsafes in the event the player starts to cheat or does not play by the rules. Rest assured that any player who constantly drives backwards through tracks will not have a drivatar that does the same. Instead, their drivatar will just really suck. This brings us to our next point; if you spend a long time away from Forza, your Drivatar will reflect that. If you come back and have a bad streak, your Drivatar will also reflect that. In short, always play Forza and never stop playing Forza.

Forza 5 will also feature a full orchestral soundtrack recorded at Skywalker Sound. This will sound great as you race through cities based in real life, just minus the stop signs. Gamers will also be happy to know that every mode in the game will gain you xp and allow you to level up.

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Lastly, Forza 5 will be using dedicated servers for multiplayer. This will be especially great when playing online against opponents you’re comfortable with. Gamers will have the chance to hone in on the type of player they’re comfortable racing against. If you like clean, serious racers, you’ll have ’em as opponents. As for me, if you see a 24k Gold P1 racing like a dick, it’s probably me.

Have a chance to check out Forza 5 already? Share your thoughts below!

SDCC 2013 Video Game Round-Up: ‘RYSE: Son of Rome’

by jake108

RYSE: Son of Rome first made a splash at this year’s E3, and has since been put at the forefront with its companions as launch titles for the Xbox One. At SDCC, I had a chance to sit down with two minds behind RYSE and was able to gather information that is sure to be pleasing for all.

First, I’ll start with the game’s story. RYSE stars a hero set on revenge. The story takes place in the darkest days of Rome’s existence, and with his family dead, our hero has more than one reason to take his anger out on barbarians.

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Battles in the game’s campaign will be historically accurate. For example, the battle shown at SDCC and E3 can be found in the history books and is commonly regarded as the “Roman D-Day”, due to its amphibious landing. With any luck, each battle will feel meaningful and worthwhile enough to look it up on Wikipedia once we’re done playing. I don’t know about you, but I did this after every mission when playing Call of Duty 2.

What we saw during SDCC was a “small slice” of the final gameplay. It’s also worth noting that the demo, like many others, was in God Mode the entire time. It’s important to note that most of what we saw may change in the final product, and there’s one particular aspect to the game that will be gone by the time it hits store shelves. I’m talking about none other than those silly buttons that pop up above the enemies head to let you know what button to press in the midst of an execution. Sure, the animations look cool, but the seemingly mandatory quick-time event for every enemy was sure to get annoying after the tenth kill. I’m happy to report that those buttons will be removed in favor of adding skill and freedom to the game. Instead of dishing out the same combo over and over, players will have a choice on refilling their heath, receiving a damage boost, or increasing their focus depending on what combo they choose to do and how well they complete said combo. This, coupled with the fact that the demo was in God Mode and difficulty on Easy is sure to quell some fears about RYSE‘s difficulty. Those who love difficulty will also like to hear that a “Nightmare” mode will be available at launch too. Details on that mode, as well as what exactly “focus” does in the game will be released at a later time.

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The next thing covered was the SmartGlass integration. Through SmartGlass, gamers will have the oppertunity to glance at their friends “timeline” at any given time. Timeline is a feature in which your friends or yourself can view how much of the game or mission you have completed. It updates in real time. Timeline also serves as a strategy guide and will provide hints on the level in play. RYSE‘s SmartGlass integration will also allow gamers to view video of any kind associated with RYSE. These videos will be recorded via the Xbox One’s DVR feature. The best thing about this is that any achievement or challenging part in the game can be viewable via a friend who has already moved onto the next mission.

As for the Kinect functionality, RYSE will incorporate gestures and verbal commands in scenarios in which the hero must command other soldiers to complete a task. However, a Kinect is not mandatory and you may press buttons instead of doing gestures or voice commands (yay).

Later on, I had a chance to play RYSE myself. I was able to fight more enemies as time was not an issue. It was fun slicing enemies and severing arms, and conducting the voice commands. I can see myself trudging along in this game’s story upon release and am excited mostly for its Timeline feature. As a gamer who doesn’t regularly look forward to hack-and-slash titles, RYSE looks to set itself apart by featuring historical battles, freedom to kill how you want, and a challenging campaign. RYSE: Son of Rome is set to release on the Xbox One launch day.

Did you get a chance to play at SDCC this year? Let us know what you thought!

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

Geekscape Games Presents: Ten Returning IPs the Xbox One Needs

by Josh Jackson

Since last week’s Xbox One reveal, the internet has been on fire with speculation, rumors and an endless stream of unanswered questions. Many have tried to make sense of it all, including us here at Geekscape, but one of the solid facts that came out of the conference was that 15 exclusive games, including seven returning IPs, would release within the console’s first year on shelves.

If you’re like me, you’ve been starving for Xbox exclusives. While I think it’s still the console of choice for multiplatform and online gaming, save for the occasional Halo, Gears, Forza or Dance Central release, Microsoft has been pretty thin in the exclusives department.

The Xbox One is going to want to launch strong, and contrary to popular belief, the green machine had plenty of great exclusives during the Xbox and early 360 days. Even without Halo, Gears and Forza, the company has plenty of titles in the vault to draw from. With seven slots for returning franchises, let’s look at 10 games that can help the next Xbox be “The One” for gamers.

10: Dance Central

Starting off with this game probably lost me a ton of readers. Still with me? Good.

While many gamers who identify themselves as hardcore have mostly shunned anything that has to do with motion controls, Dance Central is the definitive motion gaming experience available and shouldn’t be missed. Right out of the gate, the game tracked movements in ways that new games struggle to achieve years later. Each sequel only got better, culminating with Usher bringing in his choreography to create some incredible routines in the latest entry. Imagine the possibilities with heart beat tracking and expanded joint detection? And throw in the fact that every Xbox One will be bundled with Kinect? The potential sales would be sure to grow given that everyone will have the device. It makes too much sense.

9: Viva Pinata

What started out as being Microsoft’s “Pokemon killer,” it turned out Viva Pinata was anything but. It didn’t help that the game was nothing like the series that it was trying to compete with, but what Rare created instead was an enjoyable farm simulator that sucked hours upon hours out of gamers. The game had tons of charm, addicting mechanics and even a TV show to suck in the kids, but disappeared suddenly after a quick sequel.

Not only did it deserve more of a chance, but it would be the perfect game to display Xbox’s family friendly side. After all, every game can’t be a futuristic shooter. Speaking of, that brings me to…

8:Perfect Dark

There was a time where it felt like Joanna Dark was the most in demand woman in gaming. Building off of the success of Goldeneye, Rare produced an FPS masterpiece at the time for the Nintendo 64, leaving its announced prequel anxiously anticipated.

But almost a decade of patience brought us Perfect Dark Zero, a game that removed most of what made the original so innovative. Instead it left us with a cookie cutter title that was soon overshadowed by big guns like Halo and Gears of War.

The Xbox One would be the perfect chance to redeem the series. Bring back the cheesiness. Bring back the quirkiness. But most of all, please bring back limb damage and hostage taking! Zero felt like such a step back, but I’m sure I’m not the only gamer who would welcome the proper Joanna Dark back with open arms.

7:Alan Wake

Alan Wake was one of the most hyped exclusives for the 360 when it was released. From the talented crew at Remedy, (who developed Max Payne 1 and 2,) this surreal horror game took a page out of Stephen King’s book, (no pun intended, I swear!) Gamers took control of Alan, an author who is trapped in a town where his suspense novels were seemingly coming to life.

Using a unique combat mechanic that felt like a survival horror shooter had a love child with Luigi’s Mansion, Wake was praised for its game play as much as it was for its top notch story. The ending and its DLC practically confirmed a sequel, but it never came aside from a somewhat unrelated Xbox Live Arcade release. While Remedy is hard at work on the new IP, Quantum Break, wishful thinking keeps me hoping for a new Alan Wake game to come to the console. I’m going to wish as hard as I can.

6:Kameo

Much like Perfect Dark Zero, Kameo was also in limbo for far too long. Starting development as an N64 game before being moved to the Gamecube launch, she wouldn’t make her debut for years. Not until the Xbox 360 launched did Kameo finally see the light of day, and while it was completely overshadowed by more anticipated titles like Perfect Dark and Call of Duty 2, it was still more than worthy of gamers’ attention.

Putting players in control of the titular elf, she gained the ability to take the forms of various creatures. Each one gave Kameo different abilities that helped her traverse her world and combat trolls outside of internet message boards. While it was a great first effort, the game had points where it didn’t live up to its full potential. An Xbox One revival can change that and expand on this limitless idea of shape shifting, bringing this mostly untapped series to a new generation.

5:Shadow Complex

Xbox Live Arcade was a popular service when it launched. Bringing arcade classics into our homes with the occasional indy game at a cheap price was a strong perk that gamers ate up. This was all we ever wanted, reserving the big, AAA titles for our retail purchases.

That was, until Shadow Complex came along.

Epic Games blew the lid off of what we expected from a downloadable console game. This Metroid style sidescrolling shooter had a strong story, top of the line game play and graphics that rivaled the 360’s top releases. Setting the stage for digital releases, it’s now expected for titles of this caliber to hit the PSN, eShop and Live Arcade. Why a sequel hasn’t been released is anyone’s guess, but what better way to introduce the new Xbox One and its downloadable service than to tout what I feel is the most influential downloadable game of this generation?

4:Banjo-Kazooie

Another lost Rare franchise, gamers begged for an Xbox version of Banjo-Kazooie, one of the most popular platformers on the N64. After teasing us with a Game Boy Advance release of all things, 2008 finally saw the return of the bear and bird.

It just wasn’t in the way we expected.

But change isn’t always bad, and in the case of Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts and Bolts, I feel it benefited from it. Less of a platform game and more of a create your own solution puzzle/racing hybrid, Nuts and Bolts let players build their own cars, boats, planes and anything in between to conquer different challenges.

A truly unique and well executed idea with plenty of self referential humor helped put it over the top. The game is still met with hostility since it strays so far from its roots, but if a new game were to expand on the already great ideas of the first Nuts and Bolts, I’d say that’s one way for the Xbox to build towards a better future.

3:Mech Assault

When the Xbox Live service launched back in 2002, Microsoft came out with guns blazing. They knew they had to offer something gamers couldn’t say no to when it came to selling them on a paid subscription service, and their answer was Mech Assault.

A console spinoff to the popular PC series Mech Warrior, this game put players in the cockpit of a variety of robots, each with different weapons, strengths and weaknesses. While the single player mode was there to essentially provide pilot training, the main draw of the game was its multiplayer, and to this day I feel it’s one of the best examples of online gaming done right on consoles.

Oddly enough, the last time it was seen was not on the Xbox, but as a DS title that flew under the radar. I think it’s time for the king to come home. Mech Assault sold gamers on live over ten years ago, I don’t see why it can’t sell them on the “One” now.

2:Crimson Skies

Now if Mech Assault was the game that successfully launched Live into the public eye, Crimson Skies launched it into the stratosphere. An arcade style dogfighting simulator, players took control of World War II style planes in an alternate timeline where steampunk-like technology was intertwined with the weapons of the 1940’s.

Unlike Mech Assault however, Crimson Skies had a strong single player campaign, with an entertaining story, a variety of challenges and a colorful cast. Taking its fast paced action to the internet was still its main draw though, and it was easy to sink hours into shooting down people from all over the world, the simplicity and fun of it all was my favorite reason to own an Xbox.

Since then, the franchise hasn’t even been mentioned outside of an Xbox Original release on the 360. No sequel must mean Microsoft doesn’t want my money! That can change though, because Xbox One will be a lot more attractive if it will take me to the skies again. I’m just waiting for it to sweep me away all over again.

1:Killer Instinct

It’s ironic that the number one game on my list is the only one to never appear on an Xbox console. Acting as Nintendo’s answer to Mortal Kombat back in the day, Killer Instinct and its sequel took violent, over the top fighting and added the depth of a traditional fighter. Last seen in 1996, generations of N64, Gamecube, Xbox and 360 owners have begged and begged Rare to bring back the popular brawler. Rare listened, and we got…

Grabbed by the Ghoulies!

But seriously, Rare has heard our cries. We did get a Sabrewulf spinoff after all, and they don’t hide their love of trolling fans. These are the same guys who hid comments about the game in Banjo-Kazooie, going as far as hiding mock box art for the non-existent game inside of an in game briefcase.

Killer Instinct 3 BanjoTrololol!

But there can only be one reason… One good reason that Rare has waited for so long. They want it to have the biggest impact as possible when it’s finally released. What better way than to launch with a brand new console? I can imagine the roof blowing off of E3 as a 17 year old franchise is revived with new graphics, updated presentation and the same fighting that we’ve been anxiously awaiting for years. I can’t think of any better time to launch it than now.

Are there any games I missed? Are you really looking for Sudeki 2 or Otogi 3? Or did I give too much credit to certain games that don’t deserve it? Sound off below and let us know!

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.

Xbox One Will NOT Charge For Used Games

by jake108

Contradictory to everything on the internet, Microsoft has no plans to charge gamers who plan on playing used games. Citing a statement made by Larry Hyrb (Xbox Live’s Major Nelson), “The ability to trade in and resell games is important to gamers and to Xbox. Xbox One is designed to support the trade in and resale of games.” The statement goes on to say that more information will be available at a further date, presumably at E3.

If you are unaware, games on the Xbox One will be installed onto the console itself in order to play. When a gamer sells or lends their game to someone else, this installation will be rendered useless until the game disc is inserted back into the console.

What’s vague about this is an online spot check, in which the console will need to be connected to the internet in order to play games, however, it is still unclear how much time will pass between these spot checks or even if these spot checks will exist when the Xbox One is released.

There you have it, we’ll all be able to play our used copies of Madden 25 and Assassin’s Creed 4.

How Xbox One Will Change the TV Landscape

by jake108

Earlier this morning, Microsoft unveiled its entry into the next generation of gaming consoles. The Xbox One presentation was spearheaded by the console’s capabilities involving games, internet browsing, movies, and television. With the advent of social media and smart phones, the way we view television has undergone a transformation, and with the upcoming release of Xbox One, television will undergo yet another transformation.

The introduction to the Xbox One strayed from announcing a lineup of next generation games and instead showcased its features as a media center. The things you can do on an Xbox One are unlike those you would be able to do on a cable box or dish service. For instance, you cannot vocally command your cable box to boot up along with the TV or command the box to search for a specific title. Granted, most of these features are impaired with the lack of a Kinect device, a backend product for last generation’s Xbox 360. However, every Xbox One will come bundled with a Kinect, eliminating the hassle of buying it separately. There are features on the Xbox One that will allow things like Instant Switching and Snap Mode, two things exclusive to the Xbox One. Instant Switching enables users to switch between all of the features on the Xbox One in what seemed like two seconds. For example, a user can switch between the game they’re playing to live or On Demand television program. This is done by simply saying, “Xbox, switch to TV.” Once the user is watching TV, they can then enter Snap Mode, which will divide the screen to include a small sidebar that will allow the user to make a Skype call or look something up on an Internet web browser. An example shown during the presentation, a user was viewing Star Trek (2009) while simultaneously looking up showtimes and tickets for Star Trek Into Darkness (2013). These two examples alone eliminate the need for multiple devices and allow the user to find what they want on a single device.

With piracy and other TV services entering the television fray, such as Netflix, Hulu Plus, and HBO Go, ratings has had a direct negative effect. This, in turn, has made Live Event TV that much more important to advertisers trying to get a good slot. For programs like The Super Bowl, 30-second spots can reach into the billions, and advertisers buy it because they know we’re watching. Xbox One plans on revamping Event Television by means of Snap Mode. Let’s say you’re watching an NFL game in Week 14. Your Fantasy Football league is about to end and you’re set to win it all. Xbox One’s Snap Mode allows users to view live up-to-the-minute updates on Fantasy Football scores. This is in partnership with ESPN, and will also encompass the NBA and MLB. Users will also be able to view all of ESPN’s channels. While all of the above features still require a cable provider, it does not change the danger advertisers face. There’s no stopping a user from instantly switching from a program on commercial break to a game they have running in the background. As an avid NFL viewer myself, the Xbox One will definitely be changing the way I view the games I seek. This feature will also be compatible with Xbox Smartglass, which is already available on mobile devices running Android or iOS. What’s even bigger news here is that Microsoft and the NFL announced a partnership starting with the above features for the Xbox One as a direct competitor to NFL Sunday Ticket, only NFL Sunday Ticket won’t be able to Skype call your friend who’s a fan of your rival team that just loss.

Lastly, the Xbox One will be the newest platform offering Original Programming that isn’t owned by any current television network. Their first splash into original programming will be a live-action television series based in the world of Halo. Halo is arguably the most popular science fiction first person shooter that has dominated Microsoft consoles since 2001. With the release of Halo 4, fans were treated to a live-action mini-series used as a primer leading into the Halo 4’s story. This was Forward Unto Dawn, and while this mini-series was marketed toward fans, this new live-action Halo series will be open to a much larger audience as it is using Xbox One as a springboard. As if that wasn’t big enough, Steven Spielberg plans to showrun the series and expressed his excitement this morning during the presentation.

The television landscape is changing and will never stop. Advertisers will need to adapt just as viewers will too. The newest and coolest thing in television is no longer constricted in a dish, cable box, tablet, or 15” monitor. This new iteration of next generation gaming is overflowing into new territory that plans to be a part of the change. The Xbox One will be releasing later this year.

How Spartan Ops Revolutionized Console-Based DLC

by jake108

We’ve all been there. Three months after the release of our beloved game, we must then dig deep into our pockets and shell out $10 for our first piece of downloadable content. Over the past ten years or so, gamers have witnessed the rise of DLC and how lucrative it is for the video game industry. Now, I’m not going to get into this publisher mishandled this, or this developer lied about that. DLC is an integral part in shaping video games today. However, to say it has a set standard in terms of distribution and content would be inaccurate.

 

Halo Jul

 

Very rarely do we get DLC that advances the game’s canon significantly. Even rarer is DLC worth playing that is free. Couple these two events together and you have 343 Industries’ Halo: Infinity.  Halo: Infinity can be found under Halo 4’s Spartan Ops menu and is free to all Xbox Live Gold Subscribers. Clocking in at 10 episodes, 50 chapters in total, Spartan Ops makes a splash when it comes to extending your playtime in Halo’s universe.

 

Picture 9

 

Halo: Infinity takes place six months after the events of Halo 4 and do not include any playtime with Halo’s most recognizable protagonist, Master Chief. Instead, 343i relies heavily on transmedia material, specifically the novels, surrounding the Halo universe. While this may not sound great for a few, it is hugely rewarding to fans of the universe who set out to explore its characters and canon further than the games. I realize this is nothing new in the realm of different universes before video games, but this is however the first significant bridge connecting novels to video games. Spartan Ops doesn’t contain just a couple of hours of playtime and ten minutes of cinematics, then call it free DLC. It goes further, providing narratives, plots, and characters gamers aren’t usually accustomed to.

 

Picture 10

 

There are numerous examples as to why Spartan Ops is special. One of the best ones is its episodic structure. Gamers were treated to episodes every week, not including a mid-season break. These episodes had twists, action, and overall provide significant change to the universe. Fans of the Halo franchise cannot expect to have full knowledge of Halo’s universe going into Halo 5 without first playing Spartan Ops.

 

Picture 11

Each episode contains almost five minutes of cinematics and five chapters to play through. Each chapter’s playtime is extended on the level of difficulty and the amount of people you’re playing with, (four players max). The story is not presented entirely in cinematics, of course, as players get most of the canon by playing through each chapter. It should be said that Spartan Ops isn’t perfect. 343i could work on the variety of environments used within Spartan Ops. Still, gamers who share that view have little ground to stand on provided that Spartan Ops is not paid DLC. Others may argue that not a whole lot happens in each episode. Those who are bored during episodes is understandable, assuming that they are equally clueless of the backgrounds each character has in the novels.

 

While everything about Spartan Ops isn’t as perfect as it can be, it definitely paves the way for future DLC installments in Halo and other franchises. Developers and Publishers should take notice of the success Spartan Ops is earning. Some developers are already onto this. The closest franchises that produces DLC that advances canon would be Mass Effect. Of course, gamers would have to pay small amounts of money to get the full experience of the universe, however, gamers did not need to purchase the DLC to get a grasp on the happenings between installments.

 

DLC is evolving, and hopefully for the better. This evolution of downloadable content is one of the most exciting events to happen this generation. That said, I am incredibly excited for Spartan Ops Season 2.

Halo 4’s Newest Map Pack ‘Crimson’ Gets A Trailer & Pricing

by Shane O'Hare

The first of three planned maps for the online portion of Halo 4 just got a release trailer. Check out what you can expect in the “Crimson Map Pack” below.

I am actually not very impressed. These all feel very very similar to existing maps, nothing screams “BUY ME”. If you want to enjoy Crimson you can for 800 MS points on December 10th.

Geekscape’s Definitive Review of Halo 4!

by jake108

Let’s get something straight. Bungie created a hell of a universe with great characters to populate them. In conjunction with 343 Industries, the universe has expanded to a size impossible for anyone to predict eleven years ago. This, above all else, deserves the highest of praise. Halo 4 is the first step into a new trilogy spearheaded by the folks at 343i, and I can safely say I couldn’t be more excited.

STORY

Right off the bat, the emotion involved with Halo 4‘s campaign takes off right where we left off in Halo 3, and then takes it to the next level.

It wasn’t far into campaign when I realized the ties I’ve developed with Cortana and Master Chief after starting my Halo career ten years ago. Halo 4‘s innovation and ambition skyrockets when 343i incorporates A LOT of information and events that took place in novels released in between Halo’s 3 and 4. Now, when I say A LOT, I mean A LOT. Many reviewers have already commented on this and listed it as a negative. The fact that they did this, and I won’t mention any names, astounds me. Halo isn’t just a video game anymore. I know it, you should know it, and every gaming journalist out there should know it too. Halo 4‘s story is the story fans deserve.

Halo 4 isn’t just the next big FPS. When I think Halo, I think story. I think universe. Fans have hundreds of thousands of years to play in. We are able to find canonical information in past campaigns, terminals found in Halo 4 and Halo: CEA, novels, comics, short stories, animations, and other media forms. Halo is at the forefront of transmedia and a universe so dense and emotional such as Halo should have fans of video games clamoring for more universes like it from both developers and studios. The Halo franchise has achieved the gold standard for video games, and should be looked upon as so, starting with Halo 4.

MULTIPLAYER

It’s not the same ‘ol, same ‘ol. Halo 4’s multiplayer is beauty coupled with an extreme amount of fun. It’s faster-paced than Halo: Reach and fills the void many had missed with Bungie’s last installment. My memory may be hazy, but Halo 4 doesn’t exactly harken back to Halo 2’s multiplayer, which is totally a good thing. 343i has come and established itself as a AAA studio with its first title.

Just as the gameplay, every vehicle you thought you knew is also different for the better. Trust me, you’ll have a blast.

Weapons, especially the ones that belong in the Forerunner arsenal, look amazing. I’m sure you’ve all seen a Forerunner weapon form before your eyes already!

While I haven’t picked a favorite map yet, it doesn’t mean they’re all bad. I often finding myself playing Big Team Battle Slayer more than the regular 4v4 Slayer’s, which tend to feature smaller to mid-range maps.

 

There are a wide variety of matchmaking gametypes. While some old favorites may be missing, there’s no question that 343i will be injecting more than a few matchmaking updates, starting as soon as next week. Rest assured we won’t be playing the same ‘ol games forever.

SOUND & MUSIC

The games sound, and this goes for all modes, is something every video game fan should demand from all developers. The first thing I noticed was the thumping of Master Chief’s boots hitting the ground as I walked in the first campaign mission.

I was just in theater mode taking a screenshot of a sniper rifle. To my amazement, the shell casing of a sniper rifle round made several “ding” sounds as it bounced down a rock. I admit, when playing, I didn’t hear a thing due to being in the moment.

It’s also extremely important to note that 343i went above and beyond to create unique sounds to every weapon in the game. Watch the sounds of Human and Covie weapons below!

 

 

The great Marty O’Donnel may be gone, but Composer Neil Davidge has made his fantastic debut into the Halo universe. Fans should rejoice that the soundtrack sounds like Halo while including atmospheric tones and themes in conjunction with what we’re experiencing in Halo 4.

 

SPARTAN OPS

Yet another ambitious move to further Halo 4’s replay value, like it needed any. Spartan Ops is ambitious in the sense that it will advance the Halo cannon while providing new missions in weekly episodes. Each episode is meant to be played with friends. I recommend everyone play on Heroic or Legendary to get the full experience, otherwise you may blow through each chapter quicker than you’d like. Still, while on Legendary with three friends, Episode 1 lasted about one hour. Check out the trailer below!

 

The best part of Spartan Ops? It’s free.

Halo 4 has arrived and should be a milestone among video games. Halo 4 is a game for Halo fans and fans of FPS alike.

Geekscape’s ‘Halo 4’ First Impressions

by jake108

Let’s get something straight. Bungie created a hell of a universe with great characters to populate them. In conjunction with 343 Industries, the universe has expanded to a size impossible for anyone to predict eleven years ago. This, above all else, deserves the highest of praise and sets a standard for all video games looking to establish a vast and prominent universe.

STORY

Right off the bat, the emotion involved with Halo 4’s campaign takes off right where we left off in Halo 3, and then takes it to the next level.

It wasn’t far into campaign when I realized the ties I’ve developed with Cortana and Master Chief after starting my Halo career ten years ago. Halo 4’s innovation and ambition skyrockets when 343i incorporates A LOT of information and events that took place in novels released in between Halo’s 3 and 4. Now, when I say A LOT, I mean A LOT. Many reviewers have already commented on this and listed it as a negative. The fact that they did this, and I won’t mention any names, astounds me. Halo isn’t just a video game anymore. I know it, you should know it, and every gaming journalist out there should know it too. Halo 4’s story is the story fans deserve.

MULTIPLAYER

It’s not the same ‘ol, same ‘ol. Halo 4’s multiplayer is beauty coupled with an extreme amount of fun. It’s faster-paced than Halo: Reach and fills the void many had missed with Bungie’s last installment. My memory may be hazy, but Halo 4 doesn’t exactly harken back to Halo 2’s multiplayer, which is totally a good thing. 343i has come and established itself as a AAA studio with its first title.

Just as the gameplay, every vehicle you thought you knew is also different for the better. Trust me, you’ll have a blast.

Weapons, especially the ones that belong in the Forerunner arsenal, look amazing. I’m sure you’ve all seen a Forerunner weapon form before your eyes already!

While I haven’t picked a favorite map yet, it doesn’t mean they’re all bad. I often finding myself playing Big Team Battle Slayer more than the regular 4v4 Slayer’s, which tend to feature smaller to mid-range maps.

SOUND

The games sound, and this goes for all modes, is something every video game fan should demand from all developers. The first thing I noticed was the thumping of Master Chief’s boots hitting the ground as I walked in the first campaign mission.

I was just in theater mode taking a screenshot of a sniper rifle. To my amazement, the shell casing of a sniper rifle round made several “ding” sounds as it bounced down a rock. I admit, when playing, I didn’t hear a thing due to being in the moment.

It’s also extremely important to note that 343i went above and beyond to create unique sounds to every weapon in the game. Watch below!

 

SPARTAN OPS

Yet another ambitious move to further Halo 4’s replay value, like it needed any. Spartan Ops is ambitious in the sense that it will advance the Halo cannon while providing new missions in weekly episodes.

 

The best part of Spartan Ops? It’s free.

 

Halo 4 has arrived and should be a milestone among video games. Halo 4 is a game for Halo fans and fans of FPS alike.

‘Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn’ – Episode 5 Recap And Analysis

by jake108

The series finale to Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn was everything we wanted it to be. After watching, I could not think of a better way to hype fans of the franchise more than this live-action series did. If for some reason you haven’t seen it yet, do so NOW!

 

The finale opens with the materialization of the Cortana we know and love. For those of you wondering why she’s been a blue sphere this entire time, it’s due to the fact that AI’s can embody any object or shape it wants to. This was showcased in Glasslands when the AI Black Box once materialized as a present with a bow that kept changing colors. Besides, who wouldn’t want to look their best for the Chief?!

Picking up where episode 4 left off, the remaining survivors of the planet along with Chief are on a desperate race to reach an evac point where Kelly and her squad are located. Now, I thought we saw all the scary we needed to see when a Spec Ops Elite engaged his active camouflage. Obviously the people behind FUD felt we needed more:

It’s not uncommon to see Jackals acting as scouts conduction recon, especially minors such as these. However, it is a little unusual to see a group of jackals without a commanding officer present. Correct me if I’m wrong, but it seemed that nothing but Jackals were attempting to stop the Warthog.

This brings me to the big guys.

It should be common knowledge fans that Hunters are deployed in pairs. What may be uncommon knowledge is an event in the novels where a Hunter was commanding officer of a squad of Covies. I may be reading too much into this subject, believe me, the other part of my brain is yelling, “WHO CARES?! MASTER CHIEF JUMPED ON A HUNTER’S BACK AND ALSDFJADL!!!11!1” I know.

If you didn’t know before, you surely know now that Hunters are composed of small worms with a collective mind and mortar skills. It’s also important to note that the Hunter’s size directly correlates with the gravity of the planet. The worms, or as I call them, Hunty-Worms, can also be found in the rear part of a Scarab. Read up more about ’em here!

After safely making it to the evac point, Hastati squad boards a Pelican. It’s there where we are formally introduced to Fred and Kelly in live-action form, and yes, their faces freaked me out too.

Perhaps the funniest moment in all of Forward Unto Dawn was dialogue between Sully and Kelly.

The transition between Young Lasky and Present Lasky was awesome. What’s even more awesome was the shot of Lasky getting into the Cryo Pod displaying his courage despite his illness.

Lastly, the parting image before the release of Halo 4:

Catch up on previous recap installments!

Episode 1

Episode 2

Episode 3

Episode 4

‘Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn’ – Episode 4 Recap And Analysis

by jake108

Wow. I find that is difficult to convey my feelings and excitement other than just flat out saying it. Forward Unto Dawn Episode IV was exciting, action-packed, fulfilling, and terrifying.

 It’s no secret Cortana is in a bad state.  The Forerunner Sphere that may or may not contain the Didact, (but probably does) conducts a scan of the Forward Unto Dawn, which only sends Cortana into a frenzy.

Cortana is able to tell that the scan originated from an alien AI that was not of Covenant origin and she is scared. Some would consider fear in an AI to be impossible, but lest we forget that Cortana is no ordinary AI. I’d say fear is a great motive making the initiative to wake up John.

Let me remind you that a scan looking like this isn’t anything new to what we’ve seen since July. In Halo 4’s E3 2012 trailer, we see the UNSC Infinity scanned, along with all of the personnel aboard.

 

Although it doesn’t well for some of the personnel aboard the UNSC Infinity, I’m sure we’ve already seen what comes immediately following the Forward Unto Dawn’s scan:

 

Now, enough about Master Chief in present-day Halo, let’s focus on Lasky’s flashback. Circinius IV is already lost by the time episode IV picks up. I’m not saying the UNSC didn’t put up a fight. Many of the boots on the ground belonged to ODST’s.

Now, I can’t decide what’s worse: Seeing cadets fall out of the sky after the Space Elevator was destroyed or seeing Colonel Mehaffey reduced to itty-bitty pieces of flesh after taking needler or needle rifle rounds.

Above, I mentioned that this episode was terrifying. I thought SpecOps Elites were scary in their own regard ever since running into them at the end of Halo: Combat Evolved. Seeing this particular SpecOps Elite engage its active camo in live-action probably wasn’t the best thing for me to do at three o’ clock in the morning in the dark.

A little after the Elite follows what’s left of the squad into the armory, we get a nice close-up of this SpecOps Elite:

I don’t need to tell you what happens next. Other than the Master Chief making his triumphant debut, the keen fans will hear Master Chief talking to none other than Spartan-087 Kelly.

“Kelly, inform command I have four survivors. Take your team north.”

Master Chief orders Kelly to take her team north. We can all speculate who’s on her team, but since Kelly was never one to lead her peers, I would assume she is leading a squad of Marines and/or ODST’s.

Fast-forward a little to when Sully is shot in the leg. A Jackel, or Kig-Yar, does this to stun Sully enough for it to fire a second round into Sully’s head. Since a single Needle is heading toward Sully, I think it’s safe to assume the Kig-Yar’s are using an assortment of Needler’s, Needle Rifles, Plasma Pistols, and Carbines. If you listen closely, you can hear the firing of a Needler and Plasma Pistol similar to that of the sounds in past Halo titles.

Carbine rounds can be seen flying past Lasky along with Needles from Needler and/or Needle Rifles.

Silva is also seen picking up a Covenant Carbine.

For anyone wondering why the weapon is so big in proportion to her body and not a Kig-Yar’s, it’s important to note that Kig-Yar’s are not as small as we think. Standing anywhere between 6’2 – 6’8 and weighing nearly 200 pounds, a Kig-Yar is taller than most humans and can be more physically capable than you or I ever thought they could be.

To wrap things up, earlier in the episode, Master Chief told the remainder of Hastati Squad that they were the only survivors on the planet. This fact was cemented for Lasky when he saw General Black’s body hanging out of a Warthog.

Catch up on recaps of Forward Unto Dawn Episode 1, Episode 2,  and Episode 3!

Did I miss anything? Comment below! Remember, this is a community effort to get the most out of each episode of Forward Unto Dawn! Thanks for reading!

Halo 4’s ARG May Hint At A Longer Live Action Short

by jake108

343 Industries has fired up an ARG and has released three videos right under our noses. Each video refers to the “Ancient Evil” and are titled Butterfly, Glacier, and Gallagher respectively. Take a look below:

Video 1 – Butterfly

 

Video 2 – Glacier

 

Video 3 – Gallagher

 

Two of the videos flash numbers at the end, “11” and “5”. I don’t believe these numbers hold any significance other than a date for seven minute live-action trailer. The Australian Halo Facebook page let slip that such a trailer was “coming soon.” What better day to share a seven minute live-action launch trailer than the day before the game hits store shelves? If it’s anything like “Scanned”, one can only hope we’ll be seeing more important events throughout the Chief’s life up until Halo 4.

Agree? Disagree? Sound off below!

‘Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn’ – Episode 1 Recap and Analysis

by jake108

It’s finally here, a live-action story set within the beloved Halo universe. Running at nearly 20 minutes, the first episode of Forward Unto Dawn was peculiar. Like any new installment into the Halo franchise, we were presented with both familiarity and uncharted territory…

And now for our commentary and analysis:

Forward Unto Dawn starts with the remains of the ship, with the same title, that we last saw Master Chief and Cortana on. If you need a little refresher: The Arbiter, Master Chief, and Cortana were desperately trying to get of the Arc at the end of Halo 3. While the Arbiter moved to the front of the ship to guide it to safety, Master Chief and Cortana elected to catch their breath, thinking they’d be safe. Only half of the UNSC Forward Unto Dawn made it through the slipspace portal, leaving Master Chief and Cortana floating in space.

This is made evident when we are presented with both Cortana and Master Chief with Cortana’s distress call loop heard in the background.

The blue hue from Cortana doesn’t last very long, due to her impending rampancy. Though she is long overdue to become unstable, let’s not forget she’s not an ordinary AI. Dr. Halsey used her own brain as a basis for Cortana, making Cortana truly one of a kind.

We enter Forward Unto Dawn’s series with the Insurrectionists as the main enemy to the UNSC. Fans may or may not know that the flashbacks in this series take place twenty years before the Halo events.

After Cortana and Master Chief’s introduction Commander Lasky is seen listening to Cortana’s distress call. For those of you who missed it, it is extremely imperative that you know Lasky is commander of the UNSC Infinity. The UNSC Infinity is the ship that is pivotal to Halo 4’s campaign and plot.

For those of you who saw the E3 demonstration, the UNSC Infinity is also the ship that crash lands on the shield world both the Infinity and remaining half of the Forward Unto Dawn get sucked into. I expect one of the first missions will be involving rescue and recovery of the downed UNSC Infinity. Poor Lasky, first the insurrectionists, then the Covenant, and now super-powered Forerunner Promethean Knights?! This guy can’t catch a break!

After some character development involving Lasky and fellow cadet Chyler Silva, we get an approximate date as to when these flashbacks are occurring:

It’s safe to say the year is 2526. Humanity made first contact with the Covenant on February 3, 2525, making these news articles a little over a year after. It’s not unusual that the UNSC is keeping their skirmishes with the Covies a secret. Still, it’s not going to be much a secret for long.

Towards the end of the episode, we’re treated with a Covenant ship or probe entering Circinius-IV’s atmosphere. If you look closely you’ll see the purple hue around the object.

If that isn’t enough for you skeptics out there, tell me these don’t look like Covie-glyphics:

If there’s anything I missed, feel free to email, tweet, or comment below. I’ll be sure to give credit where credit is due! Until next time, I’ll be getting back to the second thing that matters most to me: My social life.

Check Out The Inside Of Black Ops II Collectors Edition

by Shane O'Hare

With Black Ops II release date quickly approaching, TreyArch really have been putting all their best efforts into making this a quality game. Check out what the Xbox 360 and PS3 owners can expect inside the Collectors “Care Package” edition of the game.

What you can expect inside of this grandiose box:

  • Remote Controlled Quadrotor Drone and Stand
  • Limited Edition 2-Sided Steelbook®
  • (2) Collectible Challenge Coins
  • Official Soundtrack by Jack Wall with Theme by Trent Reznor
  • Exclusive Xbox LIVE® CLAW Avatar Props
  • Exclusive Xbox LIVE® Zombies Avatar Props
  • In-Game Content:
  • Nuketown Zombies Bonus In-Game Content
  • Nuketown 2025 Bonus Multiplayer Map
  • Exclusive Weapon Camo
  • Exclusive Multiplayer Player Card Background
  • Exclusive Zombies Player Card Background

All this can be yours for $180 this November 13th!

Geekscape Games Reviews: Madden NFL 2013

by jake108

With every new release of a Madden title, one can’t help but think how it can possibly be different from the last. With $60 a pop, it’s only fair that it crosses your mind. Any debate involving this frame of thinking should be laid to rest now, because Madden is about to have a breakout year.

The number of things I like about Madden 13 far outweighs the bad. Since the release of the Kinect, I’ve been waiting for an already established sports franchise to adopt the Kinect’s functionality. Voicing commands works well, and the prompt at the bottom of the screen does not distract from gameplay. Still, veteran players may find that old habits die hard.

Connected Careers?……Are we still talking about Madden?

The big thing this year is Connected Careers. Connected Careers is embodiment of NFL Superstar, Franchise, and Online Franchise. These game modes are no longer separate, but instead combined as one. For example, you and your friends were probably in an online franchise at one point or another. In Connected Careers, you and your friends can be in an online franchise taking the role of players instead of coach. You can have an all-QB league, all-RB league, or an all-WR league. Different options appear depending on what role you can pick. As a coach or player, you can demand release, retire, and accomplish the overall goal of entering the Hall of Fame.

The return of fake news stories, an overhaul of college football drafting make Connected Careers different for every league, in every season.

Believe it or not, Connected Careers injects RPG elements into your franchise. Gamers will have the opportunity to level-up attributes of existing players, or create a new player with selected attributes.

The whole process may sound confusing at first, but Connected Careers is probably the best thing to happen to the Madden franchise to date.

Infinity Engine

The Infinity Engine is one of the first things you’ll notice about Madden 13 and will change the way you play. Players will stumble and react to every bump the they get. Those who like playing Running Back will now have to avoid their own blockers if they want to hit stride. The only gripe I have about this engine are the increase of roughing the QB penalty. If your pass rusher is lying on the ground after the QB throws the pass and barely touches the QB while getting up, you can expect a flag.

Madden Ultimate Team & Gridiron Club

MUT makes a return with a layout easy to understand to those who are familiar with the mode. The most exciting part about this year’s MUT mode are the reward packs. This time around, gamers will receive reward packs or cards based on what you accomplished in past EA NFL installments. Don’t worry, you’ll receive rewards for just playing past Madden installments and arcade NFL titles.

Gamers can also manage MUT and Connected Careers via the Madden NFL Gridiron Club. Available online and on your console, the Gridiron Club is free and provides new content, Madden NFL Moments, Madden On-Demand, and roster updates. The Gridiron Club contains modes we’re already familiar with and some that are new.

Closing Comments

EA has released an innovated sports title. Numerous features, returning and new, should bump Madden 13 to the top of next week’s shopping list for any football fan. Madden’s new engine and game modes should be incentive enough, but Madden 13 goes beyond that and provides a fresh take on the NFL.

Madden NFL 2013 is set to release August 28, 2012.

Square Releases ‘Sleeping Dogs’ Demo

by Shane O'Hare

If you are an old school, intrepid gamer, you rely on demos to help base your opinion on new releases. If you were on the fence with Sleeping Dogs then REST EASY!

Square have just announced that TODAY they will be releasing a demo for the game on all platforms! So go grab it and jump into a mission that takes you through a vibrant marketplace, and a sneak peak at a later level in the story.

For more info on the demo check out

XBOX LIVE MARKETPLACE

PLAYSTATION NETWORK

STEAM MARKETPLACE (Link for the demo is not up on STEAM yet, but I will provide it as soon as it does)

Make sure to check out our REVIEW of Sleeping Dogs while you’re at it!

Introducing Halo 4’s New and Improved Forge Mode

by jake108

Developed by Certain Affinity and unveiled at Rooster Teeth’s RTX Convention in Austin, Halo 4 promises new toys, tools, and hopefully headache-free forging. Check out the video to watch dynamic lighting, magnetized pieces, locked pieces, and more!

As someone who spends time in single player and multiplayer a lot more than Forge, I can safely say that I’ll now make an attempt at building something worthy of seeing the light of day.

2-D Stealth is Back! New Screenshots and Trailer for ‘Mark of the Ninja’

by MoreLikeAndy

Out of all the games shown during this years E3, I wanted to see coverage for Klei Entertainment’s new game, Mark of the Ninja. I wish more gaming press covered this instead of all the other titles EVERYONE covered ad nauseum.

I hope to get a closer look at Mark of the Ninja when it comes out on XBLA this summer. We will have to settle for some screenshots and a quick trailer for now.

 

E3 2012 – Geekscape Previews: Halo 4 HANDS-ON!

by jake108

In November 2011, the first ten years of Halo drew to a close. With that close, the next ten years of Halo had already been set in motion. What started out as an FPS with story in 2001 has grown into a detailed universe spanning hundreds of thousands of years through books, graphic novels, shorts, and of course, the video games.

Halo 4 kicks off the next ten years with great ambition and confident words. From this point out, everything in the Halo universe is canon, even the multiplayer. The lines between multiplayer, co-op missions, and standard campaign have been erased, and are instead all one complete package. Innovation, something the Halo franchise has been known for, is driving Halo 4 to be unlike any console game on the market.

Multiplayer

The UNSC Infinity is the biggest, most advance ship in the UNSC fleet. Taking two decades to build, this ship was surly built to kill Covies during the Human-Coveneant War. Now, nearly five years after the events of Halo 3, the UNSC Infinity houses an untold amount of Spartan IV’s.

In the game’s story, Master Chief comes into direct contact with the UNSC Infinity, as it is seen in the E3 2012 stage demo. In multiplayer, your spartan is a Spartan IV onboard the Infinity. As far as the multiplayer is concerned, each gametype, such as capture the flag, team slayer, king of the hill, are all training simulations between two groups of Spartans.

As you progress through multiplayer, you will build up credits, unlock weapons, armor, and new “toys” to better your playing experience. Your choices and progress through the game will affect your arsenal and appearance.

Spartan Ops

It is here in Spartan Ops where Infinity’s story intertwines with Halo 4’s campaign.  After you’ve completed Halo 4’s standard campaign, you will be able to continue events through missions provided in the Spartan Ops game mode. Gamers will be provided with an episode with 5 missions per each Op. Episodes will be available weekly and span months after Halo 4’s release.

In Spartan Ops, you may also earn credits to build your Spartan IV up to use in multiplayer also. With each episode, we can expect cinematic storytelling, a blend of enemies, objective-based gameplay and the ability to play cooperatively with up to four players. Before each op, players will be able to choose their loadout and customize it before they actually start the operation. Think of it as the lobby of Mass Effect 3 or being able to customize weapons and gadgets before each mission of Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory.

Frank O’ Conner (Franchise Development Director) and Kiki Wolfkill (Executive Producer) demoed a chapter of Spartan Ops for me in which they fought both Covenant, Promethean Knights, and Crawlers. The mission was to obtain a Forerunner artifact while repelling waves of both Covies and Forerunner defenses at separate times. At one point, groups of crawlers were being spawned. While crawlers aren’t hard to kill by themselves, their strength is in numbers. Still, Frank O’ Conner said it it best:

[Killing a Crawler] is like popping bubble wrap…until there’s a thousand of them. Then it’s deadly bubble wrap.

It was clear that Spartan Ops would blend a mixture of Objective type gameplay and variations of completing each mission while advancing Halo’s story. Each map used in Spartan Ops is built specifically for the op itself. There will be no recycled maps here.

Hands-on Gameplay

I was able to play on one of Halo 4’s larger maps titled, Longbow. The map features all three types of combat, as well as vehicle use. Before the match, we were able to customize our loadouts and equipment. Players should no longer have to worry about using sprint, as all spartans have the ability to sprint. Many will say choosing loadouts in Halo 4 is too similar to games like Call of Duty or Battlefield. While the idea is similar, Call of Duty never crossed my mind while choosing my primary weapon. Instead, I was able to go to directly what I wanted in what was a fluid transition to being “Ready.”

My first weapon of choice was the Battle Rifle. At the start of the match, I fired my rifle into the air just to hear how it sounded. I must say, I was impressed with the game’s audio. Your footsteps, the Warthog’s engine, and weapon use sound different, distinct, and authentic.

Fans of the Battle Rifle will be happy to know there’s no learning curve. I was able to go on a Killing Frenzy in my first spawn using the Battle Rifle. It was during that initial spawn I knew I would use the Battle Rifle for my entire Halo 4 career.

My second choice of primary weapon was the Covenant Carbine. The Carbine was relatively easy to use if you have a fast trigger finger. In fact, you can think of the Carbine being like the Needle Rifle in Halo: Reach.

The third weapon I used was the DMR. I liked the attention to detail when scoped in on an enemy. The DMR’s scope is unique to every other scope in Halo’s arsenal in that it displays how far an enemy is. You’ll probably hear this a lot between now and the time Halo 4 launches, but many will keep asking: “Why use the DMR if you could have a Battle Rifle?” Well, if you’re an accurate shooter, you’ll be able to take someone down a lot faster than someone who is spraying their shots using the Battle Rifle. The DMR is definitely a weapon to fear.

I briefly drove a Warthog, which hasn’t changed much. I was also able to use the M363 Remote Projectile Detonator as part of Halo 4’s new weapon drop system. In hopes of cutting out power-weapon spawn campers, players must earn points for a power weapon drop to their location, one being the Remote Projectile Detonator. This snazzy, and smaller form of a grenade launcher, launches a grenade at a location. If you hold the trigger down, a screen displaying a motion tracker of sorts around the grenade you shot. Obviously, you want to let the trigger go and detonate the grenade when one or more enemies are on or close to the grenade.

Halo 4’s multiplayer is a little fast paced mixed with a little familiarity and new toys. It’s important to recognize that Halo 4 has its own voice and style. Yes, it does borrow from past Halo titles, but that doesn’t mean the fine folks at 343 Industries are remaking the same title. As a Halo fan since Combat Evolved, I admit I was skeptic of how 343 Industries’ handling of the franchise would be after Bungie’s departure. After playing and previewing what 343 Industries has to come, I can safely say I am no longer a skeptic.

In the coming weeks, I will go into detail regarding Halo 4’s gameplay, gadgets, modes, power-ups, and what it means for you!