For those of you thinking you might see Facebook or Twitter with the new dashboard update, you’ll have to wait. Not for long, though. Microsoft marketing man James Halton said today that Microsoft is set to release the social networks this fall on their Xbox Live service.
Halton would only get so specific as to say “”It will be before Christmas. A lot of the background work’s been done for a lot of applications that are coming.” So maybe that’s what comes with the August 11th update – background support for more up and coming applications. If you recall, that update also includes games on demand and Netflix movie parties.
Facebook/Twitter integration brings the 360 closer to the goal Microsoft so touted at the console’s release: to be the entertainment hub of the house. Now what’s there to get you off your couch? Oh, right. That would be Project Natal.
Now that Bungie is officially done with Halo, they’re looking for publishers for their new IP and are apparently very close to signing someone. Who that is has yet to be seen, but it sounds like Bethesda might be looking for the job.
Ashley Cheng, a producer for Bethesda, said on his blog that his company was one of few positioned to “snag” Bungie’s new project.
You can count on one hand the number of publisher’s[sic] around who can afford to publish Bungie’s next game: EA (via EA Partners), Activision, Ubisoft, Microsoft, and of course, Bethesda. I can only imagine how much it will cost to snag their next title.
Cheng also mentions Sony but calls the prospect “unlikely.” Whoever the publisher, the game won’t be restricted to any platform, unlike the company’s most recent efforts. That will probably be a great thing for Bungie, and going with Sony might only hurt the increased revenue they would see from a multi-platform release.
It’s no secret that Bungie has been working on new IP for some time. According to the now independent developer, Halo: Reach will be the last Halo game, from Bungie anyway.
In a recent interview, Senior Designer Lars Bakken had this to say:
In terms of a platform for Halo games made by Bungie, yes. I can’t answer that question for Microsoft though. Whether they have something in the works or not, I don’t know if they’re actually ready to talk about it yet, but in terms of Bungie-produced Halo games, ODST and then Reach is probably all you’re going to get.
That’s it folks. No more Halo from Bungie. That doesn’t count out Microsoft’s new 343 division, which is said to be handling everything remotely related to the Halo franchise.
I may have mentioned once or twice that I’m ridiculously excited to play Scribblenauts. The new trailer makes the game seem even more incredible, and it made me realize something I can’t believe I hadn’t thought of before:Scribblenauts has almost infinite replay value.
I know that sounds odd, because it’s clearly one of the main features of the game. So maybe it’s not that I didn’t think of it, but that the concept just didn’t seem very real. There aren’t many games I find truly engrossing enough to enjoy a lot of replay. Sure, there are all the games with great multiplayer features, but I don’t consider those “replay.” For real replay value, I consider the story mode of a game – the part of the game that follows some sort of narrative progression from beginning to end. Even with games like Mass Effect, where there are countless options available to the player on replay, I find it hard to jump back in and relive the same story, despite the various nuances that come from different decisions.
Scribblenauts is different, in part, because it’s more like a puzzle game. There’s not necessarily that same, narrative progression with bigger titles. But even puzzle games can get boring, and it takes a special kind of experience to make me come back for more. That’s exactly what I expect from 5th Cell’s little creation – a rare gaming experience.
My expectations exploded when I first heard the concept for the game, and from everything I’ve seen, it can’t really disappoint. The most shining example, though, is from the new trailer. Our intrepid hero is stuck staring at a centaur with no way around. How does he hope to make it past? Why, by summoning Medusa, chopping off her head and using it to turn the centaur to stone, of course! Okay, so that doesn’t solve the problem of getting around the centaur (and actually the trailer does seem to show this “solution” as no solution at all), but it does make good on the promise that anything is possible. There are obviously thousands of other ways to get your ‘Naut out of this little pickle, and that’s what makes the game so great. I’m already imagining spending hours just playing my favorite puzzles, the ones that offer the most modularity for solutions, just to see how many ways I can think up to solve them.
With opportunity for expansion packs, increased dictionary size, and more item interoperability, Scribblenauts could quickly become one of the greatest franchises ever. To see more of what I’m talking about, check out the trailer below.
Microsoft’s Xbox Division may have shipped more units this year than last, but they certainly didn’t make more money. Not by percentage anyway.
This is the type of story that’s a little difficult to quantify, but I’ll do my best to make the mess of it all fairly clear. Yes, Microsoft’s Xbox division is reporting profits to be down some 66% from last year. Yes, they made $161 million less than last year. It’s all sort of difficult to place, though. The company sold 2.5 million more consoles this fiscal year, and Xbox Live subscriptions were up some 73% in June. So while dollar percentages may be down, and yes that’s likely due to some price reductions, it’s tough to say that Microsoft isn’t doing well.
Of course, no one’s doing well right now. The economy has had a taxing effect on our video game industry, but if you look at the full story, Microsoft is doing what I’ll call “okay.” All in all, not a bad quarter, Microsoft.
For those of you thinking you might see Facebook or Twitter with the new dashboard update, you’ll have to wait. Not for long, though. Microsoft marketing man James Halton said today that Microsoft is set to release the social networks this fall on their Xbox Live service.
It’s no secret that Bungie has been working on new IP for some time. According to the now independent developer, Halo: Reach will be the last Halo game, from Bungie anyway.
