Rare has appointed a new creative director, picking industry veteran Simon Woodroffe. Woodroffe's career has taken him to his own studio at Headfirst Productions, along with senior roles at Midway, Ubisoft, and the head of games design for Sega West.
If you're at least passingly familiar with the popular animated Dragon Ball Z franchise, it's not too difficult to imagine how an IP steeped in hand-to-hand combat might utilize Microsoft's Kinect hands-free peripheral. There was little left to imagine after we got to see Dragon Ball Z for Kinect at Namco Bandai's Global Gamers Day last week in Las Vegas.
The recently-released Kinect Star Wars game has caused a disrupting in the Force, thanks to its now-infamous dancing mini-game. To refuel the calories burned by LucasArts' controller-free mini-game experience, they've teamed up with 7-Eleven and Lipton for a unique promo that unlocks new content in the game.
Kinect-powered Dragon Shouts are officially coming to The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. The idea was originally whipped together during Bethesda's game jam week, but has been expanded to give voice control over everything from follower commands to quicksaves, and will be coming to Xbox 360 in a free title update later this month.
The Dragon Ball franchise has delivered so many wonderful memes, mostly centered around the characters' penchant for dramatic poses and shouting loudly at each other. That's why we're so excited about Dragon Ball Z for Kinect. Namco Bandai announced the project, which will be available on Xbox 360 this October.
Gears of War 3 may be the last we see of the COGs for quite some time, as developer Epic Games has revealed that another installment in the franchise--titled Gears of War: Exile--is no longer in development.
The canceled game was rumored to be a Kinect title.
The moment I saw Kinect, my greatest childhood fantasy flashed before me and I thought, "How long before I could have a lightsaber fight?" However, as the release date for Kinect Star Wars drew nearer, I felt a disturbance in the Force. It was as if millions of Star Wars fans suddenly cried out in terror and were as abruptly silenced. Sure enough, my childhood has taken yet another punch to the gut. Imprecise controls, awkward presentation, and baffling use of the license make Kinect Star Wars about as much fun as being Force choked by Darth Vader.
Diabolical Pitch begins when its protagonist, big-league baseball player McAllister, throws his shoulder out during a career-defining game. His arm is never really the same after that day. Some time later, he's a grousing, growling husk with a bad arm, pessimistic and beaten down. Likely without intending to, designer Suda 51 created the perfect metaphor for how it feels to play his game. I stepped into the cleats of a sad, frustrated man whose arm doesn't work the way it should, and more than anything I just wanted to go back to the way things were before it all happened.
If you're still mourning the fact that Steel Battalion: Heavy Armor doesn't use a wacky custom controller like its predecessor, chin up! A new video explains how, by combining Kinect with an Xbox 360 controller, the mech 'em up still offers sim-y interaction--complete with punching out-of-control crew members.
If you listen to Weekend Confirmed, you probably heard Jeff Cannata raving about the Kinect functionality in Mass Effect 3. It was dubbed as "Better with Kinect," and that title doesn't seem to be an empty marketing gesture if BioWare's own enthusiasm for the device is any indication.
Read more: 'It feels like the future of interactive storytelling' »
The BBC's video-on-demand service iPlayer launched as an Xbox 360 app today, so you can watch Doctor Who from the comfort and security behind your sofa. Unlike many other Xbox TV apps--including those of all other UK channels--iPlayer is available to everyone in the UK, whether they're an Xbox Live Gold or Free member.
Perhaps the most interesting use for the Xbox 360's Kinect controller was Lionhead Studios' virtual child simulator Milo and Kate, though a lot of questions lingered over it. We first met the young lad Milo in 2009, carefree and innocent as he chatted with the player, but the project slipped out of sight and was eventually shelved. This, Peter Molyneux has said, is because the industry simply isn't ready for a such game built around forming an emotional bond.
Read more: "The wrong concept for what this industry currently is" »
For those who haven't gotten enough gun-slingin' marionette action, The Gunstringer has released a new piece of downloadable content. "El Diablo's 'Merican Adventure" lets you play as the titular El Diablo, emerging from the underworld to find a suitable queen. It's available now for $3 (240 MSP).
Kinect-powered mech 'em up Steel Battalion: Heavy Armor is lined up to stomp onto Xbox 360 on June 19. Publisher Capcom celebrated today's announcement with a set of new screenshots and two new trailers for Armored Core creator From Software's robofest.
Microsoft has announced yet another Kinect bundle. The "Xbox 360 Special Edition 4GB Kinect Family Bundle" will include a "limited edition" glossy white Xbox 360 with matching Kinect sensor, a white Xbox 360 wireless controller, Kinect Sports, Kinect Adventures, and a three month subscription to Xbox Live Gold. It will be available for $299.99.
"What the hell happened to these guys? Damn... I used to get excited every time I saw that Rare ..."
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