Xcast Online RSS http://xcastoffline.com Mon, 06 Sep 2010 13:48:51 +0100 FeedCreator 1.7.2 http://xcastoffline.com/images/M_images/joomla_rss.png http://xcastoffline.com Xcast Online RSS http://xcastoffline.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1468 So Marvel vs. Capcom 2's HD semi-remake has finally been announced. Fantastic news, isn't it? Silky visuals, online multiplayer, 3-on-3 tag team matches and more, all for your hard-earned 1,200 Microsoft Points. According to the financial report of publisher Marvel today, theXBLA/PSN port of the fighting game will be available the week of June 29th. Huzzah! But where is Marvel vs. Capcom 3? You know, the real, proper next-generation debut of the fan-favorite series, possibly made using the Street Fighter IV engine? Nowhere to be found, apparently. Not yet anyway. Speaking with Joystiq, Capcom's Seth Killian said that licensing issues are preventing the publisher from making MvC3. Al hope is being placed on the success of thei digital re-release. What we're hoping is that if people get really juiced about this title, and we can show Marvel that there's a lot of heat behind this, then they'll open up the door for us to do something with '3,' which is something we'd love to do. Bummer, Fret not, though, as this is not limited to the Marvel series. No, no, it's also affecting a North American version of Tatsunoko vs. Capcom. It's a lot of 'dance with the lawyers' on that one. ... The rights holders for Tatsunoko in Japan are one company, but in the U.S. it's ... 13 companies -- and some are very attentive and some are not. And the recent leak of the Mad Catz MvC2 fighting sticks? Hopefuly you didn't pre-order one, because they were a complete fabrication. But Capcom are looking into offering them. News - Latest Tue, 05 May 2009 20:12:33 +0100 http://xcastoffline.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1467 The second round of Microsoft's massive, 5,000-employee axing move begins today, reports C|NET. 3,000 pink slips were issued today. Back when the unfortunate situation was initiated, it cost the gaming community not only the Gamerscore Blog and its hard-working employees, but also QA staffers at the Games for Windows group, and an entire development studio. In an email from Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer, it's stated: In January, in response to the global economic downturn, I announced our plan to adjust the company's cost structure through spending reductions and job eliminations. Today, we are implementing the second phase of this plan. ... Today's action includes positions in the United States and in a number of countries around the world. In the U.S., affected employees will be notified directly by their managers today. In other countries, local leadership teams will provide more specific information about the impact to their organizations.... For those of you directly affected by today's announcement, I want to thank you for your contribution to Microsoft and assure you that we will continue to provide support as we did during the previous job eliminations. Ballmer goes on to say that Microsoft are moving quickly to complete the restructuring move by June 2010, and that they will closely monitor the impact of the economic downturn on the company and react accordingly. That means if things do not pick up in this troubled world, more employees could be on the chopping block. Best of luck to everyone affected. Let's just hope that the folks let go today aren't subjected to accidental overcompensation of severance, and then asked to give it back. News - Latest Tue, 05 May 2009 19:55:21 +0100 http://xcastoffline.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1466 Sometimes I'm truly amazed at how long it takes people to see something and proclaim Ah ha! I see what they did there! This is no different. Last week when Engadget broke news regarding Microsoft's allegedly-to-be-announced-at-E3, waggle-free motion sensing camera, we immediately drew the conclusion that if real, this was based on the ZCam technology that 3DV Systems (the company that Microsoft recently acquired) had developed and shown off at CES last year. Needless to say I was quite surprised to see that few sites managed to point this out when running their articles. But not everyone picks up on things so quickly. A few days have gone by, things have sunk in, and now come the grand, news-making revelations. Ars Technica believe, like we did, that this new, hands-free motion detecting sensor bar is indeed based on the ZCam. Amazing. Every feature discussed in the Engadget report—every single one—we saw in action [at CES] in January 2008, by a company that Microsoft was reported to be in talks to buy, using sub-$100 technology that was mature more than 15 months ago. 3DV indicated back in 2008 that upon release, their camera device would be released at a price point under $100 - and that was just for the technology and application that they had come up with at that point, pre (alleged) Xbox 360 advancements. As a reminder, the rumor is that this motion sensing device will be able to offer 360 users full body and hand gesture control of games / characters ; video conferencing and games with video ; trivia games over the internet with live images of each person playing ; ability to move objects on your screen and the ability for the camera and sensor to distinguish the player from background distractions. E3 will be interesting. News - Latest Tue, 05 May 2009 19:30:55 +0100 http://xcastoffline.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1465 Treyarch and Activision announced today that the Call of Duty: World at War Map Pack 1, which included 3 maps and a Nazi Zombie-upgrading arena, has sold two million copies since its release in March. yes, the same one that sold a million copies its first week. This is a huge milestone and we are so appreciative of our incredibly supportive community who continue to play and enjoy the game, said Mark Lamia, Studio Head of Treyarch. We're hard at work on Call of Duty: World at War Map Pack 2 and look forward to delivering that in June. At 800 MS Points a pop, that's quite a lot of money. The second 3-map, Nazi Zombie-upgrading map pack is currently in the works for a June release. News - Latest Tue, 05 May 2009 18:59:02 +0100 http://xcastoffline.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1464 When The Beatles: Rock Band releases on September 9th this year, it will not only bring a $250 bundle with it, but also slightly expensive, standalone and customized instruments to fill out your Beatles merchandise collection. Harmonix and MTV revealed the first images of the wireless Rickenbacker 325 and Gretsch Duo Jet today, and they are sure purdy, But are they $100 purdy? You be the judge. That's correct, folks: Purchasing these bad boys, along with your full-band box, set will equal you dropping almost $500 day one. Phew. And don't foget the the fact that the game will utilize four-part harmonies for vocals - which means a few extra mics. And there will probably be a premium wireless drum kit at some point, in case the included, reskinned RB2 kit - with a classic pearl finish, a metal kick pedal and a vintage replica drumhead - isn't enough. Save up that cash! News - Latest Tue, 05 May 2009 18:50:13 +0100 http://xcastoffline.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1463 Can we say told ya so now? After the mess that befell Fallout 3's The Pitt DLC last month, we had hoped that the two-week delay for Broken Steel would result in a worry-free launch today over Xbox LIVE and Games for Windows LIVE. How wrong we were. PC users that have purchased the content have been reporting the following error upon installation: Not a cryptographic message or the cryptographic message is not formatted correctly. (Exception from HRESULT: 0x8009200D). In other words: That's not good. Bethesda's Pete Hines responded to the complaints, saying: We're seeing the same error folks have reported, which is a Games for Windows Live DRM install error. Microsoft is working on fixing it, and we'll let everyone know once we've verified it. Ah, yes, a Microsoft error. In the meantime, Xbox 360 users have reported numerous bugs from the inability to prompt and activate the Project Purity quest, to Achievements not popping up when earned. Microsoft say that they are currently working on ths issue. Bugger. Doesn't that frost your radiated cookies? Somehow, the name of the DLC is a bit ironic. News - Latest Tue, 05 May 2009 18:34:06 +0100 http://xcastoffline.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1462 Here's what you get when a mainstream media outlet, like CNBC, takes it upon themselves to analyze gaming trends or industry happenings. In a recent piece on the Grand Theft Auto franchise, the news outlet asks the question is the Rockstar-developed series - that just entered the current generation and sold nearly 13 million copies - running out of gas? The author cites sluggish sales of GTA IV's Xbox 360-exclusive The Lost and Damned DLC (which we've never gotten confirmed sales figures for), and the less-than-stellar sales (and recent price cut) of the new DS installment Chinatown Wars as examples the open-world shooter is fizzling out, at least compared to when it was on the PS2. Chinatown Wars is one the most risky, hardcore and mature-themed games on the DS, a platform that is anything but. Plus the fact that it wasn't really marketed al that well. CNBC state that though analysts claim TL D has sold roughly a million copies over Xbox LIVE, that that is hardly the barnburner the industry was expecting. They then go on to compare that $20, twenty-hour expansion pack to an already overwhelming fourty-plus hour game ... to the $10 Variety Map Pack for Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare's multiplayer, which managed to sell over a million downloads in its first week last year. What? Excuse me as I editorialize for a minute: How is that even relevant? While both require access to Xbox LIVE, one is half as expensive, half as time consuming and not nearly as controversial. And suggesting that TL D selling only a million units (which would equal roughly $20 in revenue on a single platform) makes it a failed product, thus a sign that there's a slow and apparent downfall of GTA? Really now. Moving on, CNBC argue that the lack of information from MS and Rockstar and lack of buzz from the consumer about the second batch of GTA IV DLC, due this Fall, is also a sign of growing disinterest. Lack of buzz ... from something we know nothing about. Huh. So what’s happening here? Part of the blame can be pointed at the changing face of gaming. ... While the hardcore gamer is still alive and well, the influx of casual gamers has shifted where the gaming population as a whole is spending its money. Interesting. The basic gist of this article is that, casual gaming not withstanding, the underperforming sales and 'low response' to DLC, as well as a mature game on a handheld means that arguably the most popular franchise of the last generation is dying? And that if the next add-on 'fails' investors might begin questioning if the franchise is as ‘grand’ as it used to be ? Wow. News - Editorial news Mon, 04 May 2009 23:37:41 +0100 http://xcastoffline.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1461 Electronic Arts confirmed today that their Redwood Shores location has been renamed to Visceral Games. Within the press release, it's stated The studio is currently working on the highly anticipated games, Dante’s Inferno and Dead Space: Extraction, and two other unannounced titles. Two other unannounced titles, you say? One of those wouldn't happen to be Dead Space 2, would it? You know, the sequel to the excellent and well-received shooter from 2008 that's already been semi-confirmed to be a go ? Possibly (or they're new IP). On the about me section of the website of Salil Nair, a lead character artist at Mindwalk Studios, the 3D designer lists Dead Space 2 as one of his current projects for EA. Hmm. Currenly working on 'Dante's Inferno', a fantasy based game and 'Deadspace 2', the second instalment of last year's critically acclaimed sci-fi horror game by Electronic arts. Mindwalk worked with EA Redwood Shores on the first Dead Space, modeling and texturing the majority of humanoid primary and secondary photo realistic characters (alive and corpse versions) as well as a number of creatures along with their dismembered pieces and parts, and an entire level environment as well as a number of props. Salil says that he was lead character artist on about 25 characters for the first game. Huh. Doesn't take a lot of smarts to guess what's going here here. The words second installment make it quite easy, too. Unless Mindwalk are taking their expertise on the next-gen horror game and its technology to work solely on Dead Space: Extraction for the Wii, looks like we've probably got our sequel here. Unless we don't. But a game that sells 1.4 million copies isn't likely to not get a sequel these days. 2010, then, EA? News - Latest Mon, 04 May 2009 19:43:52 +0100 http://xcastoffline.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1460 Fallout 3's Broken Steel releases tomorrow. That's just a friendly PSA, you know. While you wait for Microsoft and Bethesda to drop the meaty third add-on onto Xbox LIVE, why not view the final trailer before you embark on your post-ending quest? Here now is the last trailer for Broken Steel, and it is chock-full of spoilers, so view at your own risk. Hopefully this eases your Fallout addiction until Point Look (or whatever the next batch of content is called) comes out later this year. News - Latest Mon, 04 May 2009 19:07:45 +0100 http://xcastoffline.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1459 EA Redwood Shores? Pfft, that's so 2008. The studio repsonsible for titles like Dead Space, The Godfather II and Dante's Inferno have undergone a name change, and will be referred to as Visceral Games. Ooh, visceral . Fitting for their direction of new hardcore games, no? We are extremely proud of the EA Redwood Shores Studio legacy. The name change to Visceral Games is just the next step in the evolving story of EA's studios. We are not abandoning our past but embracing the future. With an obsessive focus on excellence and a relentless commitment to intense action, Visceral Games is set to execute all future games at the quality, innovation and polish of Dead Space. This is just the beginning. Join us as we forge ahead, said the studio's GM, Glen Schofield. Interesting. Most interesting. Congratulations, guys. Keep pumping out high-quality titles, and we won't mind having to get used to writing a new studio name. News - Latest Mon, 04 May 2009 18:30:10 +0100 http://xcastoffline.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1458 Time for more retro old school remakes, kids! Space Invaders Extreme and Arkanoid Live! are on the way to Xbox LIVE Arcade this week. But that's not all... Space Invaders Extreme offers up the classic 2D shooter we all know and love, but with new multiplayer and co-op modes, hi-def visuals, a multiplier feature and leaderboards. Arkanoid Live! brings block-breaking fun to the current-generation with updated graphics, 62 rounds of fun as well as co-op an multiplayer over Xbox LIVE. Last but not least is Zombie Wranglers. Just in case your sessions of Left 4 Dead aren't enough. Armed with a trustworthy Wrangler-Pack and your own unique special abilities, play as one of the four gallant apprentice Wranglers and rescue your neighborhood before it's too late. Conquer the undead with 4-player online co-op and competitive multiplayer. All titles will be available on Wednesday May 6th at 2 a.m. PST for 800 Microsoft Points each. News - Latest Mon, 04 May 2009 18:19:52 +0100 http://xcastoffline.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1457 Dear loyal readers and random visitors from the internets: Xcast Online is evolving today! Yes, our long-awaited and long overdue upgrade/overhaul is finally here, and we couldn't be more excited to share it with you all. There will be brand new forums (with new goodies buried inside); an archives section for both our editorial content, as well as podcasts; streamlined layout and user interface and more. And yes, that's our new logo. With that said, we have some unfortunate news. We will be temporarily taking Xcast Online offline beginning at approximately 4 a.m. Pacific Standard Time beginning this morning, May 4th. Depending on how long the transfer process takes, how quickly your Internet Service Provider updates your DNS cache (and barring any unforeseen technical shenanigans), the site should be back up, ready go and improved within 10 to12 hours. Believe me, the wait is going to seem a lot longer to us. Bear with us and look forward to the changes. We hope that you all like them. We're quite proud of what we've done. and remember that what you will see is just a work-in-progress; we will continually be adding new features and tweaks over the next few months. Thanks, everyone. [Update]: Shenanigans! Much to our dismay, we've had some technical problems on our host's side. The site should be dixed within the next 24 hours; in the meantime, enjoy the old layout while it lasts! Editorials - Newsflash Sun, 03 May 2009 22:00:00 +0100 http://xcastoffline.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1456 The next proper installment of the stagnant Tony Hawk series is set to be announced on May 14th on GameTrailers TV. Activision said during an earnings call last year that We're reinventing Tony Hawk from the ground up ... This won't be your father's Tony Hawk. After nearly a year of speculation and leaks, it's recently been confirmed by sources that the title - rumored to be called Tony Hawk's Adrenaline, among other titles - will indeed be a motion-controlled outing that utilizes a skateboard peripheral. According to the information that has come about, the new game from ActiBlizz is not being developed by Neversoft, but by Robomodo - a team made up of former EA Chicago staffers - and is due out this Fall. You're not going to be playing Tony Hawk quith a controller in your hands, said a representative for the publisher at their advertuising summit last December. The Tony Hawk franchise has been on hiatus on consoles since the release of Tony Hawk's Proving Ground in 2007. During last May's massive Intellisponse research firm leak day, it was revealed that the motion controlled board coming with the game would allow you to shift your weight to turn and balance grinds, kick back on the tail of the board to ollie and lean into airs to pull off huge spin, and recently sources said ...it won't be about precise balance ... Instead it'll be about grabbing and manipulating the board to pull of all the tricks for which Tony Hawk games are known. Unless they plan to surprise with something completely different than what's been leaked, it sounds like Activision have something interesting up their sleeves to tackle EA's Skate franchise. Let's hope the wait has been worth it. News - Latest Sat, 02 May 2009 19:34:47 +0100 http://xcastoffline.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1455 First thing's first: Call of Duty games, from here on out, will be made by Treyarch and Treyarch exclusively, it seems. Creators Infinity Ward have Modern Warfare as their baby now. With that, let's get to today's whisper about the next entry in the WWII-era shooter. According to sources, Call of Duty 7 (where's number 6 if Modern Warfare 2 isn't classed as CoD?) is going to be set in Vietnam. Apparently publisher ActiBlizz are looking to license Vietnam War-era music, as well as Cuban, African, and Soviet Union music for CoD7. This comes after World at War producer Noah Heller (remember, the guy that bashed Gearbox's Brothers in Arms: Hell's Highway?) said that future installments of the series would explore: the final battles of the Pacific and the European Theatre, and that lets us put a close to the war. I’m sure game companies will be making World War II games for years to come and World War II is a very classic war. But we’re happy that we put the war to bed. Well, at least those of you out there that enjoy World War II shooters can sleep soundly tonight. You'll have another title, and probably sometime in the Fall of 2010. News - Latest Fri, 01 May 2009 19:51:13 +0100 http://xcastoffline.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1454 At this point, I think it's fairly safe to say that aside from Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena/Escape from Butcher Bay, there are no excellent videogames based on movies. While the term excellent may not describe X-Men Origins: Wolverine, it certainly is an appropriate term you could apply to its videogame counterpart. For the most part. The team at Raven Software managed to take Fox's canon-destroying feature film and transform it into a thoroughly enjoyable interactive experience. And it's real purdy, too. So what else would they like to tackle? Twentieth Century Fox have already said that they hope to branch out and produce not only X-Men First Class (a series based on the early days of the superhero team), but spin-offs based on Magneto, Gambit and even Deadpool. And the latter has Raven's eye. Project lead on Wolverine, Dan Vondrak says: We're huge fans of Deadpool. When we made X-Men 2, we made sure to put Deadpool in there and give him plenty of little Easter eggs and conversations. We love the character. His smartass attitude. So that'd be the guy we'd probably go after. Raven are of course referring to the comic Deadpool, and not the character that made its way into the new Wolverine film. For the record, I refuse to acknowledge that that is Deadpool, Fox. Vondrak even says that he thinks should a sequel be made, Silver Samurai would be the villian, and that one of the new game's axed moments - Wolverine taking out a 737 by launching himself into the engines - actually made the cut, redesigned, in one of the late boss battles. News - Latest Fri, 01 May 2009 19:32:52 +0100