Microsoft is teaming up some of the world’s leading anime studios in Japan to create ”Halo Legends,„ a collection of several original anime short films.

”Halo Legends,„ which will officially debut at a panel presentation today at Comic-Con International in San Diego, is being produced by Microsoft’s 343 Industries and features creative direction from anime pioneer Shinji Aramaki, director of ”Appleseed„ and ”Appleseed EX Machina„ anime features, and Mamoru Oshii, director of the ”Ghost in the Shell„ movies, with additional production from Joseph Chou of J-Spec Pictures. The compilation will include a series of short stories that explore different times, themes and characters from the ”Halo„ universe and will be distributed globally by Warner Home Video.

A preview of select ”Halo Legends„ episodes will first debut on Xbox LIVE, through a new experience called Halo Waypoint.

Launching later this year, Halo Waypoint will be a new destination for ”Halo„ fans on Xbox LIVE. It will inform fans of the latest ”Halo„ news and activities, and grant access to content ranging from podcasts, trailers and screenshots, to exclusive video footage. It also will provide a new challenge for ”Halo„ gamers with a career system and player rankings tied to both in-game and out-of-game accomplishments related to ”Halo.„

Posted by Ted Gibbons at 1:54 PM | Permalink | Comments ( 0 )

Rockstar revealed yesterday that the next downloadable expansion for Grand Theft Auto IV, entitled The Ballad of Gay Tony, will be coming exclusively to the Xbox 360 on October 29th. The game will release on Xbox Live for 1600 Microsoft Points (around $30) that day, but will also be coming to retail stores that day as part of a compilation disc entitled Episodes from Liberty City that includes the previous DLC GTA title, The Lost and the Damned.

Like The Lost and the Damned, The Ballad of Gay Tony will take place in GTA IV's Liberty City, with a minor character from GTAIV acting as the protagonist. In this expansion, the player will assume the role of Luis Fernando Lopez, the bodyguard of nightclub owner Anthony "Gay Tony" Prince. So far, Rockstar has only released the logo for the game, and one character drawing. Spoil sports.

By Dave Rudden

Posted by Scott Bartley at 11:21 AM | Permalink | Comments ( 0 )

By Sean Mirkovich
Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. and Legendary Pictures announced today via press release that they've found a director for their highly anticipated motion picture adaptation of Warcraft and as it turns out, it will be none other than Sam Raimi, the man behind such films as the Evil Dead, Darkman, Spider-Man and this summers Drag Me To Hell.

The news comes as a welcome surprise and Blizzard clearly seems very excited about the promise of a Raimi-helmed Warcraft picture:

"Partnering with Sam Raimi exemplifies Legendary's mandate of marrying the highest quality intellectual property to world-class filmmakers" said Legendary's Tull. "Sam's passion for 'Warcraft' is undeniable and we know that he will create an incredible film worthy of Blizzard's phenomenal franchise."

Raimi was quick to release his own statement and excitement over the upcoming project, saying:

"At its core, Warcraft is a fantastic, action-packed story," said Raimi. "I am thrilled to work with such a dynamite production team to bring this project to the big screen."

The film will be produced by Charles Roven, who's talents brought last summer's The Dark Knight to the big screen as well as the sci-fi classic 12 Monkeys. With such immense filmmaking talent behind the project, could this shape up to become the first truly great video game-to film adaptation? Time will tell, but thus far, the promise is looking pretty "groovy."

Read the full press release here.

Posted by Scott Bartley at 11:32 AM | Permalink | Comments ( 0 )

Usually, games go through a similar process: an idea is pitched to a publisher and the publisher decides whether or not to fund the project. But, Valve company boss Gabe Newell has shown interest in a new way of getting games green lit and funded, and it comes right from the support and wallets of the everyday gamer.

Rather than having to go through a publisher, who a lot of times have a narrow view on what content is produced, in Newell's eyes, the more ideal way would be to have the decision for content rest on the customers.

"One of the areas that I am super interested in right now is how we can do financing from the community. So right now, what typically happens is you have this budget - it needs to be huge, it has to be $10m - $30m, and it has to be all available at the beginning of the project. There's a huge amount of risk associated with those dollars and decisions have to be incredibly conservative.

What I think would be much better would be if the community could finance the games. In other words, 'Hey, I really like this idea you have. I'll be an early investor in that and, as a result, at a later point I may make a return on that product, but I'll also get a copy of that game.'

So move financing from something that occurs between a publisher and a developer? Instead have it be something where funding is coming out of community for games and game concepts they really like."

While this seems like a fun idea, its seems a little impractical for this to work on a massive scale for say, most AAA games that usually go into the tens of millions in production costs. But, all the same, it would be cool to live in a world where the gamers voice (and pockets) had some say in the development of games, for better or for worse.

Source: Kotaku
Sean Mirkovich (GamePro Online)

Posted by Ted Gibbons at 12:05 PM | Permalink | Comments ( 0 )

Microsoft has released a full list detailing the specific updates that are coming soon to Xbox Live on Xbox 360. Among the twenty-five plus improvements and brand-new features are the ability to watch movies online with up to seven of your friends, the ability to rate video games using an Amazon.com-like 5 star rating system, and the ability to download full Xbox 360 games. There's still no exact date when the new Xbox Live update is coming. Here's the complete list of things you'll get with the next Xbox Live update.

Avatar Marketplace
-- Clothing - Download premium items, including branded apparel from your favourite fashion labels and Xbox 360 games such as "Halo."
-- Props - You can now equip your avatar with animated items they can carry around and interact with.
-- Awardables - The ability to earn Avatar clothing and props as rewards within games has been added. Please stay tuned for an update on supporting titles.

Games on Demand (coming late this Winter)
-- Purchase Options - Browse and download a great selection of full Xbox 360 games using Microsoft Points, direct debit, or credit card.
-- Game Manuals - Game manuals for Games on Demand titles can be viewed, downloaded or printed on Xbox.com.
-- It's Yours Forever! - As with other Xbox LIVE content, Games on Demand titles are linked to your Xbox LIVE account, so you can delete and re-download anything you have already purchased to the same console or another console.

User Ratings
-- Rate it - You can now rate every game on the Xbox LIVE Games Marketplace using a 5-star system.
-- Sort and Find it - Now you can easily find the games that everyone's been raving about by visiting the Top Rated games in the Browse All category of Xbox LIVE Games Marketplace.

Xbox LIVE Parties
-- Party Reconnections - If you are accidentally disconnected from your party, Xbox LIVE will automatically reconnect you.
-- Streamlined Party Invites - Invites are now just one click away! No need to click through multiple screens to get all your friends together.

Video Display Options
-- Making it easier for you to see your entertainment in the highest resolution possible on your TV using an HDMI connection.
-- Display Discovery - Make sure you can see and hear your entertainment in the highest resolution and sound quality possible with the option to override and select audio and video formats independent of the information your television sends to your Xbox 360 console.

Other Improvements
-- Gold Member Veterans - Xbox LIVE Gold members get to show it off with a stamp on your Gamer Card that tells people how long you've been a Gold member.
-- Indie Games - Xbox LIVE Community Games has been renamed Xbox LIVE Indie Games. We feel this new name better represents the independent spirit of these titles.
-- Achievement Browser - We've revamped the Achievements browser so it's now easier to read through all the achievements while playing a game. You can now also launch a game directly from the browser.
-- Achievements Tracking - A new view inside the profile panel which includes a summary of Achievements earned across all the games played, and shows of all your completed games.
-- Streamlined Navigation - Streamlined navigation, including new entry points in the dashboard for Active Downloads, redeeming codes, recovering Gamertags and more.
-- Voice Messages - No more blank voice messages! When recording a voice message, a warning will pop up if no audio is detected.
-- Friends List Sorting - It's now easier to find your friends! Find and sort your friends by activity, Gamertag or online status by pressing the Y button while viewing the friends list in the Guide.
-- Memory - Time stamps now appear in the memory area, which particular handy when managing saved games

Account Management
-- Subscription Notification - If your Xbox LIVE subscription is about to run out, you will now be notified when you sign into Xbox LIVE.
-- Updates for Invalid Windows Live IDs - If the Windows Live ID you provided has expired, you will now be prompted to update it the next time you sign into Xbox LIVE.
-- Account recovery - We've enhanced the account recovery process to make it faster and more reliable.
Patrick Shaw (GamePro online)

Posted by Ted Gibbons at 2:49 PM | Permalink | Comments ( 1 )

BioShock 2 was planned as a November 3rd release date, but today the studio's owner announced a delay to "fiscal year 2010" in order to spend more time developing the game.

Strauss Zelnick, Chairman of Take-Two, stated, "We recognise that our revised outlook for the balance of fiscal year 2009, due to both internal and external factors, is a disappointment. That said, we concluded that moving the release of BioShock 2 into fiscal year 2010 was the right decision for the product. We believe the result will be a more compelling consumer experience and a better performing product in the marketplace.

Take-Two CEO Ben Feder adds:

"The decision to shift a release date is never an easy one, especially with a product as highly anticipated as BioShock 2. We felt that it was essential to invest the additional time to ensure that this title will deliver what its fans expect and deserve. As a result, we will now be launching sequels to several of our strongest franchises -- including BioShock 2, Mafia II, Max Payne 3 and Red Dead Redemption -- during the next fiscal year."

The fiscal year delay doesn't necessarily mean BioShock 2 is delayed until the 2010 calendar year (company fiscal years often start months earlier). But considering that BioShock 2 was scheduled to release in November, a 2010 release is looking likely.

Sid Shuman (GamePro online)

Posted by Ted Gibbons at 10:26 AM | Permalink | Comments ( 0 )

The long awaited and highly anticipated Alan Wake will finally be making its way to consoles within a year's time, if publisher Microsoft's promise of a "spring 2010" release is to believed. But, it looks like those hoping to explore the "psychological action thriller" on PC will have to wait a bit longer, as developer Remedy's centre of attention seems directed at the Xbox 360 version for now.

"I'm a PC gamer at heart (have a Core i7, Radeon 4890, 5.1 audio setup at home) so I do appreciate your concerns," Remedy rep Markus wrote on the studio's boards.

"Unfortunately all I can say at this point is that we're focusing all our efforts on the 360 version and will be making comments in regards to the PC at a later time."

So, while Alan Wake for the PC certainly seems inevitable (especially considering the game was originally intended for the PC back in '05), PC gamers will have to test their patience a bit longer to uncover the secrets that Alan Wake has in store for us all.

Sean Mirkovich (GamePro online)

Posted by Ted Gibbons at 11:01 AM | Permalink | Comments ( 0 )

What's worse than paying $50 a year more than Games For Windows Live gamers, just to play Xbox 360 games online? How about paying that same fifty bucks plus having to eyeball banners that unfurl across your Xbox 360's interface like royal proclamations, flocks of leering emoticons that shout "hello!" (emphasis 'LO') like irritated eyeball-rolling tweens, or human silhouettes that groove in looping jukes as dangling ear buds flail like weird, pliable antennae?

Alright, probably not gonna happen. I mean, Microsoft would be certifiably insane to allow that sort of media boondoggle into its blessedly placid Xbox 360 dash space, right? Right...or, well, maybe, because it seems they are planning to make things a bit busier by introducing Silverlight-powered ads to the dashboard.

According to MediaPost channelling Microsoft Advertising Business Group Director Sean Alexander, "Microsoft plans to bring...rich media technologies, including Silverlight, to Xbox Live within the year," and "Silverlight-powered media on Xbox will have the same appearance as ads seen on a web browser."

Now the Xbox 360 already has ads in its Spotlight section that launch by default. Today, mine's displaying a pitch for Worms 2: Armageddon in Xbox Live Arcade, another's telling me to "Try Netflix for free," and yet another's touting "Video discount days" (33% off all summer long!). You can't turn any of that off, and you can't make any of the other views (the ones that actually matter) your startup default instead. To paraphrase The Outer Limits, Microsoft controls the horizontal and the vertical, like it or not.

What about the new technology? Well, Silverlight -- Microsoft's Flash alternative -- is explicitly designed for animation, vector graphics, and audio playback. It brings motion and sound into play, in other words. Those static pictures on the Xbox 360's collage of tinted windows? Replaced -- in theory, anyway -- by advertisements that move and/or make sounds.

Commercials, if we're riffing on web analogies, that could run in advance of free downloads or video feeds, just as they frequently preface a Comedy Central video clip or cable news segment offered "free of charge" through a web browser.

Attempting to mitigate negative buzz about the plan, Microsoft's Larry Hryb (aka Major Nelson) wrote the following on his blog:
I need to let you know that you don't need to worry about a huge influx of ads across the dashboard. One of our core principles is to enhance, not interfere with the gaming experience, and we work directly with our partners to only deliver experiences that are relevant to the LIVE community. Silverlight will help make those ads a more organic part of the dashboard, like we've done with some of the NXE slots in the past. No one on the team wants to turn the dashboard into something that looks like Shibuya Crossing . That's just not good for anyone.

Hryb seems like the nicest guy in the world, but "enhance" is one of those words that drives me crazy. As far as I'm concerned, anything that's designed to entice me to buy more stuff while I'm reading a book, listening to a music CD, watching a DVD, or yes, even playing a video game, is interfering with my gaming experience. The question is, how much interference is too much interference?

I don't know what's acceptable to you, but I do know what isn't to me. Cheap, shameless attention getters, like the bouncing Apple iPod commercial clones, the Flash videos that start without first asking your permission, the audio clips or effects that sound unexpectedly, or the ones that grow out of their ad-space to hijack your screen temporarily. Sticking beautiful people in revealing attire that have nothing to do with the product (textbook case: IGN's Kane and Lynch contest), or playing adolescent titillation games with sexual motifs, like the Singapore Burger King poster in which the company's "Super Seven Incher" torpedoes phallically at a gape-jawed, wide-eyed arguably computer-generated woman's mouth.

Advertising's only half about getting you to buy something. The other half's just getting you to pay attention. The frequently missing brackets would be "sensitivity" and "restraint." Gamers buy game systems to play games, not to be advertisement receptacles. In a smarter, more imaginative world, companies like Microsoft wouldn't need to gild the lily to lure advertisers and bolster revenue. Unfortunately, it's not a smarter world.
Matt Peckham (PC World US)

Posted by Ted Gibbons at 11:42 AM | Permalink | Comments ( 0 )

Siliconera reports that Sony has patented new technology that allows the PlayStation 3 to play all PlayStation 2 games. The article explains that the technology works by emulating the PS2's Emotion Engine, which would enable the PS3 to be backwards compatible with PS2 games. This is a feature that was present in the first generation of the PS3 but was later dropped as newer models were introduced.

Posted by Ted Gibbons at 11:28 AM | Permalink | Comments ( 0 )