Breaking Xbox games news

Turning Point: FOL Expected during March

2008-02-28T11:20:00.002Z

Source: [Xboxer(TV)]

Turning Point: Fall of Liberty's been given a European release date. We can expect to see the alternate reality World War blaster appear in stores on the 14th of March. If you haven't heard of it before, it's set in an alternate version of 1953 in which Nazi forces are invading the US. The premise sounds promising, but the game's going to have to fight hard to stand out among the 360's shooter lineup.

More so than perhaps any other console, the 360's become flooded with First Person Shooter titles. Some have been legitimately great- The Darkness for its story, Halo 3 for its classic FPS gameplay and BioShock for its unsettling mood and amazing art direction. A lot haven't- Clive Barker's Jericho leaps to mind, along with BlackSite. Turning Point's going to have to offer something at least a little different to make it a memorable experience. The setting sounds good, the question is whether the gameplay can live up to it.

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Triggerheart Exelica out on XBLA this week

2008-02-25T18:01:00.001Z

Source: [Play(TM)]

This week's new Arcade debutant will be Triggerheart Exelica, we learn from Microsoft this afternoon, who reveal that the game will arrive at 9am Wednesday morning.

The Warashi developed title will cost 800 Microsoft Points, and promises vertical scrolling shooter fun, which first titillated us on the Dreamcast, although its also been in arcades too, we're told.

Classic shooting action is on the agenda with this release, and you'll be piloting a special kind of spaceship, with anchors you can use to trap and swing other craft, using them as another kind of weapon beyond your cannons, should you choose to.

HD graphics are promised by Warashi, and there will be leaderboards and achievements abound, as always.

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Microsoft Provides First Look at Xbox 360 Blockbuster Portfolio for 2008

2008-02-21T01:03:00.003Z

Source: [gameinfowire]

Microsoft Corp. provided an exciting glimpse at what promises to be another landmark year for games and online entertainment on the Xbox 360 platform and officially announced the launch of “Gears of War 2,” exclusively for Xbox 360 this November.

Providing a dramatic close to Microsoft’s GDC keynote address, Epic Games Inc.’s lead designer Cliff Bleszinski announced that the epic saga of Marcus Fenix and Delta Squad continues exclusively on the Xbox 360 this fall with “Gears of War 2.” This highly anticipated sequel to the 4.5 million-selling blockbuster “Gears of War” delves deeper into humanity’s struggle for survival against the nightmarish Locust Horde, and promises to take high-definition visuals to a whole new level.

In addition, developer Peter Molyneux of Lionhead Studios took the stage to showcase exciting new multiplayer features for “Fable 2,” introducing dynamic cooperative play, a first to the franchise. Molyneux also announced that later this year, and before the launch of “Fable 2,” gamers can get a sneak peek at the game’s world when the “Fable 2” pub games debut as a stand-alone download on Xbox LIVE Arcade. When “Fable 2” launches, gamers will have the ability to transfer currency earned in the pub games directly to their character in “Fable 2.” This unique and first-of-its-kind experience, which can be found only on Xbox LIVE Arcade, will give the millions of “Fable” fans and gamers all around the globe the opportunity to jump into the “Fable 2” world with money already in the bank.

Tomonobu Itagaki also revealed new “Ninja Gaiden II” game-sharing features, including Ninja Cinema, which is enabled solely through Xbox LIVE, providing exciting and innovative entertainment experiences for the more than 10 million Xbox LIVE members worldwide by allowing players to record and upload their best ninja moves to Xbox LIVE.

“To our team the original game was just a tease, the appetizer to the ‘Gears of War’ characters and new style of gameplay. We were so amped to get to the next chapter, and dig deeper into the universe of this franchise,” said Cliff Bleszinski, lead designer for Epic Games. “‘Gears of War 2’ is an even bigger, better, and more badass experience than the first game, and we can’t wait to get it in the hands of eager gamers this November.”

This year, the most anticipated games will be found exclusively on Xbox 360, including the next chapters of top franchises such as “Gears of War,” “Fable” and “Ninja Gaiden,” as well as new titles such as “Too Human.”

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Xbox 360 version of Left 4 Dead

2008-02-19T13:18:00.000Z

The March 2008 issue of the Official Xbox Magazine features Left 4 Dead on its cover, revealing the Xbox 360 version for the first time. OXM visited Valve where they played the Hospital and Cornfield scenarios on the PC and they also had the chance to see Cornfield running on Xbox 360 development hardware. This is the first time that the press has been able to see the Xbox 360 version, which still has some ways to go to match the PC: "Valve didn't let us play the 360 edition of Left 4 Dead because it was too early and unbalanced - apparently, the zombies were so overpowered that humans stood no chance." And about the graphics, "'The 360 look is almost to where the PC is, and we'll get it up to the PC look before we ship,' promises Faliszek."

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New Blu-ray external drive player looming for XBOX 360?

2008-02-18T14:27:00.000Z

With rumours circling that Toshiba could shortly exit the next-gen DVD arena with HD-DVD, we learn this week that Microsoft could unveil a stand-alone Blu-ray player for the Xbox 360 console as soon as May 2008.

The platform holder has refused to rule out such a device in the past, and with Sony's format having all but won the format war against HD-DVD, Smarthouse report that the new standalone player is ready, and that Microsoft are readying their sales and marketing teams before releasing the peripheral.

The same website even reports chatter that a version of the Xbox incorporating Blu-ray tech inside could be on the way, although we've heard these internal drive rumours before... about HD-DVD.

All eyes are now Toshiba, and if, as assumed, the firm do halt HD-DVD sales, then we could see MS confirm a drive sooner than we might otherwise expect.

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