Xbox 360 players have been dealing with Microsoft’s Points system when purchasing Xbox Live Arcade games, downloadable content and anything else the Xbox Live Marketplace has to offer for sale for year. The result of this has caused many Xbox […]
Like It , +1 , Tweet It , Pin It Original content from Ubergizmo. 
     |
The game developer group known as Bungie have revealed several screenshot images of their upcoming top-tier title for Microsoft and Sony’s next-generation gaming consoles: Destiny. This game has been teased several times before, this week’s additions being a set of choice visions of our own planet’s futuristic moon. Up close and personal, Bungie has given another look at what the Xbox 720 will be delivering in the way of graphics.
Of course the PlayStation 4 and gaming PCs will also have their shot at this title in 2014. This title is being made by the same company that created Halo and has partnered up with Activision, the company that brings you Call of Duty. With such big-name titles on the line, Destiny has a lot to live up to.
The images above and below are only small versions of the actual detail you’ll be able to see, Bungie delivering full-resolution pictures to the public to allow them a taste of full-screen possibilities. Though these images make the game look like a backdrop from a blockbuster film event, the final product will be an online exclusive first-person shooter.
This means that the Xbox 720 and the PlayStation 4 will continue down the road suggested for them in the latter days of their predecessors – this is a very connected future we’re starting soon.
Images of what Bungie calls its Abandoned Earth segment of the game – or environment, however it’ll be presented – have been unveiled as well. In these images its revealed that the planet is not simply a barren wasteland in this distant realm of possibility – it’s a place where nature has taken back what it owned before humans came along. Much like what’s seen in such apocalyptic films as I Am Legend, cities have been overgrown.
Bungie has also revealed information about the plot of this game. One of the several races available for use by you and your compatriots are the Guardians.
“You are a Guardian of the last safe city on Earth, able to wield some of the Traveler’s incredible power. You are taking this mantle just as a new day dawns. Titans, Hunters, and Warlocks have finally returned to our long-lost worlds, only to find out we are not alone. ” – Bungie, on Destiny
There are also Warlocks, Hunters, and Titans, each of which appear like they came directly out of the next Halo title. That or backup robots for Daft Punk. These and the visions of the Moon, also known as a “Forbidden Zone” by the newest reveal of the contents of the game, will provide for some rather interesting waves of unveils when this multi-platform title comes to fruition.
Above see full-sized versions of each of the images in this post for up-close inspection. Also have a peek at SlashGear’s Xbox 720 tag portal as well as our PlayStation 4 tag portal for the race to the finish line. As far as game developers are concerned, these two consoles are bringing the same beast to the party!
SOURCE: Bungie
Xbox 720 Destiny teaser images head to Earth’s moon is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
As launch time approaches, the game developer teams at Ubisoft have revealed a full 6-minute gameplay video of the upcoming title Watch Dogs. This game works with a hero character that, at the time this game began development, was a futuristic smart city dweller. Fast forward 4.5 years later when the game is about to be released and the entire environment has become so real that technology security experts have been brought in to consult on the final product.
What this demonstration of the game presents is the world promised by early previews, one in which the gamer lives in a sea of information. As citizens of this connected Chicago walk by, the user has the option of hacking their electronic connection to everything. Name, occupation, cash, and all.
Watch as a woman named Chandra Prince walks by the hacker hero of this game and, with a tap of the display of his smartphone, he finds her age, occupation, income, hobbies – and has the option to steal from her bank account digitally. Every citizen of this city has a machine in their pocket or in their hand, and through that machine they’re open to attack.
It’s in this world that Watch Dogs is shown to be not just the silent killer’s playground of games like Tenchu: Stealth Assassins, but one where a villain can – at first – walk around in broad daylight. Of course once the user finds himself on the wrong end of the law, the police make cameras and sound detection tools an all-encompassing web for our hero.
As you’ll remember from SlashGear’s previous investigation into the world of Watch Dogs, this city has Batman-like sound detection capabilities. It’s not safe to speak without a muffler – not if you want to remain anonymous. Fire a gun and you’ll be triangulated – break a window and it’ll be heard by the cops.
Just as it is with any caped crusader-type situation, the player of this game will soon find themselves addicted to making full use of their ability to see and hear all. As “potential criminals” roam the streets with Crime Probability meters attached to them, following them like a Pre-Crime unit will be the gamer’s prerogative.
This video game will be able to be played in an open-world fashion if the user wishes, this the same sort of deal made popular by the Grand Theft Auto series on the original PlayStation. They’ll also be able to follow plotlines that lead them into heavy trouble with both digital crime syndicates and the police, both of which have access to the big brother cover that intertwines the city.
Watch Dogs will be coming to a gaming machine near you on November 19th. It’ll be released to your high-powered gaming PC, WiiU, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and more – those four bases being the first wave only. This game will eventually also have mobile components so the user can continue playing while on-the-go on smartphone and tablet machines, making the game as real as its story – watch yourself! And don’t forget your stealth skill!
Watch Dogs gameplay depicts 21st century ninja is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
The development team at Ubisoft have been working on the game Watch Dogs for an unusually long time. This hacker-themed game has been in development for 4.5 years, long enough for the original concept to have gotten so close to real life that its developers have been able to easily consult with a team of real-world security experts at Kaspersky Lab, bringing the game to a place where, at release, it wont be impossible to imagine its action as a real-world situation.
Senior Producer Dominic Guay spoke at a preview of the game this week in San Francisco, letting it be known that the contents could be seen as a warning as much as a normal, every day third-person thriller. Here the player will be working as Pearce, a hacker living in a futuristic Chicago blanketed with a “Smart City” installation that can access essentially any information wirelessly.
What’s more, this new-age Chicago’s smart system doesn’t just work with and control public service systems, it helps police hunt down and capture bad guys. Using systems like the very real SpotShotter, as pointed out by Venture Beat (they also attending this San Francisco preview of the game), the in-game police can track gunshots by triangulating the sounds with city-wide sound recorders.
“The problem is, if you start spying on people in every aspect of their lives, it becomes addictive. hat if you see a woman being mugged in a back alley or a man being extorted? It becomes hard to do nothing.” – Dominic Guay
The game’s hero Pearce will be aiming at and avoiding not only the police, but corrupt 3rd party users and gangs, each of them also taking advantage of the connectedness of the city and its citizens.
Much in the same way Batman is able to hone in on sound signals throughout a city by tapping in to the cellphone signals of its citizens, here too anyone with access will be able to hear all. Batman’s ability to do this appears in the movie The Dark Knight as well as in the video game Batman: Arkham City. In Watch Dogs, this sound system is part of the larger ctOS (City Operating System).
Helping to advance the realism of the game to a point that’s essentially creepy, Kaspersy Lab has been confirmed to be working with the developers of this game in its last phases. Speaking at the game preview this week with Joystiq, Guay made their involvement clear:
“We’re working with Kaspersky Lab, a big security firm. They have really hardcore experts there on hacking. We send them some of our designs and we ask them feedback on it, and it’s interesting to see what gets back. Sometimes they say, ‘Yeah, that’s possible, but change that word,’ or, ‘That’s not the way it works.’” – Dominic Guay
It’s also become clear that this game will not be restricted to your gaming console – it’ll not just be a game you play on Xbox 360, PC, Xbox 720, PlayStation 4, and the rest. Instead you’ll have gameplay expansion available on smartphone systems and on tablets as well. This game will, like the hero of the game, be played on the move, as well.
Expect Watch Dogs to be solidified with detail galore by the time of its final release later this year. At the moment it would appear that Watch Dogs will be set for a November 22nd release date and will be appearing on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC at the start.
Watch Dogs game true-to-life hacking developed with real security pros is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
Microsoft and Sony’s enthusiasm about the Xbox 720 and PlayStation 4 may not be matched with equally vigorous sales, Activision president Bobby Kotick has warned, admitting that the game publisher is preparing itself for a potential slump come launch. “We continue to face the uncertainties of the console transition” Kotick said during Activision’s financial results call with investors earlier this week, highlighting Nintendo’s struggles with the Wii U as evidence that all is not well with next-gen hardware. The Wii U “has had a very slow start” Kotick pointed out.
The so-called transition Kotick describes is one of an evolving gaming industry, where players aren’t perhaps so wedded to their dedicated, heavy-duty consoles as they were at the launch of the Xbox 360 and PS3. Factor in the remaining questions that surround even Sony’s officially announced PlayStation 4, and Kotick is readying for an uphill struggle.
“There are still many unknown factors,” he explained on the call, “such as pricing, launch dates and quantities, the level of first-party support and, importantly, consumer purchase intent in a world where consoles are no longer just competing with each other, but also with new platforms, such as smartphones and tablets.”
Those mobile platforms have risen in gaming prevalence over the intervening years, with more casual titles at the $0.99 price point in Apple’s App Store and Google’s Play market gaining traction on iPhone and Android. Apple’s iPod touch has also become a compelling gaming system, with improvements in the company’s homegrown processors leading to more impressive, near-console-quality titles.
In short, it’s a very different market from what Microsoft and Sony are used to, and one in which Kotick seemingly suspects they may find the reception to the Wii U to be the rule, not the exception. “All of these factors further heighten our concerns heading into the back half of the year,” he concluded, “particularly during the very competitive fourth quarter.”
Activision has already warned that World of Warcraft online multiplayer subscribers are dropping, though the game publisher says it is confident its other projects will maintain sufficient momentum to keep profits up.
[via ExpertReviews]
Xbox 720 and PS4 could face Wii U-style apathy Activision CEO warns is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
Microsoft’s next-gen Xbox 720 could launch with a new Project Gotham Racing game, developers have teased, with Lucid Games promising that “mid-May will be interesting for the studio.” Lucid, which was formed from ex-Bizarre Creations staff, the studio responsible for the original Project Gotham Racing series, took to Facebook to tease a new 2013 title, which would coincide with Microsoft’s own reveal date for the new Xbox.
That’s taking place on May 21, with Microsoft also set to show off a number of launch games alongside the console. Exactly how much detail Microsoft will go into around the new Xbox is unclear – it could well follow Sony’s example, and not actually show off the core hardware itself – but we’re expecting it to open the gates to more titles being demonstrated at E3.
Lucid’s teaser image, meanwhile, would seem to be a heavy-handed nod to a racing game given its “Road Opens 2013″ banner. The UK studio was started by a number of former Bizarre Creations staff, after the Activision-owned firm was shut down at the start of 2011. Rumors back in late 2010 suggested Microsoft was in talks with multiple European studios to try to reboot the Project Gotham Racing series, though since then all has been quiet.
That’s not something the Lucid Games team is doing anything to change, telling Joystiq only that they “can’t say anything at the moment” about the Project Gotham Racing rumors. Nonetheless, it would be a fitting launch-day title: both the original Xbox and the Xbox 360 hit shelves with a game from the franchise alongside.
Going by the image, the new racing game – whatever it launches as – will be set in London, UK, at least in part. That’s already been the venue for at least one previous installment of Project Gotham Racing.
Xbox 720 could get Project Gotham Racing launch game devs hint is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
While Microsoft is planning its own reveal event on May 21 to unveil its next-generation gaming console, the company will also be at E3 in June to show off even more stuff the company is working on. However, Microsoft will also be returning to Gamescom later this August after skipping last year’s event, where they’ll be revealing the “next chapter of Xbox gaming experiences.”
Xbox EMEA social marketing manager Graeme Boyd tweeted the news today, but details have yet to revealed. Then again, we probably won’t hear more about Microsoft’s Gamescom appearance until the event gets closer. From the looks of it so far, it seems the company may spread out announcements for the Xbox 720 over three events.
However, since Gamescom is in August, that could be the time when Microsoft will release its next-generation console, thus being the purpose behind the company’s appearance at the event. Both Microsoft and Sony are expected to launch their new consoles in time for the holiday season, so we should be seeing them pop up early on in August and September.
Microsoft skipped Gamescom last year, with no word on whether or not the company would return, but it looks like they just can’t get enough, as they’ll be returning to the Germany event come late August. It’ll be interesting to see what new stuff they unveil, considering they’ll have E3 and their own event to splurge out details of their new console.
Microsoft returning to Gamescom to show off Xbox 720 is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
In less than two weeks Microsoft will be announcing the next generation Xbox, on the 21st of May. There have been many rumors about this upcoming console and speculation is at an all time high. A number of monikers have been rumored, some believe that the new console will be called Xbox Infinite, the Xbox Fusion, the Xbox Infinity or quite simply, Xbox. Now IBTimes UK is reporting that “sources related to development of the new Xbox” confirmed to them that Microsoft’s new console carries the Infinity moniker.
Internally, the next generation Xbox is referred to as Durango, which is its codename. It was initially believed that this console will actually be called Xbox 720, a name that’s obviously a natural successor of Xbox 360. Microsoft has not commented on this latest development, we shouldn’t expect them to either considering that the official announcement is merely a fortnight away. The full unveil of this console will take place at E3 conference in June. It was also recently rumored that an allegedly leaked internal Microsoft memo confirms that the next Xbox won’t require an always-on internet connection. Fact remains, we can’t be entirely sure about anything until the company makes an official announcement. Do weigh in on this though, what are your thoughts about the Xbox Infinity moniker?
By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Leaked Microsoft Email Hints Next Xbox Won’t Need Always-On Internet, Nintendo Turns To Smartphone App Developers To Help Boost Wii U Software Library [Rumor], 
| |
For quite some time now we have been hearing rumors that the next generation Xbox will require an always-on internet connection for playing games. It was also rumored that Microsoft will ultimately leave it up to publishers to decide whether their games would need such an internet connection. It is now being reported that Microsoft’s upcoming console will not need to be connected to the internet when the customer wants to play a single player game, play a Blu-ray disc or watch live TV, this according to an allegedly leaked internal Microsoft email.
The email was reportedly sent to full-time Microsoft employees that are working on the upcoming console. It says that “there are a number of scenarios that our users expect to work without an Internet connection,” these include the three scenarios mentioned above. If this turns out to be true, many prospective Xbox customers will heave a sigh of relief. This alleged email also confirms another rumor that the next Xbox can be hooked up with cable boxes for watching live TV. Microsoft will be announcing the next generation Xbox on the 21st of May, followed by a full unveil at the E3 conference in June.
By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Nintendo Turns To Smartphone App Developers To Help Boost Wii U Software Library [Rumor], Xbox Infinite Name Allegedly Leaked In Upcoming Sonic Game [Rumor], 
| |
It’s been wildly speculated that Microsoft‘s next-generation gaming console would come with a crazy feature that would require a constant internet connection, or else it would essentially be useless. However, to one’s real surprise, it’s said that Microsoft will, in fact, not require an internet connection for some of the console’s tasks.
According to Ars Technica, Microsoft sent out an internal email to all full-time employees working on the next Xbox saying that “there are a number of scenarios that users expect to work without an internet connection, and those should ‘just work’ regardless of their current connection status.” Microsoft suggested playing Blu-ray discs, watching live TV, and playing single player games as examples.
This certainly makes sense, as we’re prone to believe that making a gaming console completely inoperable without an internet connection is quite illogical. The email also essentially confirms other rumors as well: The Xbox 720 will come with a Blu-ray drive, as well as some sort of input where you can plug your TV or set-top box into to watch live TV.
It’s not known exactly how far the offline capabilities will go in the new console, but it would be a fair bet to say that there will simply be some things that will require an internet connection — tasks that didn’t require an internet connection on past consoles. It’s possible that Microsoft could implement some kind of system to verify games being installed without having to be online, but we’ll ultimately have to wait and see what the company comes up with.
[via Ars Technica]
Xbox 720 to allow games without internet connection after all is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
This is site is run by Sascha Endlicher, M.A., during ungodly late night hours. Wanna know more about him? Connect via Social Media by jumping to about.me/sascha.endlicher.
