Category: Xbox 360

Details on Conan O’Brien Xbox 360 Negotiations

One of the most fascinating destinations for Conan O’Brien was the Xbox 360. How crazy would it have been if Conan skipped cable television for a direct-to-console show on Xbox Live? Conan executive producer Jeff Ross recently shared some details of the Microsoft negotiations with Gamasutra:

The Xbox thing — a lot of the conversations were ‘well, it’s a show, but it’s not a show and there are no breaks, but maybe there are breaks and it’s not 60 minutes, it’s this’ and nobody really knew what it was.

So it was really going to be a leap of faith to jump in with these guys and figure something out which we didn’t know. Plus there were 100 people who were out of jobs and that didn’t bode well for that.

It was interesting to sit and look at it and say, ‘it would be great to be involved in this,’ but at the end of the day, we had some eventual television offers and we basically shied away from the other.

Although it would have been nice if Microsoft launched an original show with O’Brien, I’m still hoping that the company’s rumored plans for television pan out. It still seems odd that Microsoft could be the one that ends up freeing America from the shackles of cable television and bring a la carte TV to the country. In my head Conan O’Brien would have been the perfect symbol of entertainment liberation…especially since Comcast-NBC is one of the primary oppressors. Ha!

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This Week’s Videogame Releases

After a dull start, February roars back with several interesting releases. One surprise that a lot of my journalist friends are enjoying is You Don’t Know Jack; it’s just amusing that hardcore gamers are using their powerful consoles to indulge in a trivia game. A storied Atari (via Infogrames via Accolade) driving series makes its return in Test Drive Unlimited 2. Gamers looking for some action-RPG excitement should give Trinity: Souls Of Zill O’ll a look. Lastly, Mario and pals return to get their athletic groove on in Mario Sports Mix.

Any of you picking up new games this week?

Halo Remake Coming This Year, Not Using Reach Engine?

Joystiq has uncovered some interesting information on the rumored remake of the original Halo. As expected, the Halo remake will be out by the end of 2011, but the site said that it will not be using the Halo: Reach engine as rumored last December. Here’s the 411:

Sources explain that the re-release is not Bungie’s 2001 Xbox game simply running at a higher resolution — it’s being remade with new art assets. While Halo’s audio will likely remain unaltered, the controls will allow for more recent Halo configurations.

The Halo: Combat Evolved remake is allegedly being developed by New Jersey-based Saber Interactive, the company behind TimeShift and Namco’s upcoming Inversion, but we’ve been unable to confirm the nature of the engine powering it. We understand that it’s something other than the Reach engine.

A Halo remake in 2011 was an obvious choice considering the game’s 10-year anniversary. However, it’s surprising that the game isn’t using the Reach engine. The tech is there and it looks amazing. Using it seems like a no-brainer.

Any thoughts on this Halo remake rumor?

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More Deus Ex: Human Revolution Screens

Square Enix just sent over some new screens for the highly anticipated Deus Ex: Human Revolution. In case you missed them, here are links to the August 2010 and Novemeber 2010 batches. My friends that have played the game are really high on it. Several of them have called it the best cerebral shooter in years. For some reason, not a lot of you seem interested in the game. Tell me why (please)!

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Castle Crashers Pink Knight Benefits Breast Cancer Research

The Behemoth has announced a nice bit of Castle Crashers DLC that benefits breast cancer research. On February 8, 2011 the Pink Knight DLC pack will be available for the game and all revenue from the add-on will be donated to charity. Here’s some more information from the developer’s blog:

Born out of popular demand, rumor, and Tom Fulp’s Beard, the Pink Knight is ready to bring the love in. The playable Pink Knight will come packed with the Lollipop and 4 other brand new additional weapons. Warning: Adorable.

The Pink Knight Pack will be available on PSN for $1.99 and 100% of The Behemoth’s revenue from Pink Knight pack sales will be donated to charities devoted to Breast Cancer Research. Pink for the Cure!

A release date for the XBLA version has not been announced yet, but The Behemoth says that it’s on the way.

This is a very cool move on The Behemoth’s part. I’m getting all kinds of warm fuzzies from a developer using a popular game for a charitable cause. After I get back from DICE 2011, I’m going to buy the PSN version of the game and this DLC so that I can contribute to the cause. Perhaps this could lead to a future RPad.tv invitational as well!

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Batman Arkham City Screens

Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment has released a handful of screens for highly anticipated Batman: Arkham City. The follow-up to arguably the best comic-book videogame of all time, Arkham City has tremendous shoes to fill. While screenshots only tell part of the story, at the very least Arkham City should make Batman look better than ever! Check it out.

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How Kinect Rescued a Company From Demonic Hell

In case you didn’t know, Microsoft has sold millions of units of Kinect for Xbox 360. Did you also know that Kinect sales have brought a Silicon Valley company back from the dead? GigaOm’s Om Malik wrote an excellent article about Kinect reversing the fortunes of JDSU. Here’s an excerpt:

The success of Kinect, however, is having a bigger impact on a smaller company, which has been all but forgotten for nearly a decade — JDSU. The Milpitas, Calif-based company makes all sort of gear – from testing equipment to optical components.

It is mostly infamous for being one of the biggest companies of telecom bubble that plunged from heavenly heights straight into demonic hell. It has merged, scrimped, scavenged and retreated through the past decade. Things aren’t peachy just yet, but it seems there is some hope for the company — thanks to the growing popularity of gesture technology.

It’s nice to know that the hundreds of millions of dollars Microsoft has spent to sell millions of Kinect units has also helped bring a .com casualty back from the dead.

Check out Om’s article if you have a chance. It’s a great read from a great site…even if he did name if after himself. Who does that?!? Oh wait….

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Kinect Halo on the Way?

Microsoft has registered the domain name KinectHalo.com. So in addition to the rumors of the original Halo being remade with the Halo: Reach engine, there’s a chance that Halo will be retrofitted with Kinect controls. It’s exciting and scary all at once.

It’s exciting because millions of gamers love Halo and would be thrilled to play the game with revamped graphics. It’s scary because…well, I’m pretty sure that it would be impossible to play Kinect Halo without looking like a complete tool.

What do you make of Kinect Halo? Is it something that you’d be interested in? Do you think that the game would get more “hardcore” Xbox 360 players to buy Kinect?

Source via Gaming Reloaded

BioWare Reveals Facebook Unlockable Dragon Age II Content

BioWare has revealed the unlockable content for Dragon Age II that can be snagged through its Facebook game Dragon Age Legends. Players can obtain Evra’s Might (ring), Evra’s Trophy Belt, Air of Confidence (ring), the Ivo Family Crest (necklace), and Dura’s Blue Flame (necklace). Here are the descriptions from BioWare’s Ethan Levy:

Evra’s Might
When Evra gained notoriety by defeating the Blood Sisters of Vehnstel, he was wearing his signature ring. Although the massive size of the solid gold ring attracts attention, it served a more practical purpose for Evra: he used it to punch demons in the face, sometimes felling them in a single blow.

Evra’s Trophy Belt
This grisly belt is filled with monstrous teeth, chipped blades, scraps of fur, and armor fragments. Each piece is said to be a trophy collected by Evra during his many adventures.

Air of Confidence
After averting a disaster at the Circle of Markham, Evra was given this ring by the First Enchanter. Though the Air of Confidence is not as eye-catching as his other famous ring, it is said that Evra always wore it, even when sleeping. The exact magical properties of the Air of Confidence are a subject of much speculation amongst minstrels.

Ivo Family Crest
Evolving over the years, the crest of House Ivo has become much more ornate than Paragon Ivo’s original design. This ancient golden amulet bears the original crest. Though the engravings are simple, the stark lines are somehow deeply stirring.

Dura’s Blue Flame
This weathered silver amulet has passed through many hands over the years. A deep blue sapphire almost glows in a certain light. Although time has faded its intricate engravings, the amulet has a certain majesty about it.

As I mentioned last November, social gaming is a great way to get audiences on the hook for a retail game. Dragon Age Legends will whet the appetites of longtime Dragon Age fans and possibly create some new ones. Getting unique items to use in Dragon Age II is just a sharp, sharp move. I can’t wait until Dragon Age Legends is out of beta!

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This Week’s Videogame Releases

January’s slow trickle of quality games continues! Dead Space 2 will satisfy gamers looking for outer space thrills and chills. If you played your cards right, you can even get a set of DS2-inspired armor for use in the upcoming Dragon Age 2. If you’re looking for some multiplayer PSP action then Square Enix’s Lord of Arcana should do you good.

Any of you picking up new games this week?