Tag: Xbox 360

Coffee Talk #225: AT&T and Microsoft Make My Dream Come True

AT&T and Microsoft are making my console dream come true…almost. In an earlier Coffee Talk and at G4tv, I wrote about my dream of having TiVo functionality built into a console. Earlier in the year I told you about AT&T U-Verse functionality for Xbox 360 being announced at CES 2010. It looks like the team-up will kick off in November!

Welcome to Coffee Talk! Let’s start off the day by discussing whatever is on your (nerd chic) mind. Every morning I’ll kick off a discussion and I’m counting on you to participate in it. If you’re not feelin’ my topic, feel free to start a chat with your fellow readers and see where it takes you. Whether you’re talking about videogames, the Tampa Bay Rays being punished for being rich whiners, the Minnesota Twins inability to beat the NY Yankees, or Diggable Planets, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

AT&T and Microsoft are making my console dream come true…almost. In an earlier Coffee Talk and at G4tv, I wrote about my dream of having TiVo functionality built into a console. Earlier in the year I told you about AT&T U-Verse functionality for Xbox 360 being announced at CES 2010. It looks like the team-up will kick off in November!

The annoying part is that I really want AT&T U-Verse, but the morons that made my building only wired it for crap-ass Time Warner Cable. My friends that have U-Verse say that its DVR functionality is nearly as slick TiVo’s and some of the functions are actually more advance. That makes the whole thing all the more frustrating. Grrrrr.

The good news is that this team-up sets a precedent and console companies are totally competitive. Perhaps Sony will combine its powers with TiVo (or really, just buy the frickin’ thing) and have TiVo software on the PlayStation 4? What do you think the chances are of my dream really coming true?

Morrigan to Return in Dragon Age II?

BioWare appeared to set up Dragon Age: Origins’ Morrigan’s final fate in the (incredibly disappointing) “Witch Hunt” DLC, but it looks like the wicked witch will be back in Dragon Age II. Lead designer Mike Laidlaw told NowGamer:

Morrigan’s story’s not over even after the Witch Hunt DLC, and although I can’t go too far into it, I can say that she’s not done with this world by any stretch of the imagination.

I’m hoping for something meaningful for Morrigan in Dragon Age II. I had tremendous expectations for “Witch Hunt” and was so let down by the storytelling. Is that redemption I sense???

Anyway, let me know what you think Morrigan will be up to in Dragon Age II.

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Double Fine’s Costume Quest Will Rock Your Halloween

Check out this excellent trailer for Double Fine’s Costume Quest for PlayStation Network and Xbox Live Arcade. It’s a cute and stylish RPG with a Halloween theme and (seemingly) all the things you love about Double Fine. I’m super psyched for the game — I love the art style, I love RPGs, and transforming into a unicorn is just awesome!

Costume Quest will be available for download on October 19, 2010. Anyone else interested in this one?

This Week’s Videogame Releases

There are lots of great games hitting shelves this week! In the immortal words of Michael Buffer (or Triple H), “Are you ready?!?” Enslaved has been getting great buzz from the enthusiast press. I really liked this game at E3 2010 and can’t wait to jump into it. Castlevania: Lords of Shadow just might be the first great modern Castlevania game. Although I hate the use of Michael Jordan as a cover athlete (go Pistons!), NBA 2K11 looks pretty hot. I’m not going to play it, but I sure as hell want to watch other people give Def Jam Rapstar a go. Last, but not least, is Final Fantasy: The 4 Heroes of Light, which is one of my personal favorites of 2010.

Any of you picking up new games this week?

Xbox Live Most Unique Feature of Windows Phone 7

Microsoft has a tough battle ahead of it with Windows Phone 7, but it believes that one of its mobile OS’s key selling points is Xbox Live. With Apple iOS’s robust app store for iPhone and Google Android’s super tight integration with numerous Google products, is Xbox Live enough of a hook to attract customers? Microsoft general manager of developer and platform evangelism Matt Thompson believes so. VentureBeat quoted him as saying:

Clearly the phone is you, so the most unique thing we’re trying to do is bring Xbox Live so you can carry the online ‘you’ into the rest of the world.

While I agree that Xbox Live on a phone is a unique feature, I don’t think it’s as social as Thompson is making it out to be. Services like Facebook, Foursquare, and Twitter have a much broader reach. Way more people use those services as an “online you” than Xbox Live.

What do you think? Is Xbox Live functionality on Windows Phone 7 enough of a hook for you to consider changing mobile platforms?

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NBA Elite 11 Delayed, NBA Jam Standalone Coming in 2010

That bad news is that NBA Elite 11 has been delayed. The good news is that NBA Jam for PS3 and Xbox 360 will be available as standalone products. EA Sports president Peter Moore recently blogged:

NBA Jam will launch on the Wii, as scheduled, on October 5. NBA Jam won recognition this summer as the best sports game at E3 and it’s a blast to play. In addition to the Wii version, we’re going to ship NBA Jam as a standalone product on the Xbox360 and PS3 in time for the holidays. Watch for more news soon on the exact timing of that release.

A lot of my friends are thrilled by this development. They love the arcade-sports style of NBA Jam and don’t give a crap about sports simulation games. I think this is great news too; originally I was going to settle on the Wii version — here’s my NBA Jam E3 2010 preview for Shacknews — but getting the PS3 or Xbox 360 version would be lots of fun to play with you guys online (I hope it supports online play!).

What do you think of the NBA Elite delay and NBA Jam being untethered?

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This Week’s Videogame Releases

There are lots of great games shipping this week, spanning a variety of genres. Fans of the beautiful game will be able to enjoy FIFA 11 on every platform known to man. If you’d rather kill zombies than play (international) football then there’s Dead Rising 2. Gamers that haven’t had their fill of Guitar Hero will want to check out Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock. Nothing calling out to you yet? How about giant robots?!? Get some mech action going with Front Mission Evolved. Last, but not least, is an RPG for PS3 gamers: Atelier Rorona…or as I call it Atelier Reona Rewis.

Any of you picking up new games this week? Kindly let me know what’s on your wish list!

Mega Man Universe Trailer

Capcom might have something really cool and really unique with Mega Man Universe. Headed for PlayStation Network and Xbox Live, the game blends the gameplay of Mega Man 2 with a level creator. Millions of gamers are familiar with the gameplay mechanics of Mega Man, so creating levels should be fairly intuitive. If the tools are tight then I expect to see some amazing fan-made designs.

Check out the trailer above and let me know what you think (please)! Any of you down to create Mega Man Universe levels?

Get Early Access to the Next Xbox 360 Dashboard Update

Microsoft marketing guy Major Nelson has revealed details on the Xbox Live Update Preview Program, which grants select users early access to the next Xbox 360 dashboard update. Here’s the skinny from the Major:

I am happy to announce that we’re doing an Xbox 360 System Update Preview program for our next release, and the opportunity to sign up is now available. The Preview Program will give you the chance to check out ESPN on Xbox Live, Zune music, Netflix search, the new Xbox Live dashboard, and new updates to Zune video and Family Settings on your Xbox 360. Much like we did last year, you’ll need to visit the Microsoft Connect site from this link and sign in with your Windows Live ID that is connected to your Xbox Live Gamertag. Once you complete the survey that is presented to you, the Connect site will notify you immediately if you’ve been accepted.

Getting early updates is fun. Are any of you going to try your luck and register for the Xbox Live Update Preview Program?

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Milo & Kate for Xbox 360 Kinect Cancelled?

Gamers that want to have their very own white slave boy indentured servant for Xbox 360 Kinect will be disappointed in the rumor that Lionhead’s Milo & Kate has been cancelled. In late June, Microsoft Game Studios creative director Peter Molyneux assured that world that Milo was coming. Kotaku‘s sources said otherwise:

Fable developer Lionhead Studios’ ambitious Milo project for Xbox 360’s Kinect add-on may have finally been put to bed. Sources claiming to have knowledge of the tech demo’s development tell Kotaku that Project Milo has been effectively shut down.

That same source indicates that the technology that powered Project Milo — which has also been referred to as Milo & Kate — will live on in another form, a Kinect-enabled game based on the Fable franchise.

Although some of the tech in Milo & Kate is truly fascinating, the early versions of the game (if you can even call it that) didn’t really look like something that could provide hours of entertainment. Perhaps that’s what Lionhead discovered too. If the game has been cancelled then it will just add to Molyneux’s controversial reputation of over promising and under delivering. Whether that’s fair or not is another matter entirely.

What do you think of the latest Milo & Kate rumor? Are any of you disappointed? Or did you expect this to happen? Is Molyneux’s over-promising-and-under-delivering rep justified or undeserved?

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