Living LIVE News Report 07.11.11
Posted by Trace Aber on 07.11.2011
News and thoughts on Bungie handing Halo over to Microsoft, Modern Warfare 3 getting color-blind-friendly, L.A. Noire battling marijuana, Burnout: Crash! disappointing people, the Indie Games Summer Uprising beginning and more!
REPLY POSTED
In regards to this year's Summer of Arcade Promotion…
I don't think the problem is with the lineup, the problem is with the fact that if you don't own Kinect, you will not be able to enjoy the rewards that have always come with the Summer of Arcade, like the discount, or free game. Basically Microsoft is punishing anyone who hasn't jumped on board with Kinect. Same story as E3, Microsoft is putting all the eggs in the Kinect basket, and if we don't have it, Microsoft doesn't care.
Posted By: Todd Vote (Guest) on July 05, 2011 at 11:00 AM
I've only had my Xbox for about six months. My question is this, has the reward been worth purchasing all of the games?
Posted By: Dwayne W. (Guest) on July 05, 2011 at 05:46 PM
While I agree with Todd about Microsoft putting all of their eggs in one basket, they're at least being consistent about it. For Kinect to be taken seriously they're going to make things Kinect-exclusive…and sometimes they need to be things that people are going to, you know, actually want. Microsoft first made E3 Kinect-oriented, they're getting exclusive Kinect titles (some might even be good soon!), and now promotions that require, you guessed it…Kinect. I wouldn't be surprised to see this becoming the norm after a while, with Kinect getting special treatment over non-Kinect users.
And Dwayne, last year's Summer of Arcade gave you 400MP for purchasing all of the games, while the year before that had a sweepstakes for it. I haven't heard much of anything for Crimson Alliance, so I can't verify whether or not purchasing all of the promotional games is worth it. Honestly though, if you like the games – buy them. If not, then don't. You'll get the most value for your money at that point anyways.
Welcome everyone to another issue of the Living LIVE News Report, and as always, I'm your host for the evening, Trace Aber.
Bungie Gives Halo to Microsoft
After over a decade of developing the de-facto Xbox and Xbox 360 franchise, Bungie has pretty much all but handed over the reins of the Halo universe to Microsoft.
In a blog post titled "See You Starside" posted on July 7, also known as Bungie Day and the company's 20th anniversary, the blog post is both sentimental and thankful for everyone who's been a part of the Halo universe in some way, shape or form.
"As we prepare to become fans of the universe our studio began creating more than ten years ago, it's nice to know that we'll be counted among such esteemed company. Some might consider the upcoming transition a bittersweet occasion punctuated by a sense of loss and sadness. We feel otherwise. Halo is in great hands…yours."
Bungie is aware that many hardcore fans are upset about the handover to Microsoft, but Bungie doesn't seem to share those fears. "Its new caretakers will strive, just as we did, to be worthy stewards but you have the package. Hold these characters and stories and worlds to the same unflinching standards you did while we were at the helm, but allow them all to blossom and change and grow in the ways that they must."
The developer is making some changes of their own, including changing the layout to their website, "culminating with the launch of our next universe at some unknown time in the future." Considering the title of the blog post and their history, one wouldn't be crazy to think they'd be working on another space-game.
Regardless of what the next universe is, Bungie promises to cut no corners – "Afterwards, we'll be going dark on our studio's next major endeavor – the creation of a brand new universe. You'll still have a home here should you choose to stay, but our next project demands an unwavering focus. We owe it to ourselves to make something better than we ever have before. We owe it to you, as well."
How do you feel about the handover? Should Bungie tried to have keep the franchise or are they better off moving on? I'm reserving my judgment as I never got into the Halo games, but can respect them for what they are. If Bungie can make a new, better franchise then good for them. If not, well, they'll always have (the memories of) Halo.
Next Burnout Game isn't Really a Burnout Game at All
The Burnout franchise is a favorite for many racing fans, best known for the series spectacular crashes. The next game in the series, a downloadable title named Burnout CRASH!, would seem to capitalize on that feature based on the title alone. But then you read a bit more about it and find out that there are lobster monsters in the game. Lobster.Monsters.In.Burnout.
Touted as a mixture of "pinball and game shows," you'll be rewarded for bringing chaos and mayhem to a nice, quiet intersection of hard working people. Somehow lobster monsters fit into the equation, but honestly I'm not sure if I want to know why. The game is played with a top down view, and you basically wreck into other cars/buildings and can even "press A to explode" every now and then.
And, not surprisingly, the game will feature Kinect support. Those with Kinect will have access to an "exclusive mode" that allows you to do the exact same thing as you would with a controller, but instead you pretend you're using a steering wheel and jump to explode. That's not an extra mode, that's just Kinect support.
There's al…you know what…just watch the gameplay trailer below.
I don't get when companies do this. Why would you take a franchise that has a hardcore fan base who have begging you for years to release a new game in the series and give them this shit? This is not what the Burnout games are about. This isn't a Burnout game, it's some low-budget arcade title that should be ignored by everyone over the age of 12. Sure, they might be able to sell a few copies based on the name alone, but when (or if) they decide to do a proper Burnout game later down the road you're going to have people who are still upset and disappointed by this garbage, and the people who were introduced to the series by this game are going to be disappointed because it's not what they expected.
Seriously…this game looks like it's going to suck, even without the Burnout name. If this was a free flash game, or even a $2 indie game…then fine, whatever. But you know they're going to charge $10-$15 for this drivel and when it sells horribly they're going to say, "Well, the Burnout franchise isn't strong, no need to make another game" and that's the end of it. Fuck.
It's Time for the Indie Games Summer Uprising
Last Winter, a group of extremely talented indie developers got together and decided to release some of their best work alongside one another in an attempt to raise awareness of the indie games channel on LIVE. Unfortunately, due to some flaws of the indie channel at the time things didn't work out quite as planned. Games were delayed for a variety of silly reasons and regardless of delays, the developers couldn't decide when to release their own games anyways. Over the last few months, however, the channel has been cleaned up considerably and another uprising has been plan, though this time it's a bit warmer.
Over sixty games have entered to be included in this summer's offering, though only ten will make the final cut as part of the uprising. The link above will allow you to check out all of the titles being offered, including photos and trailers. Developers will be voting on eight of the games, but fans can vote two in. Fan voting takes place August 1st to August 15th and will be conducted at the official Facebook page.
I'm excited for this much like I was for the Winter Uprising. Even though things didn't go as smoothly for them as one would have liked there were still some great games released for great prices. I expect this one to be just as good, if not even better since it seems like there's a lot more support this time around. I'll be sure to keep you posted with all the latest.
Random News and Notes
It has been announced that Modern Warfare 3 will offer a color-blind assist option for the 6% of the population suffering.
A 14-minute demo of Bioshock: Infinite gameplay has been released. You can check that out below:
Ms. Splosion Man will be released this Wednesday, July 13 for 800MP. Rumor has it that the game may also be released on Steam for the PC, which would be the first PC game by Twisted Pixel since The Maw.
Potential buyers of Kinect who are put off by the device's need for space may want to check out Nyko's Kinect Zoom Device, which promises to cut that space by 40%. It releases on August 23 for $29.99, and people who checked out the device at E3 seemed to have enjoyed it. I'm weary of quality loss, however, and would wait for reviews to start coming in before you rush out and buy a Kinect.
L.A. Noire will be getting a new mission on July 12 entitled Reefer Madness, which sees Detective Cole Phelps ridding the world of that horrible green plant. Kind of weird seeing a Rockstar game try to actually stop pot. A video can be seen below:
The Digital Downloads Arcade Games
MLB's Bobblehead Pros (800MP)
Deadliest Warrior: Legends (800MP)
Dead Block (800MP)
Games on Demand
Two Worlds ($19.99)
Risen ($19.99)
Sacred 2: Fallen Angel ($29.99)
Signing Out
That does it for me this week. Be sure to check back next week as we discuss all of the latest Xbox 360 news, including releases, rumors and reviews! Also, don't forget to bookmark 411Mania! And a note to all of the Indie Game developers out there – if you have an upcoming title that's going to be released soon drop me a line at traceaber@gmail.com and let me know. I'll write a full review of your game to be posted on 411Mania.com, which is a great way to get your game promoted!
