Living LIVE News Report 08.08.11
Posted by Trace Aber on 08.08.2011
News and thoughts on Torchlight II getting delayed, the return of the classic Call of Duty zombie maps, details on Skyrim Collector's Edition, Borderlands 2 coming to consoles, Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet getting DLC and more!
REPLY POSTED
I would love to check out the ESPN features but I have friggin' Time Warner Cable who won't play nice with MSFT (or HBO for HBO Go either). Still it's nice to see the Xbox pushing the media abilities, still waiting for the tv service they hinted at E3. I would love to tell Time Warner to get lost for good.
Posted By: Wii60 (Guest) on August 01, 2011 at 12:23 AM
The ESPN features have nothing to do with Microsoft. It's your cable provider not paying ESPN to carry it. If they don't carry it, you can't get it.360 already had a free to play game, that trivia one.
Posted By: lol (Guest) on August 03, 2011 at 12:46 AM
I'm a Time Warner subscriber myself and never knew I couldn't get the ESPN features, but then again I'm not a sports fan so I'll live. Speaking of the 360's media center capabilities, rumor has it that HBO GO will be coming to consoles soon, which is another step in that direction. I don't know about this console, but I predict the next Microsoft console will come out of the box with all-in-one capabilities, including a built-in cable service. Just seems likely.
And lol is right about 1 Vs 100 being free, but something like that is a lot easier to support than a full-fledged multiplayer shooter or MMORPG. By the way, I never got to play 1 Vs 100, any of the readers try it when it was available? After reading up on it I kind of regret not trying it out.
Welcome everyone to another issue of the Living LIVE News Report, and as always, I'm your host for the evening, Trace Aber. I had the dubious distinction of reviewing Captain America Super Soldier for the Wii earlier this week. Needless to say, the game didn't impress me in the slightest and appears to be just another quick cash-in on a hot property. I really hope games like this stop selling enough copies to make a profit because we really don't need more games like that out there. Just a waste of space.
On a completely different note, however, I'm also reviewing Catherine, which should be up later this week. I'm on the third day thus far and kind of torn on how I feel about it. The story is very well done and makes you want to keep playing, but the actual puzzle portion of the game is extremely difficult, even on the easier settings. All the same, I'm excited to play it again later today.
And, on a bit of a sad note, I finished my first playthrough of Mass Effect 2. Everyone survived the mission and now it's time to take a break from that universe as it's filled up quite a bit of my time. I'm thinking of getting back into Oblivion, but not sure if I want to invest that much time into a single game again. It's either that or get back into watching old wrestling. Decisions, decisions.
Torchlight 2 Delayed, Hopefully Not Cancelled, for 360
Popular action RPG series Torchlight debuted on the Xbox 360 earlier this year and was a huge success. Getting the game on LIVE was tricky though, due to certain limitations placed by Microsoft on companies. As you would expect with a sequel, Torchlight 2 promises to be bigger and badder, but that also creates bigger and badder problems getting around those limitations.
In an interview with Eurogamer, CEO of Runic Games Max Schaefer that getting the game on LIVE would require a complete overhaul of the game. "With Torchlight 2 there is a little more complication as far as just being able to do a straight port, as we did with Torchlight 1," he explained. "In all likelihood, if Torchlight 2 gets to the Xbox it would be probably fairly comprehensively redesigned.
The problem comes from the fact that the Torchlight series is programmed primarily for the PC, with the console version being, as he put it, "shoehorned" in. This means a complete overhaul of how things are handled and even the user interface, as was seen in the first game. Still, Runic Games has plenty of reason to "shoehorn" Torchlight 2 on LIVE.
"Torchlight on Xbox Live did very well for us. I think it's the number one revenue game on XBLA for the year so far. We missed out being the top for units sold to Full House Poker by a little bit but they cost less than we do. It was definitely a profitable and valuable experience and we're happy with the results."
So what's the problem? With the first game it was the file size limit, but with Torchlight 2 it has more to do with memory limits of Xbox LIVE. I'm not entirely sure why downloaded games have memory limits, but from what I read it seems like the problem is more with how the actual game is programmed. Apparently it's just not all that compatible with the 360, which would make sense giving the "shoehorned" line.
As of now, the studio's prority is to get the game out for PCs and Macs sometime in the fall, then hopefully work on tweaking it so a 360 port can be released.
Getting a 600,000 point Gamerscore Requires Hard Work and Dedication
Classic Call of Duty Zombies Come Back
Some of my favorite video game memories come in the form of killing Nazi zombies with my friends over Xbox LIVE on Call of Duty: World at War. It's where the whole zombie craze started, and most of my friends played zombies more than regular multiplayer. Who can ever forget the names Nacht der Untoten, Verruckt, Shi No Numa, and Der Riese? If they don't cause you to let out a terrified smile you clearly need to go back and play these old maps.
Oh, wait, nevermind. Originally released in the hardened and prestige editions, now everyone will be able to pick up the four maps that started it all thanks to the Rezurrection DLC package. All four maps have been remastered and redone, but should still be true to the source content. Plus, the conclusion of the zombies saga ends on the freaking Moon of all places, so expect crazy weapons, zombies and antics.
As if that weren't enough, picking up the 1200MP DLC will also net you an enhanced Zombies Soundtrack featuring three exclusive tracks and, hell, why not, a dashboard theme. If you purchased the limited editions that came with the four maps you'll get all of the extra content for free, which ain't a bad deal. Come August 23 you can kill all of the Nazis again and see the epic conclusion to our story.
Skyrim Collector's Edition Revealed
Later this year, The Elder Scroll's V: Skyrim is going to be released and take up all of my time. I will lost contact with friends, family and hell, probably even my girlfriend. I've made the appropriate actions and let people know of my absence ahead of time, because I'm going off the map. That being said, I don't think I'll be picking up the collector's edition, if only because of the price. While I expect the game to eat up my time, I would rather it not eat up $149.99 of mine. Here's what the set offers;
Alduin Statue: Created in conjunction with the IP Factory, this collector's only statue stands 12" tall and is made of high quality PVC. Modeled from actual in-game 3D digital files, it showcases Alduin, the World Eater. He stands perched atop one the game's many dragon walls that teach the player the lethal language of dragons. The Art of Skyrim' Official Art Book: Featuring over 200 pages of striking, full-color illustrations, sketches and models, this stunning 9 3/8" x 12 1/8" coffee table book showcases the characters, creatures, environments, and weaponry of Skyrim. With a foreword by game director Todd Howard and commentary from Bethesda Game Studios artists, readers will be guided through the game's iconic visual style. The Making of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim DVD This documentary DVD contains exclusive, behind-the-scenes footage, including interviews with the Bethesda Game Studios team as they take you from concept to creation and provide insights into the story, gameplay, setting, legacy of the Elder Scrolls franchise, and much more.
Any of the readers plan on picking this up? I love the game, but can't see myself spending that much money on any game. I'll have no use for the statue and while the art book looks impressive, I'm not sure if it'll be worth it. And for some reason I have no interest in the making of anything, so that's a moot point.
Additional News and Videos
Gearbox has announced that Borderlands 2 is coming to consoles sometime between April 1, 2012 and March 31, 2013. According to the press release, the game will feature new skills, enemies, environments, characters, and just in case there wasn't enough in the first game, weapons. The game will be on display at both GamesCom and PAX Prime.
Recently released From Dust has received the best one day sales ever for a Ubisoft XBLA title. Eric Chahi of Ubisoft said that they "plan to have a major release where we can enhance the experience by adding an editor and a multiplayer mode, if the success is there."
Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet, the newest XBLA release, will apparently be getting some DLC in the near future. Not much is known about it other than it will have a "co-op experience".
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!
I just hope that Bethesda put as much effort into Skyrim bug fixes as they did the special edition. Oblivion was fantastic, sucked up a good 6 months of my time, but the bugs and crashes were beyond acceptable.
Posted By: Wii60 (Guest) on August 12, 2011 at 03:04 PM
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