microsoft-game-studios posts (Subscribe to this feed)

Mass Effect 2 cinematic trailer teases 'full-length' version for Dec. 22 XBL debut

by Christopher Grant { Dec 12th 2009 at 10:58PM }

Snagged from IGN's "Ultimate Holiday Videogame Guide" comes this Mass Effect 2 cinematic trailer ... well, teaser trailer may be more accurate. While the above video shares nearly a minute and a half of delicious cinematic video (read: this isn't in-game, folks) the end promises the "full-length trailer" will premier on Xbox Live on December 22, just a few days before ecksmas.

So you can take "Mass Effect 2 cinematic trailer" off your wishlist and bump up "Mass Effect 3 cinematic trailer."

[Via Kotaku; thanks, tmacairjordan87]

Alan Wake teaser shows us the power of light

by Richard Mitchell { Dec 8th 2009 at 11:00AM }

Light is, by most accounts, a pretty good thing. It's warm, it makes plants grow and, perhaps most importantly, allows us to see. At least, that was its most important function. Now, thanks to Alan Wake, we know that light's ultimate purpose is to disintegrate monsters. In the small mountain town of Bright Falls, a simple flashbang becomes a weapon of mass destruction and an ordinary road flare is transmogrified from a beacon of hope to a harbinger of doom.

If you don't believe us, check out the new teaser -- part of a week-long Alan Wake feature at 1UP -- after the break.

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N64 makeover: New Perfect Dark XBLA shots

by Richard Mitchell { Dec 7th 2009 at 7:15PM }

Rare has posted some new screenshots of the upcoming Xbox Live Arcade remake of Perfect Dark. If you're looking at the above screen and thinking it doesn't look too hot, you aren't alone. Fret not, however, as this is a shot from the original game. After the break, you can see what the wizards at Rare have done to beautify the original.

Once you finish marveling at its majesty, check out another screenshot and some new art in the gallery below.

Gallery: Perfect Dark XBLA (12/7/09)

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Lips December DLC dated and detailed

by Richard Mitchell { Dec 7th 2009 at 6:20PM }

After promising to reveal the December Lips DLC last week, we finally manged to wrangle a list from Microsoft. As is usually the case with Lips, the collection is runs everywhere from pop to Motown to ... wait, They Might Be Giants? And Violent Femmes? Truly, the Lips programming schedule is a mysterious thing.

The entire list is located after the break, though we'll save you some suspense: Paula Abdul and The Temptations fans have a lot to be excited about. In fact, the Temptations tracks, as well as Margaret Whiting and Johnny Mercer's "Baby It's Cold Outside" are available now.

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Microsoft announces Lips: Party Classics, terrifying Facebook app

by Richard Mitchell { Dec 3rd 2009 at 4:15PM }

With Lips: Number One Hits just hitting retail shelves in October, Microsoft has now announced yet another edition of the game, this time themed around party songs. Entitled Lips: Party Classics, it features catchy tunes by the likes of Chumbawamba, Kiss, Spice Girls and, yes, the Village People. Party Classics will contain a total of 40 songs and launch in spring 2010.

In other Lips news, Microsoft has released a Facebook app that allows users to plaster lips onto their pictures. The lips will then proceed to sing one of a number of tracks from Lips. Look at the image above and imagine that the lips are singing "Barbie Girl." That should give you a decent approximation of what to expect. See a sampling of the Party Classics track list after the break.

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Halo: Evolutions story collection available now

by Richard Mitchell { Nov 25th 2009 at 2:20PM }

Microsoft and Tor Books have issued a friendly reminder that the Halo: Evolutions story collection has officially hit the shelves. The collection includes tales from the Halo universe penned by series authors Eric Nylund and Thomas Buckell, as well as others by 343 Industries' Frank O'Connor, Bungie's Robt McLees, sci-fi author Karen Traviss and others. The book retails for $14.99, but it can be had for much less if you know where to look.

For those who have picked it up already, any good?

Microsoft lists more jobs for Project Natal, 343 Industries; hiring Shadow Complex, Gears of War franchises lead

by David Hinkle { Nov 19th 2009 at 5:20PM }

With Shadow Complex setting very specific week-one sales records on XBLA, Epic and Chair would be kind of nuts to not consider a sequel. One job listing out of a recent crop on Microsoft's employment boards seems to out that likely scenario, implying that Shadow Complex is a bona fide franchise for Microsoft Game Studios and Epic. Said listing specifically calls for a Lead Producer to "lead the publishing side of games made by Epic: Gears of War and Shadow Complex."

Additionally, Microsoft appears to be looking for more able bodies to join its growing pool of Project Natal and 343 Industries employees. Existing job listings call for everything from designers to engineers to even a few artists. Sadly, the company isn't looking for MJOLNIR armor models yet, but just in case, Microsoft, you know how to reach us.

[Via Develop]

Free Forza 3 DLC out now, Holiday pack in December

by Richard Mitchell { Nov 17th 2009 at 2:45PM }

First, a reminder that the free Hyundai Genesis Coupe Car Pack for Forza 3 is now available. The pack includes three different versions of the Hyundai Genesis Coupe, including the Rhys Millen Racing Red Bull coupe, the HKS coupe and a special version made just for Forza 3. Check out some pics in the gallery below.

Second, Microsoft has announced a new "Hot Holidays Car Pack," which will hit Marketplace on December 8. The pack is set to include several 2010 model cars, specifically some super cars and "purpose-built" racing cars. The bulk of the pack's cars are wrapped in secrecy, though Microsoft did tease that one of them will be the Ferrari 458 Italia. Furthermore, the Audi S4 will be offered as a free download to entice players to download the premium content.

Add the Hyundai Genesis Coupe Car Pack

Reminder: Watch the first episode of Halo Legends today [update: it's gone]

by Richard Mitchell { Nov 7th 2009 at 1:30PM }

Update: The episode is no longer available.

This is just a quick public service announcement to remind all the Halo fans out there today that the first episode of Halo Legends is available on Halo Waypoint today. Entitled "The Babysitter," it tells the story of a squad of ODST soldiers on a mission to assassinate a Covenant Prophet. The only catch is that a Spartan has been assigned to lead the squad. ODSTs and Spartans don't necessarily get along, so things get a little complicated.

The episode is only available today, so be sure to grab it quick. And remember, something related to Halo Legends will be airing on Waypoint every week, so keep an eye out for future installments.

Interview: 343 Industries' Frank O'Connor

by Richard Mitchell { Nov 6th 2009 at 6:00PM }

Now that Halo Waypoint has launched and the Halo Legends anime project will soon begin airing on Xbox consoles everywhere, we got the chance to discuss the current state of Halo with 343 Industries creative director, Frank O'Connor. After the break, you'll find discussion on Waypoint, Legends, Halo 3: ODST sales and whereabouts of Ryan Payton. We also talk about the whether or not there's just too much Halo out there, whether we'll see any Halo games for kids and we even squeeze in a question about Pimps at Sea.

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Rumor: First screens, details for Halo Reach leaked

by Xav de Matos { Nov 5th 2009 at 6:48PM }

MLG forum user (and MS Paint fanatic) ToM MoReLLo claims to have played Halo: Reach, and was somehow able to nab multiple blurry screenshots of the game as evidence. Now, when we say blurry we mean blurry. In fact, the classic images of Bigfoot were of higher quality than some of these screens. Perhaps our natural skepticism is taking over, but we're taking these images with a rather large grain of salt.

As for details, the forum post claims Reach will feature squad-based combat and perks, similar to that of Modern Warfare. Squad-based mechanics certainly make sense, considering former Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter creative director Christian Allen joined Bungie in 2007. But again, grain of salt.

Halo: Reach -- Bungie's final title in the Halo universe -- is expected to ship in 2010. Microsoft has yet to reply to our request for a comment on the images.

[Via Shacknews & NeoGAF]

Rumor: Footage of canned Shadowrun reboot

by David Hinkle { Nov 4th 2009 at 9:45PM }

Before 2007's Shadowrun released and Microsoft subsequently closed the doors on FASA, the studio was apparently working on Shadowrun: The Awakening -- a game with a full single-player campaign and unique 3D gameplay engine developed in-house. Some footage (teleport past the break to give it a look-see) managed to make its way online over at Unseen64, showing off a few environments and some character animations. As Unseen64 would tell it, the story goes: FASA brought a new art director in which, through a series of unknown events, lead to an eventual cancellation in favor of the multiplayer-driven experience that was the 2007 game.

As it stands now, Jordan Weisman managed to snag the rights to the Shadowrun IP (among others), so the possibility of seeing this resurface as an actual thing isn't entirely impossible -- though Weisman is trying to let some of the negativity surrounding the brand die down a bit before revisiting it.

[Via StrategyInformer]

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Alan Wake dev wants to avoid including game's ending in press copies

by Xav de Matos { Oct 31st 2009 at 10:30PM }

According to a Remedy managing director Matias Myllyrinne, the studio wants to discuss the possibility of leaving the ending of its upcoming thriller Alan Wake off discs sent to press with its publisher, Microsoft. "I think we're going to be insanely careful about how much of the story we reveal," Myllyrinne told G4TV. "I'd like to hold it back, [I] don't want anybody to spoil it for the audience. That's just my personal feeling."

Using the twist ending of The Sixth Sense as an analogy, Myllrinne says he'd prefer players be able to piece together the secrets of Bright Falls on their own before having them spoiled by others. Although admirable, his analogy can only mean one of two things: Alan Wake is dead or he's Haley Joel Osment. Either way, we're already terrified.

G4 competition dishes out rare Halo 3 flaming armor

by Xav de Matos { Oct 31st 2009 at 8:00PM }

Beyond cries from fanboys for Recon, the rarest of all Halo 3 armor permutations -- or at least the rarest option -- is strutting around multiplayer matches with a flaming skull. Originally only available to employees of Bungie, the heated helmets are now the prize for G4's upcoming Sarkathlon.

In order to enter the contest, which runs until midnight on November 8, players must download a special variant of the map Longshore (only found on the second disk of Halo 3: ODST) and find eight hidden grenades scattered throughout the map. The player who completes the task and crosses the finish line in the shortest amount of time with saved replay proof walks away with the flaming skull. It's the Halo equivalent of painting a giant bulls eye on your back, so why wouldn't you want it?

[Image Credit: Hushed Casket]

Forza 3 limited edition premium theme not so limited anymore

by Richard Mitchell { Oct 30th 2009 at 1:30PM }

We're not sure if it was intentional, or if someone at Microsoft pulled the wrong lever, but the Forza 3 LCE premium theme -- previously reserved exclusively for those that bought the collector's edition -- is now available to the masses for free. We're guessing this was probably a mistake, as the theme is only showing up on the Xbox.com Marketplace, and we were unable to find it in XBLM on an actual console. If you really like Forza, or you just like cars, you'd best get it now before someone in Redmond gets wise.

Add the Forza 3 LCE theme to your 360 download queue

[Thanks, Faiz R.]