Want to add some old-fashioned flair to your rampages through Gotham City? As luck would have it, a new DLC pack for Gotham City Impostors will allow you to do just that.
Out this week is the Steamy Punk Pack for Monolith Productions‘ first person shooter, which pits players against each other fighting on the side of Batman or the Joker. The pack comes with six items: The Steampunk costume, Steampunk voice, Dino Paint Job, the Witch Doctor weapon, the Jetpack Gadget, Well Grounded Fun Fact and Stitches the Mascot.
Gotham City Imposters’ Steamy Punk Pack available now in the Xbox Live Marketplace for 400 MSP.
More people watch Web video via their Xbox 360s than on any other non-PC device, according to newly released data from online video ad company Freewheel. According to the data, more people are streaming Internet video on their Xbox than their iPads, Androids or iPhones/iPods – 28.2 percent on Xbox, followed closely by 27.1 percent on iPad. About 19.4 percent watch on iPhone, 15.2 percent on Android devices and 10.8 percent on iPod or iPod Touch.
Now, this data isn’t without caveats, according to a report at AllThingsD: Freewheel monitors “professional content” accompanied by ads only – so services like ESPN and NBC are counted, but not YouTube or Netflix. With that in mind it’s possible there’s some discrepancy in the numbers presented and the reality, but this does seem to verify similar claims Microsoft has made before.
Minecraft: Xbox 360 Version was developed by Mojang and 4J Studios and published by Microsoft Studios. It is released May 9, 2012 for 1600 MSP. A copy was provided for review purposes.
If you’re any kind of gamer, odds are you’re at least tangentially familiar with Minecraft. If you’re unfamiliar, a brief synopsis: You’re dropped in the middle of a seemingly endless world, left to fend for yourself. Just about everything in the game world can be deconstructed, reconstructed and combined to rebuild the world around you as you see fit (think of it as a world made entirely of LEGO blocks). When the sun goes down, though, the monsters come out to play – and when that happens, you’d better have some weapons or shelter to fight back (you remembered to build a sword, didn’t you?).
In a way, Minecraft is the quintessential open world game: The player is left to his or her own devices without that pesky story campaign getting in the way of the fun. When the game first released on PC in 2009, it became a sensation for its simple-yet-deep gameplay – and the fact that you could build anything from a scale replica of The Legend of Zelda‘s game world to virtual representations of human anatomy didn’t hurt either. Now, the game makes its long-awaited debut on XBLA: Does it retain the simple charm PC gamers have enjoyed for years, or is it lost in translation?
Need more ads in your Xbox media apps? Well, you’re getting them whether you like it or not – Microsoft has expanded its lineup in advertising partners on Xbox Live, the company announced last week (as reported by Gamasutra). Since December, many media apps on Xbox Live have featured 15- to 30-second video ad spots, including UFC, Crackle and TMZ. With the expansion, new apps will soon feature the ads, including ESPN, Last.fm, GameSpot and others.
It’s the zombie apocalypse. Your small band of survivors is under siege and two of your compatriots are in immediate danger. You only have time to save one. Who do you choose? This is the thrust of the new “Choices Matter” trailer for Telltale Games‘ The Walking Dead game, which hits XBLA Friday. The video’s game footage is intercut with commentary by episode three designer Harrison Pink, who explains some of the role player choice will have in the first episode – and the entire “season” of games – when it releases.
Released near the end of last year, Yuke’s Real Steel – based on the movie of the same name – offered a chance to practice the sweet science Rock-Em Sock-Em Robots style (read our review if you haven’t already). Among the games features was the ability to customize your own robots with new parts and pieces. Now, an update released April 18 offers new parts with which to assemble robots, as well as new moves, according to a press release from Yule. The update is free. If you’ve yet to play the game, Real Steel is available now on XBLA for 800 MSP.
Ronimo Games‘ forthcoming Awesomenauts won’t just feature colorful, cartoony graphics; the names of many of the games 12 achievements harken back to Saturday-morning classics of the 1980′s as well. G.I. Joe, Transformers, He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, Ghostbusters and more are paid homage to in the achievements’ titles:
Awesomenauts is a 3-versus-3 MOBA (multiplayer online battle arena) title from Ronimo Games and DTP Entertainment. The game features tug-of-war style gameplay, with teams of three attempting to push their way into enemy teams’ territory to destroy an objective with the help of smaller, computer-controlled units. The game hits for the Xbox Live Arcade May 2; the price is 800 MSP.
Earlier this week, we reported on Microsoft’s plans to further monetize its already quite profitable Xbox LIVE service. At that time, it was anyone’s guess as to what that actually meant – which is still mostly true, but new details have emerged to give subscribers an indication of what isn’t in store, and that’s free-to-play microtransactions.
In an interview with MCVUK, Pav Bhardwaj, Xbox LIVE UK product manager, confirmed that this monetization won’t involve microtransactions like those seen on Sony’s PlayStation Network, among other platforms. Those aren’t on the table at the moment, he said, quashing rumors that this is where the service is headed:
“Potentially yeah, I think the model we’ve got at the moment with Xbox Live Points is what we’re working to at the moment. It’s really successful for everybody. People are really pleased with it and everyone understands it, which is the most important part of it all. So we wouldn’t change it at the moment.”
The original report came from the LinkedIn profile page of Praveen Rutnam, group product planner at Microsoft. The “experience” section of Rutnam’s page states he created a “strategy to further monetize Xbox LIVE subscriber base,” set to be rolled out this holiday season. The initial report led to speculation as to what form that might take, which is where the rumor surfaced in the first place (although not for the first time – similar rumors surfaced a few months ago before being shot down). Other speculation suggests Microsoft might implement some kind of online pass similar to those utilized by publishers like Ubisoft and EA.
For the most part, it’s still anyone’s guess as to what this “further monetization” will involve. However, in February Michael Wolf, XBLA global marketing manager, said the company would consider offering “freemium” titles if it had “content that made sense for [it],” which is another possible form this monetization might take.
Don’t have Xbox Live Gold? Want to try out Netflix or HBO GO on your 360 but don’t want to pay for it? If so, you’re in luck this weekend, as Microsoft’s Major Nelson announced today that a number of media apps will be free Thursday through Sunday – no Gold subscription required. This doesn’t mean subscription fees for those apps won’t apply, but Nelson notes that Hulu Plus, Netflix and EPIX are all offering free trials to coincide with the weekend (however, you’re out of luck if you’ve already taken advantage of Netflix’s free one-month trial, as that content is free to new customers only).
Here’s a list of what will be free this weekend in the U.S. (A full list, including what international users can expect to see, can be found at the Xbox website):
•CinemaNow
•Crackle
•Dailymotion
•EPIX
•ESPN
•HBO GO
•Hulu Plus
•iHeartRadio
•Last.fm
•MSN
•Netflix
•Syfy
•TMZ
•TODAY
•UFC
•Verizon
•VEVO
•Vudu
•Xfinity TV on Demand
•YouTube
Mike Reagan, composer of titles like God of War 3 and Darksiders, signed on as composer for the upcoming Trials: Evolution, Ubisoft announced today. Reagan has also worked on God of War: Ghost of Sparta and Transformers 3. The game is developed by RedLynx, an Ubisoft studio. RedLynx has been getting questions about the game’s composer since the first trailer hit, said creative director Anitti Ilvessuo, but the studio has kept that information close to the vest – until now. “It has been a secret for some time, but now the secret is out,” Ilvessuo said. “Mike’s driving beats and pounding rhythms are the perfect complement to Trials’ fast, frantic gameplay and ‘take no prisoners’ approach.”
Trials: Evolution revs onto XBLA Wednesday for 1200 Microsoft Points.
