Backbreaker Vengeance

Major Nelson’s blog detailed several new games that will be arriving on the Xbox Live Marketplace. Most were already announced games, albeit without release dates or prices.

BackBreaker Vengeance
Half Minute Hero Super Mega Neo Climax
Galaga Legions DX
Deadliest Warrior: Legends

All are slated for release June 29, except Deadliest Warrior: Legends, which is July 6. All but BackBreaker Vengeance will cost 800 Microsoft Points, Vengeance will be a hefty 1200 Microsoft Points. However, these dates and prices are not set in stone and may be subject to change.

Source – http://majornelson.com/2011/06/28/coming-soon-to-the-xbox-live-marketplace-5/

Crytek CEO Cevay Yerli also confirmed that the CryEngine would run on WiiU. “We aren’t showing it but we are pretty much running it already” he said.

Nintendo’s previous consoles have been thrashed for not being able to run this game engine. This may drastically change Nintendo’s third party support.

Source:
http://www.develop-online.net/news/38014/Crytek-Were-bringing-our-tech-to-Wii-U

http://www.develop-online.net/news/37927/Wii-U-powered-by-Unreal-Engine-3-tech

Bit. Trip Saga, the compilation of all six of the Bit. Trip games released on WiiWare has gotten a release date. The collection, coming to a 3DS game retailer near you, will be in stores September 13th.

Additionally, the other compilation, Bit. Trip Complete, that was slyly talked about at E3, has received a release date of September 13th as well. It also includes all six WiiWare on a single Wii disc, with several additions. These include 120 new challenges, online leaderboards, new difficulty modes, an audio and art gallery, and a bundled soundtrack CD containing 18 full songs.

Source – Aksys Press Release

• “Toy Soldiers: Cold War” (Signal Studios/Microsoft Studios). Jump into the fray with playful ’80s combat action in “Toy Soldiers: Cold War.” Bring your favorite action toys to life and wage war against the red menace. Need backup? Call in a friend for co-op campaign action on the couch or over Xbox LIVE. Take a break from the main battle with Survival mode and playful minigames. When you beat your LIVE friends’ scores, they’ll be gunning to reclaim the top spot!
  

• “Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet” (Fuelcell/Microsoft Studios). This side-scrolling, 2-D, action-adventure game takes players on a journey through the curious Shadow Planet worlds, unique environments filled with twisted life, surreal ecologies, hostile creatures and environmental hazards. Players explore the depths of several interconnected themed areas, fighting swarms of enemies, battling bosses, solving mind-bending puzzles and acquiring power-ups to unlock new parts of the map.

• “Fruit Ninja Kinect” (Halfbrick/Microsoft Studios). The worldwide gaming phenomenon “Fruit Ninja” is now coming to Kinect for Xbox 360 in its juiciest form yet — YOU are the ninja! Your arms are now blades, and the battle against the world’s most delicious produce is just beginning. “Fruit Ninja Kinect” is an amazing evolution of the slice-em-up genre created by Halfbrick, utilizing next-generation precision power for the juiciest combat ever!

• “Bastion” (Supergiant Games/Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment). “Bastion” is an action role-playing experience that redefines storytelling in games, with a reactive narrator who marks your every move. Explore more than 40 lush hand-painted environments as you discover the secrets of the Calamity, a surreal catastrophe that shattered the world to pieces. Wield a huge arsenal of upgradeable weapons and battle savage beasts adapted to their new habitat. Finish the main story to unlock New Game Plus mode and continue your journey!

• “From Dust” (Ubisoft Montpellier/Ubisoft). Discover a unique Modern God game in which nature is the star. “From Dust” is the latest original concept by Eric Chahi, visionary creator of “Another World.” Behold the beauty of a primitive world pulsing with life and face the might of nature. Beware the danger of a world that is constantly changing under your command. Control the destiny of a tribe struggling to survive and help it recover its ancestors’ lost powers. Immerse yourself in a world as exotically beautiful as it is dangerous. A universe where nature reclaims what is hers and you are your people’s only chance of survival.

Source – Major Nelson

This is the main paragraph that stands out:

“Explore a massive, multilayered world that seamlessly blends soaring exploration in a
sea of clouds with intense ground-based adventuring that blurs the line between the
main world and traditional Zelda dungeons. Link™ soars through the skies on the back
of a noble bird and dives beneath the clouds to the continent below in an epic quest
that lays the foundation for the events in the critically acclaimed The Legend of Zelda:
Ocarina of Time.”

So it seems Skyward Sword will be telling the events that lead up to Ocarina Of Time. Along with that information, the press pack comes with some hot new screenshots:

(Click on the thumbnails to see the picture, full size)

Microsoft IPs

Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary Edition

Microsoft confirmed Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary Edition for November 15th. It will contain a remastered campaign of the original Halo: Combat Evolved, online co-op, and 7 classic multiplayer maps.

Fable: The Journey

A first-person adventure take on Fable was announced, specifically for Kinect. You use your arms to steer vehicles, cast spells, and attack enemies. It will be around in 2012.

Forza Motorsport 4

A release date was confirmed for October 11th. The game uses Kinect for gameplay as well as voice commands and head tracking. 16 player online support was also mentioned.

Halo 4

As the send-off for their press conference, Microsoft unveiled a trailer for Halo 4 involving Master Chief and Cortana. It is the first of a “new trilogy” of Halo games.

Dance Central 2

The most embarrassing Kinect game is back, complete with new multiplayer modes and a single player “campaign”. New songs will be added, as well as voice recognition.

Kinect Sports: Season 2

A bunch of folks, specifically the hilariously awkward “football guys”, demonstrated Kinect Sports: Season 2 at the press conference. It will offer voice controls and some new sports, like tennis.

Third Parties

Mass Effect 3

BioWare showed off voice recognition on their new game and confirmed Kinect support for gameplay. It is slated for early 2012.

Ghost Recon: Future Soldier

Ubisoft demonstrated Kinect’s enhancements to Ghost Recon, voice commands for customizing guns, and confirmed Kinect gameplay.

Minecraft

A Microsoft executive briefly touched on how Minecraft will be available on the Xbox Live Arcade featuring Kinect support.

Ryse

There was no true gameplay footage for Ryse, a Kinect title from Crytek set in ancient Rome, the concept video looked impressive.

Dashboard Enhancements

Bing, YouTube, and a streaming TV service were all announced for the Xbox Live Dashboard. Pricing has not been discussed.

UFC Fights were also shown to be available through Xbox Live. You can place bets on the fighters with your friends in addition to watching the fights.

A new Kinect-based dashboard was also announced.

According to NeoGaf.  The guys over at Xbox.com have accidentally revealed this years big E3 Microsoft announcements; Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary and, what could be, Halo 4.

The mistake was quickly rectified, but luckily the guys over at NeoGaf managed to screenshot the page before it was taken down.

The site at first glance only appears to reveal the Halo CE remake, but on closer inspection a possible Halo 4:

“Return to the Halo universe, The news millions of Halo fans have been waiting for; Halo 4 is on the way. But thats not all…” the caption states.

Please take this with a pinch of salt however, as it could all be a huge fake, and we’ll find out for sure within the next few hours as the Microsoft E3 Press Conference starts very soon.

See the screenshot of Xbox.com below:

The following games were included:

First Party
Launch Games:

• Extreme Sports Cafe (New IP, Combines 1080 and Wave Race + Other Sports)
• Pikmin Cafe (Interfaces with Pikmin 3DS)
• Endless Ocean Cafe
• Nintendogs Cafe Kennel (Interfaces with Nintendogs + Cats)
• Mii Explore (New IP, Multiplayer Adventure Game)

Launch Window:

• Kirby’s Epic Yarn 2 (Launch Window, Multiplayer)
• Wario Ware Cafe (Launch – Launch Window?)

Future Games

• Super Mario Cafe (Late 2012/Early 2013, Paradigm Shift a la SM64)
• Legend of Paper Zelda (Mid 2012, Paper Mario version of SNES Zelda)
• Fire Emblem Cafe (Late 2012)
• Retro Studios IP (Late 2012, New IP)
• Project Sora IP (New IP)
• Monolith Soft RPG (New IP)
• Miyamoto Game (New IP)

Third Party
Launch Games

• Battlefield 3 (Extra Content)
• Street Fighter X Tekken (Timed Exclusive)
• SSX
• Super Monkey Ball Cafe
• Tony Hawk Cafe
• Ridge Racer Cafe
• Mass Effect 3 (Possibly with ME 1 + 2)
• InVersion
• Dragons Dogma
• Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Future Soldier
• Metal Gear Solid: Rising (Extra Content)
• Silent Hill: Downpour (Extra Content)
• PES 2013 Cafe (Timed Exclusive)
• Trauma Center Cafe

Future Games:

• Modern Warfare 3
• Grand Theft Auto V (Launch, Timed Exclusive)
• Dead Space Spin Off
• Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles Cafe
• Soul Caliber V (Extra Content)
• Sonic Cafe (Sonic Generations)
• Platinum Games IP (Bayonetta 2)
• Phantasty Star Online 2 (Late 2012?)
• SEGA Game (???)
• The Amazing Spider-Man: The Game
• Rockstar Game (New IP?)
• BioShock Infinite (Timed Exclusive)
• Red Steel III
• Beyond Good & Evil 2
• Doom 4
• Madden 2013 (Timed Exclusive)
• Tiger Woods 13
• Fight Night Cafe
• Need for Speed Cafe
• Level-5 Game (New IP)
• Kingdom Hearts Cafe (Possibly KH3)
• Square Enix Game (New IP)
• Square Enix Game (???)
• Grasshopper Game (New IP or No More Heroes 3)
• Valve Game (Possibly a collection set + new game?)
• Epic Games (New IP, Bulletstorm 2 or New Gears of War Trilogy exclusive to Cafe)

While some of the first-party titles seem plausible, some of the third-party titles, such as Mass Effect 3 and Grand Theft Auto V, when combined with other third-party titles launching this year, such as Modern Warfare III and Battlefield 3, make it seem like too much of a good thing . However, NeoGaf has been right with leaks in the past. Keep in mind, it’s all just a rumor at this point. Take each title with a grain of salt. However if this were true, Would it be one of the greatest lauch line-up’s in console history?

Source: 1up

The game system was recalled earlier this morning by Nintendo and the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. A Nintendo spokesperson stated, “We conducted thorough tests on the product before the launch but these tests did not includ excessive hours of gameplay.” She continued with, “The 3DS, like any other platform, should be played while taking a break in 30-minute intervals. If you start to feel a headache coming on, take a break. If you feel eye strain, take a break.”

Apparently, the problems are caused when the 3D is turned up all the way. Nintendo plans to come out with an alternative version of the system in the coming months. Possibly as the spokesperson mentioned a “3DS with glasses.”

[Update: Yes, this was an April Fool's joke. We hope you got a little laugh from it.]

Kinect, Move, and Wii

just have the thing. In the past, the Nintendo DS, DS lite and DSi became popular with their famous games like Mario Kart and DJ Hero. In March they will bring the 3DS to the United States to try to win over some of the hard core gamers. It is being released in Japan on Feburary 26, they have already sold out on their pre-orders! There are reports from Nintendo that they plan to ship 4 Million 3DS units worldwide by March 31st, which 1.5 million will go to Japan. On Launch day there are suppose to be 4,000,000 units available. This I believe will really boost Nintendo’s business with them wanting to gain their hard core gamers back instead of the casual gamers they have gained now with the Wii. Their stock price have fell 21 percent since 2008. They don’t only compete with X-Box, they are also fighting against online games such as Zynga’s Farmville and Mafia Wars, as well as Apple’s iphone and ipads.

Nintendo 3DS

The 3DS is Nintendo’s way of getting yet another handheld gaming machine out there. The new 3DS will feature the wireless web access, multiple cameras, and accelerometers to sense motion, and will also have the 3D images but without the needs of special glasses. The company is working with studios to try to stream 3D movies to the device, and will also have a more powerful processor and higher-definition display. At the Electronic Entertainment Expo in 2010, the 3DS was named as the “game changer” for the industry. Lastly, there are 75 titles already announced for the 3DS, nine are from Nintendo’s in-house studio. I look forward to seeing this new 3DS hit the shelves and see how it changes the game industry.