IGN Forecasts: The Xbox 720 Launch Lineup

Though Microsoft didn't utter a single peep about its next-generation console during last week’s Electronic Entertainment Expo, IGN has been able to piece together an early launch lineup through information gleaned from various backroom E3 demos, tips, leaks, surveys, and hints.

While we can’t guarantee Day One-availability for all of these, we can confidently surmise that all of these titles should be available during the still-unnamed system’s launch window. Naturally, there will be more, but this is what we suspect right now.

Watch Dogs

The Ubisoft Montreal development team has affirmed that their surprise E3 darling will be hitting current-generation consoles. However, they also more or less confirmed an Xbox 720 version, if you read between the lines of their quote: “As far as the platform goes, we're running on PC at the current E3. It's official for PS3 and 360. And since we don't have any ship dates, we're also hoping for any other platforms, multiple platforms, for the future.” Two additional bits of evidence here, as if that wasn’t enough: first, Ubisoft has an established corporate strategy of giving any and all platform launches heavy support. From Xbox 360 to Kinect to PlayStation Vita and the upcoming Wii U, they take a double-barreled approach to new consoles. And second, the incredible demo we witnessed at E3 was being played on a high-end PC with an Xbox controller. Odds are very good that their configuration is a ballpark approximation of the Xbox 720 specifications.

Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Patriots

Remember what we just said about Ubisoft betting big on any new console? Expect them to make a huge play for the Xbox Live audience on the 720 with their biggest multiplayer franchise. As you may recall, Rainbow Six 3 dominated Xbox Live in the original Xbox days, and the two Rainbow Six Vegas games were hugely popular in the first couple years of the 360’s lifecycle. Then, however, the series disappeared and Call of Duty swooped in and stole all of Rainbow’s thunder (and then some). We’re quite certain the publisher is not keen on seeing one of their biggest brands eclipsed again when the next-generation systems level the playing field. Furthermore, Patriots was originally announced as a 2013 title, and its no-show at E3 this year lends plenty of credence to the idea that it will resurface as a next-gen offering next holiday. Like Watch Dogs, the next Rainbow Six might also make an appearance on current-gen machines, but we suspect the 720 version will lead the way.

Destiny

We don’t even need to speculate on this one – we have official, court-documented proof courtesy of Activision’s recently settled court case with Vince Zampella and Jason West! Heck, the Xbox 720 is even mentioned by name in the official contract. Who would’ve thought that despite not only losing Bungie as the developer of Halo but also as a Microsoft-owned studio that The House That Bill Gates Built would still manage to launch a new Xbox with a Bungie game as the killer-app anyway? Yes, there will be an Xbox 360 version, but there won’t be a PlayStation SKU of any sort – not for at least a year, anyway, again per the contract details. Look for Destiny, a first-person shooter with massively multiplayer features of some kind (be they minor or major) to be the ace up Microsoft’s sleeve when they finally do being touting their next console.

Star Wars 1313

LucasArts isn’t even really hiding it on this one. They haven’t so much as hinted at a current-gen release for their epic, M-rated new Star Wars action franchise, and their E3 demonstration used a high-end PC and showcased things no Xbox 360 can do. The visual effects, character models, and scale/scope of the scenes shown made no attempt to look like they could be done on existing platforms, and we seriously doubt LucasArts is going to release a PC-exclusive Star Wars game that’s not an MMORPG. Also, continuing a theme from E3, all current-gen games we saw were given release dates of no later than Q1 2013 (so as to land squarely within this console cycle). Star Wars 1313, conversely, was issued no such launch window.

Other likely titles:

Forza Motorsport 5 – Longtime series developer Turn 10 has been on a semi-annual release schedule since the franchise was born, and with new partner Playground Games handling the spinoff Forza Horizon this year, it frees Turn 10 to quietly hammer away on a whiz-bang next-gen launch title – the Xbox 720’s Project Gotham Racing 3, if you will.

Call of Duty 2013 – Of course it will come to every platform known to man, but you can bet on Activision and Infinity Ward having something special in store for the Xbox 720 version. Will it be Modern Warfare 4, or will the developer take the opportunity to launch a new sub-franchise? Either way, they’re not going to want to lose their grip on the die-hard Xbox crowd when the new console launches.

…And many more will be unearthed in the coming months. Are these enough to get you to buy the next Xbox as soon as it’s available? Sound off in the comments below.



Source : ign[dot]com

Mario Creator Wants to Make a First-Person Shooter

In a new interview, Mario and Zelda creator Shigeru Miyamoto has revealed that he’s interested in making a first-person shooter but doesn’t have enough time.

"I actually do kind of want to make a first-person shooter," Miyamoto told Kotaku, "but I don't have time."

According to Miyamoto, the game wouldn’t be violent but would instead be focused on the idea of exploring an environment in a 3D space.

"Rather than necessarily the question of 'What kind of weapon do I have?' in a first person shooter or 'What kind of effect does that have on an enemy?', I think that the structure of a first-person shooter is something that's very interesting," he said. "Having that 3D space that in theory you are in and being able to look around and explore that—particularly being able to do that in conjunction with another person—is very interesting."

Miyamoto added that Wii U’s support of two GamePads could make a first-person shooter “very fun,” suggesting that two people viewing a game’s world through GamePads “could create a very fun and unique gameplay experience” if they’re in the same room.

Miyamoto most recently worked on Pikmin 3 and Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon, two titles shown off last week during E3. In addition, he was said to be working on an all-new original game earlier this year.



Source : ign[dot]com

Sesame Street: Once Upon a Monster Preview

If there’s one thing I can’t stand, it’s an educational game based on a popular kids’ property that doesn’t really bring anything to the table. It’s one thing to try and teach kids something they don’t know about, but how you do it is just as important as getting the lesson across. For years, so many games have failed to do this, starting with the Sesame Street games on the NES (“I don’t think that’s a word!”). It continued on with Barney’s Hide-and-Seek, a Genesis game that was so practically bad that it played itself, which I believe would discourage kids worse than letting them discover the solution for themselves.

I’m going off on a tangent here. Kids’ games aren’t really that bad anymore, though there are still a number of releases that are aimed at younger players (mostly on Wii, like Sesame Street and – gag – Smurfs Dance Party) while shutting out older players from having any fun. However, Tim Schafer and his team at Double Fine could very well change how this formula works with its upcoming release for Xbox 360/Kinect, Sesame Street: Once Upon a Monster. This isn’t your typical foray down the familiar license – Tim and his team are actually doing something genuinely new, and something that…wait for it…all ages can seemingly enjoy.

The game is presented in a storybook format, telling a tale that involves a series of monsters that just want to have fun with their days. The two main stars are familiar characters from the Sesame Street lexicon – the sweet-eating Cookie Monster and the high-pitched, red-furred Elmo. They appear in this monstrous world and guide the player through the actions of a newly created monster character named Marco. You’ll start out coming upon this creature, as he’s the only attendee at his birthday party (insert sad face here), but rather than discouraging him, Elmo and Cookie Monster engage in a number of mini-games to help perk him up, eventually getting to a birthday party he truly deserves. This is just the first part of the game; other chapters in the story tell different monster tales.

So how does this manage to involve adults along the same lines as kids? Well, keep in mind that this production is the work of Double Fine, the same savvy studio that produced Brutal Legend, Stacked, and the recently released mech game, Trenched. It’s got his style of humor in it, but never to the point that it’s raunchy or questionable for younger gamers. Tim worked very carefully to make sure that the tone stayed in the Sesame Street realm, but by the same token, also made sure that entertainment went hand in hand with education, without the latter overshadowing the former.

   

As a result, a number of Once Upon a Monster’s mini games are quite entertaining. One, for instance, has Marco taking part in a tandem race while Elmo playfully rides on his shoulders. Utilizing the Kinect, players must move left and right to avoid colliding with objects that could slow Marco’s momentum, while also ducking so that Elmo doesn’t hit his head on a passing tree branch. It’s never to the point that the activities are impossible, and young and old players alike will actually get into them more than you would’ve expected. Other activities include dancing (not hardcore Dance Central style either – we’re talking playful jumping around) and blowing out candles on a birthday cake. The game is packed with all kinds of enjoyable music, so kids can dance along to it, while parents won’t be worn out by it being loaded with thematic messages. Double Fine is making sure it’s fun all around, and not for a certain kind of audience. That’s where Once Upon a Monster’s main appeal lies.

To assure that the game had the same likable tone as the popular public television show, Double Fine worked closely with the teams at Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and Sesame Workshop to assure that the new monsters fit in with the classic ones, while the stories reflected the kind of proper tone that would be expected from the world of Sesame Street. Considering that many Double Fine staffers were fans of the show when they were growing up definitely helps, as their memories help fuel the events that occur in the game. We still have yet to see what later stages have to offer, but you can bet there will be some sort of fun motion activities that everyone can easily get into. Maybe we’ll even have a cookie-eating mini-game for good measure. I mean, Cookie Monster IS in the game, after all…

As far as presentation goes, the game features the authentic voicework of both Cookie Monster and Elmo, and the new creatures sound great as well. What’s more, the small monster universe that they dwell in is never to the point of being threatening. In fact, it’s quite comfortable, with its relaxed design and its fun, little atmospheric touches, like the mini swamps and the forests. Being able to check it out through the eyes of the Kinect is definitely a smart move, as it simply wouldn’t be the same experience by using a routine controller.

Okay, so maybe we’re a little bonkers previewing a Sesame Street game right after the release of the ultra-violent Gears of War 3. But what can we say? This isn’t typical licensed fare where the point of education is hammered into skulls. This is a delightful take on a classic franchise, going in an unexpected direction thanks to a devoted studio. We’re actually interested to see how ends up when it hits stores on October 11. We’ll be back with a full verdict then, along with a desire to eat a bunch of cookies. Actually, we feel that now. OM NOM NOM!!

Oh, and there will be a demo available next Tuesday on Xbox Live. Check it out if you can.

Source : gamezone[dot]com