robertpulciny: The Weekly Gamer: Gaming News 10.7.11

Saturday, October 8, 2011

The Weekly Gamer: Gaming News 10.7.11 | GUY.com

Xbox Live To Offer Television

When the original Xbox first hit the market, Microsoft execs talked about it being more than just a game console and wanting it to become a media and entertainment hub for the entire house. They?re one step closer to realizing that goal now that MS has partnered up with multiple media partners to offer live television programming. These partners include HBO GO, Verizon FiOS, Syfy, Bravo and Comcast. An Xbox Live Gold account is required to use these services, but it?s a significant and, frankly, exciting step to see these companies get on board with something like this.
Via Major Nelson?s blog

New Transformers Game To Feature Grimlock

Good licensed games are a rarity and likely always will be. Last year?s Transformers: War for Cybertron was one such rarity and now it?s been announced (via Game Informer?s upcoming issue) that developer High Moon Studios will release a sequel next year. Not only will the game, subtitled Fall of Cybertron, continue the story established in the previous game, it?ll feature everyone?s favorite Dinobot, Grimlock. War for Cybertron was essentially Gears of War, only with Transformers instead of COG soldiers and Locust. The sequel will likely follow in that same path. The new Game Informer issue hits stands soon with more details.
Via Game Informer

Watch Skyward Sword?s Japanese Intro

The floodgates have been opened on the Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword as we inch ever closer to the game?s November release. Last week we got a look at the blossoming romance in the game, this week we get to take a look at the stylish intro movie that sets up the game?s story. It?s all in Japanese, but thankfully the text has been subtitled in English. There?s nothing here that won?t ring familiar for anyone who?s ever played a Zelda game before, but it does a nice job of setting the tone and showing off more of this game?s particular stylizations.

Rage Lets You Revisit Classic Shooters

It?s been a long time coming, but id Tech has finally released a new First Person Shooter.

That?s right, the team that changed the gaming world forever by bringing us the likes of Wolfenstein 3D, Doom and Quake have an all-new, technologically marvelous game out and they want to remind players of the company?s lineage. Spread throughout the game are hidden rooms that let players look back on id?s lineage, with special mockups of locales from the three aforementioned games. Id has always pushed tech forward with its games and Rage is certainly no exception so it?s quite interesting to get such a unique look at how far the company has progressed since it first introduced us to Robo-Hitler and the BFG-9000.

Next Gen Games Get ?Tooned

Here?s a little proof that some developers ought to start taking a different approach to game aesthetics. The Unreal Engine is one of the most ubiquitous and widely used graphics engines in the industry, but so many of the games running on it can often start to look a bit same-y. There?s such a strong desire to reach new levels of realism that artistic stylization seems to have been lost on all but a few games. Well, an artist going by the name of Gobeur has shown that some of these games and their characters would look positively stunning if designers would stray from realism for a bit and go more stylized like an animated film or show. Take a look specifically at the above depiction of Marcus and Dom from Gears of War. They still maintain the look and feel of those characters, and yet the overall aesthetic manages to make them look more human than their Unreal Engine-generated counterparts. Granted, some of that has to do with the artist?s interpretation, but the overall aesthetic is gorgeous. If only more designers would tread this path. Hit the link to see more of Gobeur?s work.
Via Kotaku